Bradford West Gwillimbury

The Holland Marsh, spanning roughly 2,832 hectares across the south of Bradford West Gwillimbury and the north of King Township, was for decades used only for logging, hunting, trapping and harvesting marsh grass for mattress stuffing and hay. In 1926, a 15-hectare test farm grew celery and lettuce for the Toronto market, proving the marsh's muck soil could be farmed profitably.

From swamp to Ontario's vegetable patch

The first years were difficult, but by 1938 the drained farms were producing substantial crops, and within another decade the marsh fields were among the most bountiful in Ontario. Today the Holland Marsh Growers' Association estimates 66 varieties of vegetables are grown on roughly 125 farms in the marsh, with carrots alone worth about $130 million a year and onions and salad greens worth roughly $160 million each — commonly called the "salad bowl of Canada."

Sources

• Bradford Today — 5 Things You Never Knew About the Holland Marsh
• Farmtario — Holland Marsh Marks a Century of Agricultural Innovation and Resilience