The Heritage Gardens at O’Hara Mills Homestead turns the collection of old buildings into a living museum. O’Hara’s Homestead was the home of the O’Hara family for four generations dating back to James O’Hara, who bought the mill from Robert Taylor in 1847. It is now owned by Quinte Conservation and run by the O’Hara Volunteers Association. The Heritage Gardens are a sight to behold especially once the gardening season gets under way. There is always something blossoming, blooming or fruiting. The idea is to have plants grown in a typical homestead in central Hastings County from the mid 1800s through to the early 1900s. These gardens provide visitors with an incredible array of opportunities from simply taking in the beauty to consulting with the Heritage Gardeners on their methods and the preservation of heritage plant species. The garden is a demonstration of home gardening and agricultural crops from mid 1800s to early 1900s. When the volunteers started work the area was a building site, as foundations of the O’Hara House had had to be repaired. They started from scratch. The volunteers have expanded the parlour garden in front of the house, created a herb garden to the west of the house, and put in a vegetable garden and a demonstration field crop garden to the north. There is also a children's schoolhouse garden at the school’s entrance.

Each week, during the harvesting season, the volunteers take fresh produce to the Madoc Food Bank. For those who would like to be more adventurous; set out on one of our trails. On your hike you will see large old oak trees, rambling streams, old stone fences, wild flowers and much, much more. This season come and visit the gardens, talk to our volunteer gardeners or become a volunteer, bring a picnic, hike the trails and explore the buildings. Go to our webpage to find out about our special events. Hope to see you there!