BOSTON, Mass. — The Trustees of Reservations’ Boston Community Gardens is planning a special “Mattapan Day” 10 a.m. to 12 noon on Saturday, June 7, with an open house and host of activities designed to engage its Mattapan neighbors at City Natives, located at 30 Edgewater Dr. in Mattapan.
The Trustees steward 56 community gardens encompassing 15 acres in eight different Boston neighborhoods. Formerly the Boston Natural Areas Network, the gardens were merged into The Trustees in 2014.
During Mattapan Day, The Trustees will offer arts programming, discounted vegetable seedlings, a garden and greenhouse tour, and a square food gardening demonstration. There will be music, food, and lawn games for the whole family.
At 2 p.m., Boston Community Gardens staff will host a hands-on compost workshop at Woolson Community Garden at 44 Woolson St. in Mattapan.
“Our Boston Community Gardens staff is working on deepening our relationship with Mattapan this year,” said Vidya Tikku, The Trustees’ regional vice president for Boston. “We want to be a good neighborhood partner, especially when it comes to connecting people with nature through gardening, outdoor exploration, and growing food.”
City Natives will be offering a Growing Natives workshop series on the second Saturday of the month from July through September focusing on native plants, building a relationship with nature, tree identification, and making your own seed paper postcards. On the third Tuesday morning of each month, City Natives will open its gates for Nursery Open Hours. Participants can join Trustees’ Urban Grower Lacey Berg to help in the greenhouse or with garden projects, including harvesting berries and herbs from the perennial gardens. Lawn games and light refreshments will be provided.
Mattapan is home to a variety of green spaces, including City Natives, The Trustees’ perennial nursery, the Edgewater Food Forest, and Woolson Community Garden. Events will be held this year in partnership with Mattapan Food and Fitness, the Edgewater Neighborhood Association, Poets in the Garden, and the Boston Food Forest Coalition.
City Natives is The Trustees’ native plant nursery where staff propagate 200+ species of native plants for sale and community garden common areas. City Natives also grows vegetable seedlings for its spring and fall plant sales. Plants can be purchased at their plant sales or by appointment. More information at https://thetrustees.org/city-natives/ or by emailing citynatives@thetrustees.org.
About The Trustees
Founded by landscape architect Charles Eliot in 1891, The Trustees has, for over 130 years, been a catalyst for important ideas, endeavors, and progress in Massachusetts. As a steward of distinctive and dynamic places of both historic and cultural value, The Trustees is the nation’s first preservation and conservation organization, and its landscapes and landmarks continue to inspire discussion, innovation, and action today as they did in the past. We are a nonprofit, supported by members, friends and donors and our 124 sites are destinations for residents, members, and visitors alike, welcoming millions of guests annually. www.thetrustees.org.