Where are the community gardens in Florida?


Where are the community gardens in Florida? There are lots of community gardens in Florida, I’ve built this list based off of community gardens near some major cities throughout Florida.

If you know of a community garden but don’t see it on the list email us and we would love to add it to this resource.   

Community gardens near Tallahassee

Macon community garden

322 Macon Rd, Tallahassee, FL 32312

They have a facebook page but there is no phone number or other contact info on the web that I can find to get in touch with them.

FAMU community garden

FL-373, Tallahassee, FL 32301

They also have a community garden with very little info on the web. The only contact info I could find is right here

Community gardens near Jacksonville

Arlington Community garden.

7152 Lone Star Rd, Jacksonville, FL 32211

Ph: (904) 725-8133

Email: info@arlingtoncommunitygarden.org

Started in 2010 they have 37 total plots and are looking to make a positive change in the community. They have a very active Facebook group which you can find here.

Riverside Avondale community garden

1513 Azalea Terrace, Jacksonville, FL 32205

Ph: 904-910-1893

Email: Carey.Hepler@gmail.com

There are 31 4′ x 20′  beds in this community garden. You can rent a full plot or a half plot. A full garden bed is $100 a year and a half plot is $50 a year. You can get in touch with them via their Facebook.

Community gardens near Gainesville

UF organic gardens cooperative

2701-2799 SW 23rd Terrace, Gainesville, FL 32608

Ph: (352) 378-6103

Email: plotcoordinator@gmail.com

Plots are available to UF students and employees as well as any local resident that wants to learn to garden organically. Plot rentals are a $35 deposit and then $15 every 6 months. you are renting a 12’x25’ space. You are required to attend 3 work “parties” which equals about 6 hours total. For more info check this out.

City of Gainesville community gardens

These are a group of community gardens that are owned by the city of gainesville but ran by the volunteered public. The best number to contact the organization at is (352) 393-8186.

  • Dreamers garden – 404 NW 10th ave. Gainesville, FL 32601
  • Green Acres Park community garden – 700 block of SW 40th st. Gainesville, FL 32601(Within Green Acres Park)
  • McRorie community garden – 615 SE 4th Ave, Gainesville, FL 32601
  • NE 31st ave community garden – 1700 NE 31st Avenue Gainesville, FL 32601 (Within NE 31st ave Park)
  • SW 40th place and SW 30th  terrace community garden – 2947 Southwest 40th Place, Gainesville, FL 32608

For more info about the community garden program in Gainesville check this link out.

Community gardens near Daytona beach

Ormond Beach community garden

Ormand beach has two community gardens, both inside central park. The first one is on 601 Hammock Lane and the second is on 601 Fleming Avenue. Garden fees are $15 for an Ormond beach resident and $22.50 for non-residents for every 6 months. The size of your garden will be 4’x12’. The program is ran by the leisure department, contact them from some leisurely gardening at (386) 615-7081.

For more info on these guys click here.

 

The First Presbyterian Church

620 S. Grandview Ave Daytona Beach, FL 32118

Ph: (386) 253-4581  

They charge you $12 every 6 months and the program was started to try and build community engagement so that they can get the city more involved to try and expand the program. They have 40 garden plots available for the public.

For a local write up and more info on the garden check this out.

 

New Smyrna community garden

505 Mary Avenue New Smyrna Beach, FL 32168

Ph: (386) 410-2890

There are currently 14 garden plots available with plan to expand in 2018. There is a $15 dollar fee every 6 months. They have a schedule of gardening classes and working days. The program is run by the city of New Smyrna Beach’s leisure services department and they can be contacted at the number listed above.

For info on applying for a plot click here.

 

Fair Share Urban Gardens

345 White Street, Daytona Beach, FL 32114

Ph: (386)451-9003

Located behind the Lion’s club they have raised beds and compost bins available for you to grow your own food. If you’re feeling generous you can also sign up to build local gardens in backyards, schools and churches. To get more info contact Joel Tippens by email at  joel@wedigfairshare.org or at the phone number above

You can find more info on them here.

Community gardens near Orlando

Billie Dean community garden

120 E 9th St Apopka, FL 32703

Ph: (407) 880-0147

The garden is on a 1 acre of land donated by the city of Apopka.

It’s $20 a year to rent a 4’x16’ raised bed. Compost, hoses and other small gardening supplies are there for use. To fill out a rent a bed and find out more info check out their site here.

 

Colonialtown North community garden

1517 Lake Highland Dr Orlando, FL 32803

They have 13 plots which you can rent for $30 a year if you are a Colonialtown North resident. You can get in touch with them by emailing colonialtowncommunitygarden@gmail.com or try messaging them on facebook.

 

Festival Park community garden

2911 E Robinson St. Orlando, FL 32803

The garden is located in Festival park on Festival way and built mostly by a local resident, Tommy Schmidt

He built 30 4’x12’ raised beds to garden. The garden has a tool shed, compost bins and a little area to sit in which he also built. The cost is $20 a year which goes to the city of Orlando. The only way that I have found to contact them is through email at: festivalparkcommunitygarden@gmail.com

For a little more info check this out.

