WHERE WE GROW & HOW TO JOIN US
Want to find a Grassroots Garden? You can interact with the map below to locate our member community gardens. Click on a garden in the neighborhood you are interested in and learn more about it! You can also access the full list of our member gardens by clicking on the box next to the label GGWNY 2022 Season Community & School Gardens in the top left corner of the map. Alternately, you can download a PDF of addresses for community or school gardens using the buttons above.
HOW TO JOIN US
Grassroots Gardens of Western New York (GGWNY) uses a community-led model to respond to decades of systemic disinvestment in many of our cities' neighborhoods. Our member-gardens were each started by neighborhood activists who understood the positive impact a community garden could make, turning blighted, vacant lots into urban oases. Each member-garden is managed independently by their sponsoring block club, school, religious organization, community center, or other affiliate. We facilitate five key ingredients: access to land, access to water, liability insurance, garden education and material support in the form of plants, soil, and lumber.
Establishing a New Garden
Grassroots Gardens accepts new gardens to our network on an annual basis beginning in late summer for the following spring season. We are not accepting any new gardens for the 2021 season at this time. Our application process ensures that safety standards and community membership requirements are met. Please visit the Start a Garden page to learn more about when next season’s application will be available. Once accepted into our network, Grassroots Gardens helps establish our newest member-gardens through modest material and financial support during the first two years, including the distribution of soil, mulch, plants, seeds, bulbs, tools and other supplies.
Joining Your Nearest Garden or Providing Work Day Support
Many individuals and organizations reach out to GGWNY with an interest in joining an established garden or volunteering their time to support one of our member-gardens. If you're interested in joining an existing community garden, visit the Join A Garden page. Want to volunteer? Contact us by phone at 716-783-9653 and we will put you in contact with gardens that need extra support, especially during Spring and Autumn clean ups.
Education & Events
Not born with a green thumb? Don't worry - we provide free community education throughout the year to support our gardeners and our community as a whole. Each spring we co-host a workshop series in conjunction with Urban Roots Community Garden Center and the Massachusetts Avenue Project. Topics have included: Composting, Building a Raised Bed, Organic Pest Management, Vegetable Gardening, Soils and Seed Starting. The summer and fall also pose the opportunity for free workshops provided by our staff and partners. We also have a Garden Education Coordinator who can provide limited support to our learning garden network in the form of workshops or on-site technical assistance. Our Community Garden Trainer provides on-site technical assistance as well to all member-gardeners Check out our schedule on our workshops and events page! Keep an eye out on our Facebook page for other learning opportunities, sponsored by GGWNY and our community partners.
Community Gardener & Organizational Networks
Grassroots Gardens works with a variety of neighborhood groups such as schools, block clubs, religious institutions, and other non-profit organizations. These partnerships help us coordinate directly with the surrounding community to build a deep commitment to sustain member-gardens over time. Our success has been due largely to the tireless efforts of the volunteer gardeners. By becoming a part of the GGWNY network, members have the opportunity to meet diverse gardeners from all over Western New York, gaining valuable capacity-building skills and gardening skills along the way. All Grassroots Gardeners share a common love for their city, a commitment to their neighborhood, and a belief that through gardening and neighbor-to-neighbor collaboration, they have the power to make positive change happen. We believe that all people, regardless of social or economic circumstance, deserve opportunities to engage with the natural environment around them. The work of our gardeners proves that community gardens can and do revitalize neighborhoods by building collective food security, increasing cross-cultural connections, reducing social isolation, and supporting intergenerational relationships.
We welcome our gardeners to participate in the organization in a variety of ways, including joining a committee or the Board of Directors. For more information, please contact our Executive Director at 716-783-9653.