What began as a market farm in Havelock has grown into a premiere ecological plant nursery, and Belmont Farmstead only continues to bloom.
Located in the Township of Havelock-Belmont-Methuen in Peterborough County, Belmont Farmstead is a rare farm-based nursery built upon owner Amanda O’Rourke’s near 20 years of growing experience.
Except for select trees, bushes, and hanging baskets sourced from trusted growers outside the region, 90 per cent of Belmont Farmstead’s products are grown on the farm. These include annual and perennial flowers, culinary and medicinal herbs, and a wide range of vegetables — including over 30 varieties of tomatoes and more than a dozen varieties of sweet and hot peppers.
As an ecological nursery, Belmont Farmstead uses sustainable soil amendments and grows a variety of Ontario native plants suitable for creating pollinator gardens. Their own display pollinator garden has earned designations from the Ontario Wildlife Federation and the David Suzuki Foundation Butterflyway Project. As well as donating seeds to various local programs, O’Rourke also volunteers her time to support nutritional programming in local schools.
In January, O’Rourke expanded Belmont Farmstead by acquiring Florabunda Seeds, a 27-year-old family-run seed company based in Havelock that offers over 300 varieties of open-pollinated seeds — seeds from plants pollinated naturally by birds, insects, wind, or human hands.
Belmont Farmstead’s continued growth has been supported by local agricultural programming, including membership in the Kawartha Choice FarmFresh program. The initiative provides a brand identity for local producers, a network for members to share and access resources, and an online database for buyers to find producers in Peterborough County, the City of Peterborough, and the City of Kawartha Lakes.
Last year, O’Rourke was also a participant in Starter Company Plus, a provincially funded entrepreneurial training program delivered by Community Futures Peterborough through the Business Advisory Centre, which is supported in part with funding from Peterborough County.
Alongside earning a micro grant to help grow her business, O’Rourke also developed connections and partnerships with other local producers and buyers.
“It helped so much with marketing and different aspects of running my business,” she says. “I really loved the networking with other business owners and how people came in to talk about their businesses.”
O’Rourke is also interested in participating in the Kawartha Local Food Wholesale program, an economic development initiative that strengthens the region’s capacity for local food distribution in Peterborough County, the City of Kawartha Lakes, and the City of Peterborough.
Through the Green Circle Food Hub, developed in partnership with Graze & Gather, the program will help local producers like Belmont Farmstead connect with wholesale buyers like local resorts, restaurants, and golf courses.
“With the prices of everything right now and with food insecurity, it’s even more important for people to realize the benefits of local food,” says O’Rourke.
Belmont Farmstead is located at 974 County Road 48 just northeast of Havelock. To learn more, visit www.belmontfarmstead.ca.
The Local Advantage in Peterborough County is a branded editorial feature series celebrating the farmers, food producers, food retailers, and agri-tourism businesses that make The Kawarthas thrive, created in partnership with Peterborough County’s Economic Development & Tourism Division.
Agriculture is a key economic driver and a point of pride for Peterborough County, with local farms producing a wide variety of high-quality goods, from traditional crops and livestock to organic and specialty products, reflecting the strength and diversity of this vital sector. With a growing focus on sustainability, local food systems, agri-innovation, and agri-tourism, agriculture offers strong potential for growth and diversification.
The Local Advantage with Peterborough County series spotlights the Kawartha Choice FarmFresh and Kawartha Local Food Wholesale initiatives, which aim to strengthen connections from farm to table across our region.
For more information about economic development and tourism in Peterborough County, visit www.ptbocounty.ca/ecdev and The Kawarthas Tourism at thekawarthas.ca.
