Boston Community Gardens - The Trustees of Reservations

Boston Community Gardens - The Trustees of Reservations
Metro Boston
Boston Community Gardens
Eight Boston Neighborhoods
56 gardens
Neighborhood gardens transform city landscapes and build community.
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Plan Your Visit
Overview
Ideas for Your Visit
Admission & Hours
What You'll Find
Venue Rental
Property Map
Regulations & Advisories
Overview
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 approximately 200 community gardens, touching more than 18,000 individuals and families annually. Six pocket parks remain accessible at all times.
Garden Dues
Current garden members can
pay 2026 Garden Dues here
. Add one “garden plot dues” to your cart, click on “Place Order”, select your garden by name, and enter your payment and contact info.
Garden Workshops
Check out our upcoming garden workshops & events on our
Garden Programs
page.
Plot Requests
Want to join a Trustees garden? Check out
this map
and
this list
, and then fill out
this plot request form
Native Plants & Seedling Sale
We have a great selection of plants for urban gardens, sustainably grown in Boston.
Shop here.
Ideas for Your Visit
Attend a
skillbuilding workshop
or family program at any of of our community gardens. Register for a garden dinner. Join us at signature annual events such as the Gardeners Gathering every March with the Mayor. Teach your children firsthand about how food grows and help them develop healthy food habits.
Admission & Hours
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.
What You'll Find
Trustees manages 56 community gardens across 8 neighborhoods throughout the city of Boston. Gardens range in size from small 10 plot gardens to large 150+ plot gardens with raised beds, sun shelters, fruit trees and native plant-filled perennial borders. These gardens are tended and cared for by local residents and are a source of neighborhood pride that connect people to place. They turn neighbors into friends, strengthen family bonds and traditions, and inspire joy in the shared work of growing fresh, healthy, and delicious culturally-relevant food – everything from heirloom tomatoes to okra, winter melon and more! Together these green oases are a thriving neighborhood asset that benefits everyone in the community and fosters intergenerational learning and respect across cultures.
Please contact
communitygardens@thetrustees.org
if you are a Boston resident looking for a garden plot.
Venue Rental
Contact
communitygardens@thetrustees.org
for information on joining a community garden or event rental options.
Property Map
Download a map of our
community garden locations
Regulations & Advisories
General Garden Rules
Trustees community gardens are open for use and visitation daily, dawn to dusk. Gardens are closed from dusk to dawn. Garden organized programs and/or events may take place during night time hours with advance notification and approval by The Trustees. Here are some rules for all our gardens, your garden may have additional rules.
The Garden
Always treat fellow gardeners with respect and kindness.
Conflicts in the garden may be cause for written warnings, suspension, or removal from the garden and loss of all privileges.
Some of our gardens may be gated, locked, or otherwise restricted in use to garden members.
Open areas (not fenced or gated) are open to all from sunrise to sunset. These gardens are not open to the public, though visitation by non-members is allowed during programs, events, and garden socials hosted by The Trustees or the individual garden.
No pets, only service animals, allowed in community gardens.
Emotional support animals are not allowed without prior written Trustees approval.
Children, 14 years and under,
must be accompanied and supervised by an adult gardener.
Stay out of other garden plots unless you have consent from the gardener.
Do not harvest produce, remove items, damage, or otherwise negatively affect the plots of fellow gardeners.
Smoking, drinking, drugs, and weapons are prohibited.
Alcoholic beverages are allowed by adults (over 21 years) during parties, programs, and events with prior consent and approval of The Trustees.
Open fires are prohibited.
Use of gas and charcoal grills is allowed with prior consent and approval of The Trustees. Propane must be stored in a shed when not in use.
Please wipe down common tools and equipment
before being returned to the shed.
Water should only be used for gardening purposes,
by members of the garden.
If you are unable to keep up with your garden plot or your commitment to the garden’s shared responsibilities, please notify your coordinator. Failure to do so may be seen as abandonment of your plot and loss of your garden.
Your Plot
Garden plots are allotted annually.
Gardeners at the end of the season have the option to return to their plot by following the spring signup as outlined by your garden.
All plots must have signs of being planted by June 1st
unless your garden has set an earlier planting date.
Pesticide, chemical fertilizer, and biosolid (organic material recycled from sewage) compost use is prohibited.
Natural fertilizers and pest controls are allowed.
