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Macdonald Student-Run
Ecological Gardens

ABOUT US

The Macdonald Student-Run Ecological Gardens (MSEG - pronounced em-seg) is a diversified vegetable farm located at the Macdonald Campus of McGill University in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec. The farm was founded in 2009 as a student gardening club and has since grown to a scale that allows it to feed hundreds of members of the McGill, Sainte-Anne, and Montreal communities through its 70 weekly CSA basket subscriptions and 2 weekly markets. The farm, run entirely by students, operates from the beginning of May to the end of October. Each employed student commits two growing seasons to the farm: the first as an apprentice and the second as a manager who trains the new apprentices. This structure allows the student club to operate as a highly effective and unique "farmer incubator program", giving the students a level of responsibility and training that is not generally possible with internships at larger, more established market gardens. Although the farm does not have organic certification, it is operated using practices that are within organic guidelines.

MARKETS

Marché Sainte-Anne

Park Lalonde, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec

Saturdays 9am - 2pm

2023 Dates TBD

Marché Laurier

Laurier Metro

Montreal, Quebec

Thursdays 3pm - 7pm

2023 Dates TBD

CSA BASKETS
Sign up now for the 2023 season!

What are CSA baskets?
CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) is a system where members, by signing up, buy a share of the next season's harvest in advance. During an agreed time (10 or 8 weeks in our case), the members get a weekly basket of vegetables that will at the end result in a greater value of vegetables than the membership investment. CSA baskets represent a crucial financial support for our farm to start the next growing season!

As one of our CSA basket members, you will receive one basket per week for the duration of your basket session (10 weeks or 8 weeks), as well as a weekly MSEG newsletter which provides information about the content of each basket, keeps you informed about what is going on at the farm, and suggests tasty recipes! The baskets contain a wide variety of sustainably produced veggies and are sized to feed a household of about two people.

Basket Sessions

SUMMER
10 weeks
Weeks of Jun. 20 - Aug. 22

270$
(245$ for students)

FALL
8 weeks
Weeks of Aug. 29 - Oct. 17

220$
(195$ for students)

Basket Contents

The basket composition varies from week to week depending on what is in season, therefore customers can expect more cold-tolerant crops (leafy greens, roots, etc.) in the early summer and late fall, and more heat-loving crops (tomatoes, cucumbers, melons, etc.) in the heart of the summer. The size of baskets may also fluctuate throughout the growing season: Though we try our very best, some weeks present many challenges in terms of weather and other uncertainties. However, on weeks when the harvest is good, that will also be reflected in the basket.

Here are some examples of the basket contents throughout the season:

Early July
2 zucchinis
1 bundle of garlic scapes
1 head of lettuce
½ pound of sweet peas
1 bunch of kale or swiss chard
1 large head of bok choy
1 bunch of green onions
1 bunch of herbs

Mid August
Pint of ground cherries
1 pound of tomatoes
1 medium eggplant
½ pound of beans
1 bell pepper
1 bunch of kale or swiss chard
1 bunch of carrots
1 head of garlic
1 hot pepper
1 bunch of herbs

October
1 cured squash
1 pound of onions
1 bunch of carrots
2 bulbs of kohlrabi
1 bunch of winter radish
1 pound of potatoes
1 bunch of kale or swiss chard
1 bunch of leeks
1 head of garlic
1 hot pepper
1 bunch of herbs

Pickup Locations

*Members are responsible for picking up their own basket (or arranging for someone to pick up for them) each week at the pickup location of their choice.

**Please bring a reusable bag! Option to bring several smaller bags or containers for your smaller items for a zero waste option.

Interested in becoming a CSA member for the 2022 season?

Click here and register now!