During the autumn 2021/winter 2022 and autumn 2022/winter 2023 seasons, the summer garden was in hibernation to make way for an experimental winter garden project that aims to promote food sovereignty.
This project ended in the spring of 2023.
Case study report (French only) by the Laboratoire sur l’agriculture urbaine, available on ValorisonsMtl.
Construction guide for street greenhouses (French only), available on ValorisonsMtl.
In collaboration with Laboratoire de l’agriculture urbaine and the Ville-Marie borough, three passive solar greenhouses were installed in the rue Dufresne between rue De Rouen and Larivière. Inside these greenhouses we found:
- 39 Smart-Pots from the summer garden
- Six tunnels made from floating row cover to insulate the seedlings on cold nights
- Three water barrels which absorb and retain heat to stabilize temperatures
- Hundreds of frost-resistant vegetable plants
- Thermometers that are recorded temperatures inside the greenhouses
In addition to extending the growing season on the Promenade des saveurs, this project allowed the Carrefour to feed the community all year round. The greenhouses, which were built with temporary car shelters, also served to spark discussions about the role of food production in urban environments and the space we afford to cars. At the same time, these installations tested the impact of different energy efficiency measures on winter production, like insulation with snow, solar energy, and floating row covers.
The winter edition of the Promenade des saveurs allowed the Carrefour Solidaire CFC to offer fresh vegetables and urban agriculture activities to the Centre-Sud community year-round. More than just a street closure, rue Dufresne is an important space for the neighbourhood. In the summer, it is a living environment and a large food garden that hundreds of citizens visit daily. In the winter, the street provided an incredible space for innovation and urban agriculture education.
Want to learn more about the context of the Street Greenhouse implementation? Read about the obstacles and levers of this project in the case study available on ValorisonsMtl.
What We Grew:
Many varieties of vegetables are adapted to cool weather conditions. Some of them even taste better when exposed to the cold! Indeed, when the mercury drops, some plants concentrate sugars and proteins in their cells to lower their freezing temperature. It’s a fascinating adaptation that allows us to grow and eat delicious greens, even during the winter! Some of the hardy vegetables that were found in the rue Dufresne Street Greenhouses were: Kale, arugula, radishes, spinach, bok choy, lettuce, lamb’s lettuce, mustard greens and much more!
How Do the Street Greenhouses Work?
The greenhouses were made of polycarbonate, a hard, blown plastic that has good thermal resistance. The sun’s heat accumulates in the greenhouse during the day and is redistributed at night or on cloudy days. Several energy efficiency measures were explored and documented: Insulation with snow, insulating row cover, solar energy, etc. The crops chosen were extremely frost resistant and by gradually habituating them to cold temperatures, they can withstand big freezes. Vegetable growers like Eliot Coleman and Jean-Martin Fortier have demonstrated that it is possible to produce vegetables all year round in Quebec. However, we needed to be patient with our greens, as the light in the winter months is much reduced, meaning growth will was slow!
Want to know more about their construction? Visit the ValorisonsMtl website where you will find the Greenhouse Construction Guide.
Where Did the Harvests Go?
The harvests were carefully weighed and counted to measure the energy impacts of the greenhouses. They were then distributed to the Centre-Sud community through the Carrefour Solidaire CFC’s programs such as Bar à salade, a school-based program, and our community meals.
Can I Visit the Street Greenhouses?
The project was concluded in spring 2023. The polycarbonate covering was dismantled one last time, and their construction was not renewed. A new installation was inaugurated in autumn 2023, named the Sentier du cerf. Learn more about this transition in this 100° article (French only).
For any other information on the gardens or the Street Greenhouse, contact Emilie at jardin@carrefoursolidaire.org or call 514 525 6611.