 

Parramore community garden

654 W Robinson St, Orlando, FL 32801

Ph: (409)719-7906

It’s an 18 bed garden on a lot that is about 4500 square feet and located across the street from the community center. For info on garden plots you can contact Lynn Nicholson at the number above. They also have a monthly meeting about the garden every first Saturday of the month at 9 a.m. at the community center.   

 

Laureate Park community garden

8495 Laureate Blvd, Orlando, FL 32827

Ph: (407) 888-6500

There isn’t much info about this garden online, I’m not sure how many plots they have but there is a contact number listed above and they do have a Facebook page.

 

Lake Davis/Greenwood community garden

1224 Elmwood St, Orlando, FL 32801

There are a total of 16 garden plots and you can contact Kathryn Hornblette at LDGCommunityGarden@gmail.com, she is the Garden Committee President.

 

Englewood Park community garden

6050 Lake Underhill Rd, Orlando, FL 32807

Ph: (407)484-9934    

You can get in touch with the garden via email at engelwoodparkcommunitygarden@gmail.com

There are a total of 22 plots for rent, they have a website that has lots of pictures that you can find here.

 

Washington shores community garden

3600 Rogers Dr, Orlando, Florida 32805

The garden has 20 plots and is used in the Man up program. The main point of this community garden is to donate a majority of it’s food to local residents in need. For more info get in touch with Samantha Wallace at  sam_wallace@hotmail.com  

 

Rock Lake and Spring Lake Manor community garden

440 North Tampa Avenue Orlando, FL 32805

Ph: (407) 246-4473

They have 19 raised bed gardens located at the Rock Lake community center. The phone number listed above is for the community center.  For more info you can contact Ian at  ian.jurgensen@cityoforlando.net.

 

Dover Shores community garden

1400 Gaston Foster Rd. Orlando, FL 32812

The only info that I can find on this garden is that they have 14 total plots and Ian is their contact person. For more info shoot him an email at ian.jurgensen@cityoforlando.net.

 

Lake Eola heights community garden

401-501 Harwood St, Orlando, FL 32803

A garden started by the Eola heights neighborhood and broadway united methodist church. They have 36  4’x12’ plots available for $30 a year to all locals. Gardeners are encouraged to garden organically. Contact Tracy at LEHCGarden@gmail.com for more info. You can also join their facebook group here.

Community gardens near Tampa

Tampa heights community garden

605 E Frances Ave, Tampa, FL 33602

This garden was made possible by a number of local community groups.

There are a few ways you can participate in the garden.

You can rent a 4’x8’ raised bed garden for $50 a year and are required to do at least 2 hours a month in garden maintenance. Which you will probably more than exceed that with regular gardening.

You can pay $40 and help out others in the garden for a share of the harvest

Or

You can be a sponsor and just donate some dollars.

You can send an email for more info to  kittwal@aol.com. The best way to get more info on joining is to check out their website here.

 

Seminole Heights community garden

6114 River Terrace, Tampa, FL 33604

As long as a gardening member is there the community garden is open to non members every Saturday from 9 a.m.- 12 p.m.

To become a member you must pay $50 a year and that gets you a garden plot. You also agree to donating at least 20 hours of your time to the garden. The Seminole Heights garden also has regular gardening classes, parties and yoga classes. They are a very active community garden. To get more info on join and contacting the garden check out their website here.

 

University Area Harvest Hope Center

13704 N 20th St, Tampa, FL 33613

The community garden is a part of the harvest hope center which is a total of 7 acres that has a community center with a playground and other sports fields. The community garden is open to the public every Friday from 9 a.m. – 11 a.m. I can’t find info on the size or cost of community gardens here but they have a website which you can find here and a contact of Erica Nelson, email: enelson@uacdc.org

 

VISTA Gardens

13572 S Village Dr, Tampa, FL 33618

The community garden opened in 2011. It started with 10 members and 6 plots, today they have grown to over 85 members and42 4’x16’ raised bed gardens available. There is a $50 fee due twice a year. For more info on joining, check out their website here.  

 

Temple Terrace Community gardens

They have three different locations:

  • Riverhills Park: 329 S Riverhills Dr, Temple Terrace, FL 33617
  • Greco Middle School: 6925 E Fowler Ave, Temple Terrace, FL 33617
  • Linwood Edible Park: Southwest of Linwood Park at 113th Ave and 62nd St

 

You can join the garden club for a one time $10 fee and you can rent a 4’x10’ bed for an anual fee of $35 in any of these locations.

For more info on joining check out their site here.

 

Plant City commons community garden

2001 E Cherry St, Plant City, FL 33563

Ph: (813) 435-8111

There is a $35 annual fee plus at least 20 hours of volunteer time required. There are gardens of various sizes and shapes. You can get more info on joining the program via their website, which can be found here.

 

Oldsmar organic community garden

423 Lafayette Blvs. Oldsmar, FL 34677

Ph:(813) 530-6624

$50 a year and each person can rent a maximum of 2 beds. You can contact them email at OldsmarOrganicGarden@gmail.com or at the number listed above. Their website can be found here.

