The Urban Farm Museum Society of Spryfield (UFMSS) is a registered non profit organization founded in 1996 and operates under the guidance of a volunteer Board of Directors. In 1999, we were offered a license by the Kidston family to create a working farm on 3.5 acres of their registered heritage property. Clearing the land began in 2000 and in October 2001, a team of oxen ploughed the land for the first time in more than 50 years. The first Urban Farm gardens were planted in 2002 and the dream of our Urban Farm in Spryfield started to become a reality.

Interested in researching local traditional recipes passed down through the generations, the society produced a practical everyday cookbook in 2002 “Foods of Spry’s Field”, now in its 4th printing. In 2014, another book “ Come Grow With Us”, a family guide to growing vegetables, by local author Marjorie Willison was published. A family gardening program - Come Grow With Us - was introduced for children, parents and grandparents. At the start of our growing season, weekly lessons are taught to assist in planning your garden, planting seeds and how to follow all the steps leading to a successful harvest in the fall.

We honour the old traditional farming ways of this old heritage site and promote skils to provide a healthy, safe food supply now and for the future.

At present, our Urban Farm is made up of garden plots for 12 families, 23 member plots, 3 large market garden plots, berry bushes, heritage apple trees, several Monarch Butterfly gardens, a storage barn and “outhouse” bathroom facilities.

Our programs are accessible to everyone in the community, engaging people of all ages and abilities. Programs and garden spaces are offered to IWK Youth Mental Health, local schools and Summer Day Camp visitors.

In addition to gardening programs, we host a yearly Seedy Saturday/Plant Sale in May, the Fairy Door Trail starts in June to October, a Strawberry Shortcake Social in July, Evenings in the Garden during the summer, a Harvest Fair/ School Farm Day in September and in October and November, wrap up all of our gardens and land for the winter season. Our workshops cover relevant topics such as the Monarch butterfly, tree identification, seed saving and co-host Bird Walks as well as being partnered with The Backlands Coalition ( backlandscoalition.ca).

Our Urban Farm has received awards over the years including the Bluenose Recreation Award acknowledging the importance of exercise in our Come Grow With Us program. In October 2007, we received the first Lieutenant Governor’s Intergenerational Award to an “Outstanding Volunteer Group for their dedication to community service through activities that encourage and inspire interaction between younger and older generations” from Her Honour Lieutenant Governor Mayann Francis, O.N.S. Marjorie Willison received the Gold Queen Elizabeth II Medal and Patricia MacLean received the Diamond. Our volunteers have been awarded HRM and Provincial Volunteer Awards and Volunteer Appreciation Certificates for the many hours they give freely to the success of our Urban Farm.

In June 2016, our Urban Farm received a very special gift of 2.14 acres of land from Ralph Medjuck. This heritage land of “old growth forest” is special because this land once belonged to the Kidston family. Large sections of the old stone walls were used originally for holding sheep.

On November 27, 2019 our Urban Farm hosted one of our largest volunteer groups through United Way’s “Day of Caring”. Twenty three DND employees and four farm volunteers arrived at 8am armed with chainsaws and assorted tools ready to clean up our old-growth forest and work on repairs to the gardens. After a full day’s work, our land was restored to a safe place for children and adults to enjoy and four new nature trails.

When visiting our site, have a look at our new Interpretive Panel, view our vegetable and flower gardens, be on the look-out for our owl house, the different species of birds and butterflies and check out our Geocache, maybe you can find it and leave your own message.

As a non profit organization we are grateful for all the financial support that we receive through our yearly events, market garden sales, donations and memberships.