South Island Farm Hub/Website
As spring arrives, there's no better time to support local farmers and enjoy the freshest seasonal produce by signing up for a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) or farm box. These programs connect you directly with local farms, providing you with weekly or biweekly deliveries of fruits, vegetables, and other farm-fresh products.
Supporting a CSA not only guarantees you high-quality, nutrient-dense food but also helps small farms thrive in a challenging economy. With rising food costs and unpredictable weather patterns, local farmers need community support more than ever. By investing in a farm box, you're reducing waste and keeping your money in the local economy—all while enjoying the best that Vancouver Island has to offer.
Whether you’re looking for organic produce, farm-fresh eggs, or artisan goods, here’s a roundup of CSA and farm box options available in Victoria.
An initiative of the Victoria Community Food Hub Society, established in 2020 to support local farmers and provide the community with fresh, sustainable food. They partner with over 85 local farmers, fishers, and food producers, with more than 93% located within 60km of Victoria. They offer delivery for $6 and have various pickup locations across Victoria on specified days and times.
They offer:
Harvest Box Subscription: A curated box featuring 6–8 seasonal produce items sourced from local farms. Options include a standard Harvest Box and an Organic Harvest Box with certified organic produce. Subscriptions are available weekly or bi-weekly at $40 per box.
Island Meat Box Subscription: A selection of regionally raised meats, including beef, poultry, pork, and seafood from local suppliers. Subscribers can make substitutions to suit their preferences.
À la Carte Shopping: Customers can shop for various local items without a subscription, including fresh produce, dairy products, meats, seafood, baked goods, and pantry items. The online store operates from Thursday at 2 pm until Sunday at midnight.
Saanich Organics offers a CSA program that provides fresh, certified organic produce to households across Greater Victoria. Their CSA is designed to support local organic farmers while delivering high-quality, seasonal produce straight from the field to customers. The program runs year-round, but during the current season—spring (February through June)—boxes are delivered on a bi-weekly basis.
Each box includes a diverse selection of seven to nine organic fruits and vegetables, harvested just a day before delivery to ensure maximum freshness. The produce is sourced from multiple organic farms in the region, sometimes including those transitioning to organic certification. Along with the produce, subscribers receive a newsletter featuring recipes, farm updates, and tips on how to make the most of the weekly selection.
During this season, deliveries take place on Tuesdays and Fridays, depending on the neighbourhood. Customers can opt for home delivery, which covers Victoria, Sidney, Saanichton, and View Royal, or choose a farm pickup option at a reduced price from locations in Saanichton and Metchosin.
For spring 2024, the cost of a bi-weekly subscription is $42 per box for delivery and $35 per box for farm pickup. Subscribers can also schedule one skipped box per season without payment, and any additional missed boxes can either be picked up by a friend or donated to the LifeCycles gleaning program.
Those interested in joining the CSA can reach out to Christine at soboxcoordinator@gmail.com or call 250-661-8974.
FED Urban Agriculture has a CSA program running from May 22 to Oct. 2 this year. Over the course of 20 weeks, subscribers receive weekly boxes filled with freshly harvested, locally grown produce. Pickup takes place at FED’s urban farm at 395 Harbour Rd., with members selecting a specific day and time at the start of the season.
The CSA offers two sizes: a large box, suitable for a family, and a small box, ideal for one or two people. Each box contains a variety of seasonal vegetables, including gourmet salad greens, kale, rainbow chard, arugula, radishes, sweet baby turnips, cherry and vine tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, carrots, beets, green onions, and squash. Throughout the season, subscribers may also receive garlic, potatoes, corn, beans, heirloom tomatoes, mustard greens, eggplants, lemon cucumbers, cabbage, bok choy, onions, leeks, fruit, jalapeños, and even edible flowers. Eggs might also be available for purchase at pickup.
Subscribers can enjoy greater transparency about where and how their food is grown, knowing that it is spray-free and cultivated with care. The CSA also introduces variety to weekly meals, encouraging the enjoyment of fresh and flavourful vegetables.
Square Root Organic Farm, a certified organic farm on the Saanich Peninsula, offers a seasonal Veggie Box program running from mid-June to late September. Over 16 weeks, subscribers receive a weekly selection of fresh, organic produce harvested at peak ripeness. Each box contains six to eight different vegetables, including favourites like carrots, lettuce, beets, summer squash, and kale, along with unique finds like celtuce, dandelion, and fennel.
Pickups are available at three locations: Moss Street Market on Saturdays from 10am to 2pm, Rock Bay Market on Wednesdays from 2 to 4pm, and at the farm in Central Saanich on Wednesdays (specific times to be confirmed). While the boxes are pre-selected to highlight the best produce each week, subscribers can discover new vegetables and enjoy a variety of seasonal flavours.
The family-run farm offers a 24-week CSA program featuring over 40 different crops grown on their two-acre property. Subscribers receive a weekly selection of fresh, organic vegetables, fruits, herbs, and more, showcasing the best of their fields.
Interested individuals can join the CSA program by contacting Littlest Acre Organics through their email at littlest.acre.csa@gmail.com. It's advisable to reach out early, as spaces may fill up quickly.
