Community Gardens Network

Join a community garden on parkland

Program Overview

The Community Gardens Network supports community gardens located on parkland within Philadelphia. There are over 500 residents at 18 garden sites that grow food, conduct community-led programming, and provide recreational gardening for neighborhoods across the City’s parkland. Over 25,000 pounds of food is grown each year at the gardens, of which more than 3,000 lbs of food was donated in 2022. The produce supports families and neighbors through farm stands, farmers markets and food donations. Farm Philly provides the network with resources including land, compost, mulch, and technical assistance. Farm Philly encourages autonomy at our community garden sites, and therefore Farm Philly cannot make plot determinations or respond to inquiries about open plots at specific gardens.

Start A Garden, Farm or Food Forest

History

In 2014 Farm Philly began to survey Parks and Rec staff to identify all food producing plots  on parkland. As gardens were located, Farm Philly went out to confirm a garden was tended there and began to build relationships with those stewarding the sites. The Community Gardens Network was created as a way to resource and support these gardens.  In 2018 the Community Gardens Network joined the Stewardship program as a part of the Parks Friends Network (PFN). By joining Stewardship the gardens gained access to more resources and opportunities including event permitting support, participation in Love Your Park events, ability to attend PFN conferences & workshops, and eligibility to apply for small grants through the Fairmount Park Conservancy.

Find a Garden Near You

To find & contact a community garden on parkland near you, view the map below.  Email us at FarmPhilly@phila.gov with questions
*Shows gardens registered with Parks & Rec.

community garden 7
community garden beds

Quotes from the Urban Agriculture Community

“The Community Gardens Network adds value to our gardens by protecting the land that they are on, and by supporting improvement projects in our gardens
“The Community Gardens Network allows our community members to grow their own culturally appropriate food from their own country in Philadelphia… The garden offers an affordable, convenient, and practical way for the growers in the community to make a space in the city for themselves.”
“The Community Gardens Network facilitates resource distribution (compost/wood chips) for us when the needs come up in the garden. We rarely have to wait.”