Community Gardens

Community Gardens
Through its Community Garden Program, Leon County promotes gardens in schools, neighborhoods, and other community centers. In addition, Leon County provides financial and technical support to help the gardens flourish. To date, Leon County has supported over 60 gardens.
 

Children Planting

Why Community Gardens?

Community gardens make important contributions to all facets of sustainability. By providing access to free produce, gardens save participants money, increase access to healthy food, and cut down the amount of fossil fuel used to get food to the dinner table.

Fun Fact:

Gardening and composting absorb and store carbon, keeping it out of the atmosphere and combating climate change.

Ways to Get Involved

Find a garden

There are dozens of community gardens in Leon County, but if there isn’t an active one nearby, Leon County’s Community Garden Program offers an opportunity to change that.

Community Garden Program

Leon County’s Community Garden Program offers technical, material and grant support to citizens looking to start or revitalize a community garden anywhere in the County. Grant funds are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis as long as they are available. Gardens are separated into three categories: County, School Stakeholder, and Non-School Stakeholder. For more details, see the applications linked below.

COUNTY GARDENS

In areas where there is vacant County land that has been determined suitable for gardening purposes, community members can apply to use the land to start a garden. Material and technical support and grants up to $500 are available.

To apply, visit Community Garden Application

SCHOOL STAKEHOLDER GARDENS

Teachers or staff interested in starting, or revitalizing a garden on school property are invited to apply to be a School Stakeholder Garden. Schools have the chance to receive material and technical support and grants up to $1,000.

To apply, visit School Stakeholder Garden Application

NON-SCHOOL STAKEHOLDER GARDENS

Citizens interested in starting, or revitalizing a garden at an organization other than a school are eligible to apply to be a Non-School Stakeholder Garden. Non-School Stakeholder Gardens have the chance to receive material and technical support, and grant funds up to $1,000.

To apply, visit Non-School Stakeholder Garden Application

Existing Gardens - Stay Connected!

We ask gardens who have received grant funding from us to check in annually, so we can keep up with garden progress. Feel free to use this template, or be creative in showing how your garden is doing. Submit completed reports to sustainability@leoncountyfl.gov


Resources:

LOCAL

FLORIDA

NATIONAL/OUT OF STATE

Privacy StatementCopyright 2024 by Leon County Board of County Commissioners