Trellising, stakes, arbors, and/or other garden supports should not exceed
a height agreed upon by the garden at the beginning of the season. Under no circumstances shall a structure be placed so that it shades an adjacent plot. Unpainted wood, metal and organic degradable materials are allowed. All other materials and structure must be approved in advance by your garden coordinator(s). Plastics, painted and/or treated wood, plywood, and any item with peeling paint is not allowed. All trellising, stakes, arbors and/or supports must be dismantled and stored at the end of season. Materials should be stored in the garden shed, or at home. If an individual gardener leaves, they must remove any structures they have installed.
Low seasonal critter control fencing is permitted.
Degrading sheet plastics, Styrofoam and rigid insulation foam, plastic turf, and carpet remnants are prohibited.
No rain barrels in individual plots.
Rain barrels are allowed if connected to a shed, gazebo or sun shelter. Installation of rain barrels must be approved by The Trustees.
Plots should not be filled with soil or compost above the level of existing edging and/or plot dividers.
Soil must remain within individual plots
All plots must be cleared of plant wastes, weeds, and spoiled produce by 11/30
unless your garden sets an earlier date. Standing annual vegetation, stalks, vines, and fruits must be removed. Taller plants should be cut into 4” -6” pieces before being put in compost or yard waste bags. With proper management annual greens, herbs, perennials, and bulbs may remain in place. Season extension is allowed if approved by coordinator(s) and actively monitored and managed.
Removal of materials is the responsibility of the gardener.
Material should be removed from the garden or composted on site. Plant waste should not be bagged in plastic or stored in garden plots. PACK IN – PACK OUT.
Installation of gravel pathways in plot is prohibited.
Trees, shrubs, cane fruit, and perennial vines are restricted to common areas or designated plots.
New perennial and woody plantings should be approved in advance by The Trustees.
Pathways, sidewalks, and common plantings should be maintained weed and debris free
by gardeners in adjacent plots or during garden organized work days. Harvesting of communal plants and plantings should be managed in the same manner.
Garden dues should be paid by 6/1
Trustees staff and garden coordinators can provide written warnings to gardeners who do not follow the above rules.
Failure to follow these rules may result in suspension of garden privileges or removal from Trustees community gardens.
Download the rules
PHOTOGRAPHY
: We ask that photographers or their clients become Supporting Level Members before conducting portrait sessions at these properties.
Click here
for more information, and to request permission for any portrait sessions. The Trustees of Reservations reserves the right, and may give permission to its designated photographers and videographers, or to outside media, to photograph or video visitors and program participants at all its facilities and properties.
Before Setting Out
Community Gardens in Boston
City Natives
Mattapan | Metro Boston
Find plants for your home or community garden plot at this vegetable seedling nur...
List of Boston Community Gardens
Our 56 community gardens —totaling 15 acres across eight Boston neighborhoods—are tended and cared for by local residents.
Gardening Programs
Bringing people together for urban gardening workshops, community building events, and more at the Trustees’ network of community gardens in Boston.
More to Explore
Visit Our Public Gardens
Experience our unique public gardens.
Agriculture
Across more than 12,000 acres of farmlands, The Trustees use regenerative strategies, preserve heritage, and acquaint new generations with the wonders ro...
Boston Community Gardens History
Boston Natural Areas Network first began working with community gardens in 1982, in an effort to preserve Boston’s inner city green space.
Upcoming Events
View more
Thursday, May 21
Thursday, May 21
Tour de Green Bike Ride – Jamaica Plain
Boston Community Gardens | Eight Boston Neighborhoods
Explore healthy community, gardening, and biking with our six part tour of Boston green spaces!
Thursday, June 11
Thursday, June 11
Tour de Green Bike Ride – South End
Boston Community Gardens | Eight Boston Neighborhoods
Explore healthy community, gardening, and biking with our six part tour of Boston green spaces!
A tapestry of community green spaces with unique histories
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.
The View From Here
Discover More Places
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Garden
Eleanor Cabot Bradley Estate
Canton | South of Boston
Stroll through elegant gardens complementing a stately country house, then explor...
Woodlands & Parks
Governor Hutchinson’s Field
Milton | Metro Boston
Enjoy views of the Neponset River marshes and Boston Harbor from the hilltop site...
Coastal
World’s End
Hingham | South of Boston
Trek along Olmsted-designed paths toward rocky shorelines, and discover sweeping ...
Join The Trustees
Enjoy 120 sites featuring inspired trails, historic homes, beautiful gardens, farms, summer camps and more.
Become a Member
Lend a Hand
Join a community passionate about a sustainable future and engaged in diverse projects across the state.
Volunteer
Support Our Work
We rely on your generous support to protect the irreplaceable landscapes and landmarks of Massachusetts.
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