Community Gardens
Chicago Park District Gardens in the Parks
Community gardens in the parks enhance community dynamics on many levels. Visually, the community garden can reflect the health, unity, creativity, beauty, culture and diversity of its community. Physically, the community garden can become a natural outdoor gym, where lifting, bending, pulling and pushing all promote muscular and cardiovascular activity. Socially, the community garden can bring neighbors together who once were complete strangers by providing a setting for acquaintances to become friends. Mentally, the community garden is a safe place for residents to grow and connect with nature and its provisions through caring for ornamental and edible plants.
Gardeners take initiative and responsibility for the community garden and in effect, the park as a whole. Please join us in Chicago's vibrant gardening movement by participating in one of the many community garden options and programs offered by the Chicago Park District.
Existing Community Gardens
There are more than 40 community gardens spread throughout Chicago's parks. Many of them focus on ornamental plants such as perennials, shrubs and small trees.
They range from the basic to the sublime; simple pots of flowers planted by school children, beautiful naturalistic perennial beds, annual beds which bring color to our summer days, and extravagant perennial beds and planters.
The oldest by far is the Rainbow Park Victory Garden which was established by Rainbow park neighbors during the Second World War. Neighbors' Garden, in the Logan Square neighborhood, is unique in that the entire park is a community garden. Whereas the gardening group at Wicker Park is composed of many dedicated people who contribute in various ways to the neighborhood, not only through their gardening, but also by organizing fundraising efforts and creating programs for kids.
We welcome your participation in the continuation and development of community gardening in your Chicago Park District.
To view a list of current community garden locations, click here .
In order to register an existing community garden with the Chicago Park District, the following documents are necessary. You may click on them to read, review and print.
Download Acrobat Documents for Existing Community Gardens
Developing a New Community Garden
The Chicago Park District is helping to promote and expand the greening efforts in our city by providing valuable outdoor space for communities to garden together. Building the foundation for a successful community garden is a long-term responsibility which requires community support and dedicated, ongoing commitment by all members of your gardening group.
In order to form a new community garden with the Chicago Park District, the following documents are necessary. You may click on them to read, review and print.
Download Acrobat Documents for New Community Gardens
- To Do Checklist
- Manual for Development
- Application
- Petition
- Site Survey
- Letter of Commitment
- Liability Waiver
- Schedule of Deadlines
Harvest Garden
The Harvest Garden program gives children age 8-12, a three season in-depth experience with organic vegetable gardening. The program started in 2000 with a few parks, and has grown to reach 16 parks throughout the city. While our primary goal is to help children appreciate nature by giving them a broader understanding of it, we also aim to incorporate other areas of learning. We read books, do creative writing and visual art activities, and play a lot of games.
For further information on the Harvest Garden program, along with this year's schedule, click here .
For a list of parks that offer the Harvest Garden program, click here .
Jackson Park - Urban Farm
Plans are fast underway for an Urban Farm and Education Center at Jackson Park. This space will be managed under a partnership with Growing Power, Inc.
The Urban Farm will include hoop greenhouses and raised beds managed by Growing Power, for year round produce, making locally grown food that exceeds certified organic standards available at local farmer's markets. Our partnership with Growing Power will specialize in providing a youth development program and allotment plots for the community, supported with training and education workshops and events.
Download Acrobat Documents
- Program Schedule - Urban Farm & Education Center Program schedule. Note: the schedule may be updated from time to time.
- Location - Location map of the Urban Farm & Education Center
COMMUNITY GARDEN RESOURCES
There are hundreds of resources and information available through your local library and the internet. Below are some links to resources that may be particularly helpful to community gardeners in the Chicagoland area.
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Parkways Foundation
, the non-profit partner of the Chicago Park District, is offering grant opportunities for community gardens registered with the Chicago Park District.
Download PDF Application Form - GreenNet is a coalition of non-profit organizations and public agencies committed to supporting community greening in Chicago. Their website lists guides, other community gardens, ideas, resources, organizations and potential funding
- GreenCorps, which is found under the Dept. of Environment, City of Chicago, suggests grants, resources, and support
- Friends of the Parks has mini-seed grants available
- Kilbourn Park Organic Greenhouse offers workshops and lectures, as well as their annual plant sale and Harvest Festival. They provide horticultural ideas, resources, and programs: (773) 685-3359 or www.chicagoparkdistrict.com (under "Parks & Facilities," look for Kilbourn Park)
- Garfield Park Conservatory holds workshops, lectures and even has horticultural vendors onsite. They provide a wealth of information, ideas and resources for horticulture
- Wicker Park Garden Club is a highly successful community garden that provides many resources, workshops, lectures and events
- Openlands supports community gardens under their Urban Greening program
- Chicago Botanic Garden has an extensive line of lectures, classes and workshops available. They also have wonderful demonstration gardens of various types and designs: http://www.chicagobotanic.org
- University of Illinois Extension website supplies a wealth of resources. They have a plant clinic based at the Garfield Park Conservatory where they can troubleshoot many individual plant/gardening problems. Master Gardener and Master Composter certification classes are also available.
- American Community Garden Association works to create new resources for community gardens, coordinates an annual conference, and has online resources and informative lists of all topics involving community gardens.
- National Gardening Association promotes the environment, is a resource of plant information, has a free newsletter, and provides links for gardeners. Periodically, they provide information about grants and other funds available