Neighborhood gardens transform city landscapes and build community.
The Trustees is the largest nonprofit owner of community gardens in Boston, with 56 under Trustees management, totaling 15 acres across eight Boston neighborhoods: Dorchester, East Boston, the Fenway, Jamaica Plain, Roxbury, Mattapan, Mission Hill, and the South End. Our role as caretaker of Boston’s green spaces doesn’t stop with our own gardens: we help to coordinate activities related to all of the city’s 175 community gardens, touching more than 18,000 individuals and families annually.
A Trustees-managed garden may be a group of individual plots or common areas cared for by small groups. It may be a vegetable garden, a pocket park, or a combination of garden and gathering space. These oases of green are tended and cared for by local residents and are sources of neighborhood pride that connect people and place. They turn neighbors into friends, strengthen family bonds and traditions, and inspire joy in the shared work of growing fresh, healthy, and delicious food. Together they create a thriving neighborhood asset that benefits everyone in the community.
Attend a gardening workshop or family program at any of of our community gardens. Register for a garden dinner. Join us at signature annual events like the Gardeners Gathering every March with the Mayor. Teach you children first hand about how food grows and healthy food habits. Six pocket parks remain accessible at all times.
Access to all community gardens is free of charge. The gardens are open to the public during public programs and events. Private visits can also be organized.
Contact communitygardens@thetrustees.org to ensure if a community garden is open at the time you would like to visit.
Contact communitygardens@thetrustees.org for information on joining a community garden or event rental options.
Download a map of our community garden locations.
Boston Natural Areas Network (BNAN, merged into the Trustees of Reservations since 2014) first began working with community gardens in 1982, in an effort to preserve Boston’s inner city green space, which was rapidly disappearing as a result of increased development pressures. Since its act of initially taking ownership to save 16 threatened gardens, BNAN acquired 54 gardens in underserved neighborhoods, with the total now at 56 under The Trustees ownership.