The Good Food Box is a non-profit initiative by the Fernwood Neighbourhood Resource Group (Fernwood NRG), dedicated to providing the community with fresh, affordable produce. Operating like a bulk buying club, the program sources seasonal fruits and vegetables, prioritizing local farms in Greater Victoria to promote sustainability and support the local economy.
Each week, volunteers pack a variety of boxes tailored to different needs and budgets. Options include the Standard Box, Sustainable Box, Cultural Box, Staples Box, Fruit Box, and the BC Only Box, which features eight to 10 items exclusively grown within the province. These boxes are available for pick-up or home delivery every Wednesday. Orders must be placed by Saturday at midnight for the following week's distribution.
The program offers multiple convenient pick-up locations across Greater Victoria, including community centres in Fernwood, Fairfield, Oaklands, Burnside Gorge, Saanich, Vic West, Quadra, and Westshore. Delivery options are also available.
Proceeds from the program help fund childcare services, community meals, and provide free bags of fresh produce to community members in need.
BCause offers a subscription-based produce box program designed to deliver fresh fruits and vegetables directly to customers' doorsteps. Subscribers can choose between a produce box for $39.99, a fruit box for $54.99, a veggie box for $54.99, a meat box for $81.99, and more, with delivery frequencies set to weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly schedules.
Deliveries are made on Tuesdays, with subscribers receiving text notifications providing estimated arrival times and real-time updates. While the contents of the boxes are not customizable, customers with allergies can inform BCause to accommodate their needs. Subscribers also have the flexibility to add additional items to their orders, such as meat, snacks, dairy products, or even wine, up until the cut-off time before delivery.
Managing the subscription is straightforward; customers can skip, pause, or cancel their deliveries by accessing their subscription page.
Arnason Brook Farm is a family-operated farm located in Saanich. In 2018, Bev and Marcel Qualizza returned to Marcel's family’s five-acre property with the goal of revitalizing the land and embracing sustainable farming practices. First starting with chickens for eggs, followed by adding in sheep for lamb and wool, and then growing produce that the family loves to eat and cook with.
They operate an online store where customers can pre-order items, with ordering available from Tuesday at 8am until Thursday at 12pm. Orders are then available for pickup at chosen locations after 12pm on Friday.
Umi Nami Farm - Metchosin
Located in Metchosin, Umi Nami Farm offers a year-round vegetable box program featuring certified organic produce, including a variety of Japanese specialty crops alongside familiar Western vegetables. The program provides a flexible and customizable way to enjoy fresh, local produce on a weekly or bi-weekly basis.
Subscribers can choose their box size, starting at a minimum of $10 per pickup, with the option to increase in $5 increments up to $100. Pickups take place on-site at 961 Matheson Lake Park Road, either on Wednesdays from 9am to 5pm or Saturdays from 9am to noon.
To join, interested customers can email uminamifarm@gmail.com or call 250-391-0763, providing their preferred box size, pickup day, and contact details.
ALM Organic Farm - Sooke
ALM Organic Farm has been a cornerstone of sustainable agriculture since 1994. Committed to organic farming practices, the farm offers a diverse array of produce, herbs, and flowers to the community. One of their standout initiatives is the Box Program, which runs from April to December and is designed to provide participants with a weekly selection of the freshest seasonal produce, directly from their fields to your table.
The Box Program is an excellent opportunity for individuals and families to enjoy locally grown, organic produce while supporting sustainable farming practices. For $30 per week, participants receive a curated box containing a variety of seasonal items. A typical box includes:
Leafy greens: Lettuce or a salad mix
Braising greens: Such as spinach, chard, or kale
Root vegetables: Examples include carrots, beets, or turnips
Fruit: Seasonal selections
Herbs: Freshly picked to enhance your culinary creations
Newsletter: Featuring recipes and updates from the farm
Those interested can get started with a trial box to assess the program’s suitability for their needs. After the trail, subscribers select the weeks they wish to receive a box for the upcoming month. Then, it’s pickup time. Produce is harvested fresh every Tuesday and boxes are available for pickup at the farm’s cool room starting at 3pm that day. For more information, send the team an email at info@aimfarms.org.
Lockwood Farms - Cowichan Valley
Lockwood Farms, located in the Cowichan Valley, offers a CSA program that runs from mid-May to Thanksgiving, over a period of 22 weeks.
Participants can choose between two share sizes: a three-quarter share priced at $30 per week, totaling $660 for the season, and a full share at $42 per week, totalling $924. Each week, members receive a tote filled with a variety of freshly harvested vegetables. For example, a three-quarter share might include two bags of greens, a cucumber bundle, a broccoli head, and fresh herbs, while a full share adds items like lettuce, zucchinis, and radishes.
Eggs are also available as an optional addition, with an extra cost of $187 for the season. Members can pick up their boxes at the farm in Cowichan Valley.
Participating in a CSA program not only provides you with fresh, locally grown produce but also supports sustainable agriculture and strengthens the local food system. If you know any other programs that are not listed here, please contact us at info@tastingvictoria.com.