 

Wunder Farms – Organic community garden

Is actually a community of four different gardens

  • Pioneer garden at Boyd Hill preserver – 3130 31st St. S. Gate 1, St.Petersburg, FL 33712
  • Edgemoor community garden – 116 Hampton Ave. N St. Petersburg, FL 33703
  • Woodlawn Community garden – 2612 12th St. N St. Petersburg, FL 33704
  • Oakdale Community garden – 2719 Oakdale St. S St. Petersburg, FL 33705

These gardens range anywhere from a single raised bed to a full fledged farm. For more info on gardening with these guys check out their website here.

 

Azalea community garden

7868 22nd Ave N, St. Petersburg, FL 33710

Ph: (727) 893-7150

42 raised beds ranging in size and price. You can have a small space like a 4’x4’ all the way up to a 4’x38’ garden. Prices range from $5-$20 every 6 months. You can find more info about renting a site here.

Community gardens near Sarasota

Culverhouse community gardens

7301 McIntosh Rd, Sarasota, FL 34238

The program is run by IFAS and Sarasota county, there is a $25 annual fee and they have various sized gardens. For more info on joining check out their website here.

 

Bayou Oaks Community gardens

1201-1245 35th St, Sarasota, FL 34234

Ph: (941)861-9815

Has 18 total plots, the only other info I could find is on this site here. Contact Stacy Spriggs at sspriggs@scgov.net or at the number above.

 

Bee ridge community garden

4430 S Lockwood Ridge Rd Sarasota, FL 34231

Ph: (941)861-9815

24 total raised beds. Stacy Spriggs is also their listed contact. Email her at sspriggs@scgov.net or at the number above for more info.  

 

Orange Blossom community garden

1822 N Orange Ave Sarasota, Florida

Ph: (941) 356-1532

I can’t find any info about fees or garden sizes but they do have a facebook page here, which you can contact them through.

Community gardens near Naples

Collier county community garden

4701 Golden Gate Parkway, Naples , FL 3411

Ph: 239-455-6232

Email: CommunityGardenCollier@gmail.com

Not much info about the garden online but they have an active facebook group.

 

Naples Park community garden(Parkplace 717)

717 98th Avenue N. Naples, FL 34108

This community garden is tucked in between two house and has 30 raised beds. There is a $25 fee and that gets you a 4’x10’ garden. Contact Susan Mankoski by Email at parkplace717@gmail.com for more info on joining. You can connect with them on facebook here.

Community gardens near Miami

The little Haiti community garden

5804 NE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33137

Ph: (305) 757-7711

Not too much info about these guys online, they have a facebook group that you can connect with here.

 

Washington Park and Community garden

201 2nd St, Miami Beach, FL 33139

Ph: (305) 673-7000

Couldn’t find much more info about this group, try giving the phone number a call for more info.

Community gardens near Key West

Glee Key West community garden

1401 Seminary St, Key West, FL 33040

ph:(305) 890-6862

The garden has 38 4’x10’ raised bed gardens, Membership is $90 a year and that gets you one bed. There is an extra level of membership which gives you the ability to harvest a large communal bed and a food forest. You can get more info about joining Glee on their website.

 

What are the benefits of community gardens

  • A community garden is a good supply of food for the community. Lots of times community gardens offer a good solution to low income neighborhoods. This allows access to fresh, healthy foods to people who may not be able to afford them.
  • Many times there is an abundance of food in a successful garden and this offers an economic benefit. Food is able to be sold at local farmers markets.
  • Community gardens increase biodiversity.
  • While not only learning a new skill and meeting new people you are also getting a workout in. Community gardens are beneficial to your overall health.
  • Community gardens have been shown to make people feel safer and actually lower crime rates.
  • Community building. You get to meet other locals that share your same interest.

Community garden etiquette

  • Most community gardens like to be gardened organically. If this is the case it is usually mentioned in the guidelines for your garden.
  • Be courteous of other gardeners. If you leave your garden unattended this draws weeds and bugs to it. This will make it easier for these to spread to other gardens. Make sure you’re tending to your garden.
  • Don’t harvest from other people’s beds.Some gardens may have a communal bed which anybody can harvest from but stealing other’s hard work is not acceptable.
  • Be friendly and say hi. Building a community is a benefit from this style of gardening.
  • Share. Share seeds, Share tips and tricks, Share your secrets to success and share your harvest.
  • Be helpful. If you see somebody struggling, offer your help.    

Want to start a community garden?

Interested in starting a community garden? UF has a useful resource for starting a community garden here.

HOAs, churches, universities, garden clubs and parks departments are good places to contact to try and drum up interest.   

If you know of a community garden near you and would like to add it to the list please send us an email at the email address listed at the top of the page and we would love to add it.

Josh

I've been gardening in Florida since 2014. I'm an FNGLA certified horticulturist and a Permaculture design apprentice. I just want to share my love and passion of growing plants with other in the state of Florida to help them grow beautiful gardens.

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