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.

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

• Damayan Garden Project: www.damayan.org
• Leon County Extension Service: leon.ifas.ufl.edu
• Fort Braden Community Garden: https://www.facebook.com/fortbradencommunitygarden/
• Lott’s Community Garden: www.lottscommunitygardens.com
• Meridian Community Garden: www.orchardpondorganics.com
• Seminole Manor Community Garden: SMNACommunityGarden.wordpress.com
• Southwood Community Garden: Southwood Community Garden
• Tallahassee Food Network: Tallahassee Food Network
• Tallahassee Food Garden Resources: maninoveralls.blogspot.com

FLORIDA

• EDIS – Online University of Florida publications on gardening; pest management; food preservation and safety; youth, etc: edis.ifas.ufl.edu
• Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide: edis.ifas.ufl.edu/vh021
• Growing Calendars from Cooperative Extension: http://solutionsforyourlife.ufl.edu/lawn_and_garden/calendar

NATIONAL/OUT OF STATE

• American Community Garden Association (ACGA): www.communitygarden.org
• Gardening Matters: www.gardeningmatters.org/
• Junior Master Gardener Association: www.jmgkids.us
• National Gardening Association (NGA): www.garden.org
• NGA Kids Gardening: www.kidsgardening.org
• North Carolina State University Community Gardening Site: nccommunitygarden.ncsu.edu/index.html
• Burlington, Vermont Garden vcgn.org/garden-organizer-toolkit