Looking for land in Saskatchewan? Check out this plot available for Market Gardening near Saskatoon.
ABOUT THE LAND
Located 15 minutes west of Saskatoon, the available garden area is part of a larger mixed farm (Farm One Forty) that primarily grows livestock and grain; the farm owners live on the property. The tenant would have access to composted animal manure, irrigation and potentially the use of some equipment. There is potential to market produce to the farm’s current customer base but the produce would be the tenant to use as they saw fit.
The garden area has been used for vegetable and fruit production since 2020 and is located in an event area where some agritourism takes place. The previous tenant had been operating a CSA and used the space in exchange for some work hours to the farm. The area has been managed with no chemical and no-till and should remain that way. The weed pressure is relatively low thanks to good weed management.
The garden area was built in 2020 with many loads of composted manure as the base. We then added wood chip mulch to make walking paths (~1-2′ wide) and drip line irrigation to each planting bed (~3′ wide). The beds are 50′ long with full sun exposure. The soil here is sandy so well suited to growing root crops; the compost amendments have helped with water holding capacity. We have planted some rows of fruit in the garden but have approximately 20 rows (50′ long) available for planting.
There is a greenhouse that could be available as well as a garden shed for tools. There is road access and electricity at the site and it is fenced on the perimeter with page wire. Some garden tools could be available and access to the farms tractors, manure spreader, etc. could be arranged. We have drip line irrigation to the planting beds and this is available with the understanding that it will be used sparingly and with great care.
At Farm One Forty, our goal is to help reconnect folks with real food, meaning whole food grown locally and eaten or preserved in its prime. We raise grass fed beef, lamb and pasture raised pork and egg layers on the property which we direct market and we do some agritourism in partnership with a restaurant we also co-own in the city. This is how we help connect people to where their food is being grown.
The farm owners have their own large garden on-site but had created an additional large garden space in the event area where they host on-farm dinners to showcase a young vegetable grower that was supplying the restaurant and operating a CSA. We utilize permaculture practices as well as holistic management and our goal is to work with nature to be regenerative food producers. We also want to help the next generation of young farmers and recognize that access to land can be a barrier.
The ideal candidate for the use of the space would be someone that is knowledgeable about gardening, takes care of the infrastructure and land and is mindful of the aesthetic of the space. The irrigation is available as long as it is used with great care and in sparing amounts since it is a well source.
ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY
In the past we used a set number of work-trade hours as compensation for use of the space and infrastructure but are open to other suggestions. The landholders have extensive farming experience and have participated in the YA mentorship program as well as mentoring many other young farmers in the past. There is potential for some mentorship, schedule permitting.
Ideally someone would take over the space for the long term (5-10 years) with a 1 year probationary period.
HOW TO GET IN TOUCH
Name: Arlie Laroche
Email: info@farmoneforty.ca
Please email info@farmoneforty.ca with inquiries and/or applications. If you are interested please provide a description of your previous farming experience and an outline of your plans for using the space; please include what you want to grow including rough timelines (planting/harvesting), what infrastructure you’d like access to, what you’d prefer as a compensation structure, etc.
Please include a reference from someone you’ve worked with in the past.
Find more details about this land opportunity on the YA U-Map: https://maps.youngagrarians.org/locations/58542-Plot-available-for-Market-Gardening
We have more land opportunities listed on our U-Map and Alberta land blog! Visit the Alberta Land Access page for more resources and information. Looking for Land in BC? Check our BC Land Matching Program.