Community Gardens
Community gardens are defined as a “single piece of land gardened collectively by a group of people using shared or collective plots on private and public land” in urban or rural settings (Connect our Future, n.d.). The diversity of community gardens is their strength; the American Community Garden Association links more than 2000 gardens in North America. Community gardens encompass a broad spectrum of goals, activities, people and garden installations including school gardens, environmental stewardship, food action, food councils, sustainable communities strategies, soil and water conservation, social engagement, and horticultural therapy. More recent research has investigated plant & insect health at community gardens (Felderhoff et al., 2023).
A newer model of community gardens are those affiliated with hospitals, as delivery sites for nutrition-focused educational/lifestyle/health programming aimed at individual and community health improvements. Part of a newer movement referred to as Food is Medicine, an increasing number of these types of community gardens, some at hospital locations, some in the community, represent the intersection of healthcare and horticulture. Research on group gardening with native Americans is appearing more frequently in the literature (Brown et al., 2020; Emmanuel et al., 2023; Cueva et al., 2020; Ornelas et al., 2021).
Refer to category Food, Nutrition & Food Action for related resources & other sections in this category.
A newer model of community gardens are those affiliated with hospitals, as delivery sites for nutrition-focused educational/lifestyle/health programming aimed at individual and community health improvements. Part of a newer movement referred to as Food is Medicine, an increasing number of these types of community gardens, some at hospital locations, some in the community, represent the intersection of healthcare and horticulture. Research on group gardening with native Americans is appearing more frequently in the literature (Brown et al., 2020; Emmanuel et al., 2023; Cueva et al., 2020; Ornelas et al., 2021).
Refer to category Food, Nutrition & Food Action for related resources & other sections in this category.
> Key Organizations
The American Community Garden Association (ACGA)
Edible South Florida
Federation of City, Farms and Community Gardens (Europe)
Health Care Without Harm
Urban Land Institute
Edible South Florida
Federation of City, Farms and Community Gardens (Europe)
Health Care Without Harm
Urban Land Institute
> Books, journals & E-publications on community gardens
City Farmer News
MacDonald, R. & Reitmeier, C. (2017). Understanding Food Systems Agriculture, Food Science, and Nutrition in the United States. Academic Press.
Nettle, C. (2014). Community gardening as social action. Routledge.
Public Health Law Center (2017). Community Gardening Policy Reference Guide.
MacDonald, R. & Reitmeier, C. (2017). Understanding Food Systems Agriculture, Food Science, and Nutrition in the United States. Academic Press.
Nettle, C. (2014). Community gardening as social action. Routledge.
Public Health Law Center (2017). Community Gardening Policy Reference Guide.
> RESEARCH & ARTICLES ON community GARDENS
Recently published selected research & articles:
Alaimo, K., Beavers, A.W., Crawford, C. Snyder, E.H. & Litt, J.S. (2016). Amplifying health through community gardens: A framework for advancing multicomponent, behaviorally based neighborhood interventions. Curr Environ Health Rep., 3(3),302-12. doi: 10.1007/s40572-016-0105-0.
Al-Delaimy, W.K. & Webb, M. (2017). Community gardens as environmental health interventions: Benefits versus potential risks. Curr Environ Health Rep. 4(2):252-265.
Barry, V. & Blythe, C. (2018). Growing pathways to well-being through community gardens and greenspace. Case studies from Birmingham and the West Midlands, UK. In Coles, Costa & Watson (Eds.) Pathways to Well-Being in Design Examples from the Arts, Humanities and the Built Environment. Routledge, 76-96.
Baur, J. (2020). Campus community gardens and student health: A case study of a campus garden and student well-being. J Am Coll Health, 5, 1-8.
Beam, D.R., Szabo, A., Olson, J., Hoffman, L. & Beyer, KMM. (2021). Vacant lot to community garden conversion and crime in Milwaukee: A difference-in-differences analysis. Inj Prev., 27(5), 403-408. doi: 10.1136/injuryprev-2020-043767.
Bice, M.R., Ball, J., Bickford, N., Bickford, S.H., Hollman, A., Coughlin, A., Dinkel, D., Meyer, R.C. & Ranglack, D.H. (2018). Community gardens: Interactions between communities, schools, and impact on students. The Health Educator, 50(1).
Boffi, M., Pola, L., Fumagalli, N., Fermani, E., Senes, G. & Inghilleri, P. (2021). Nature experiences of older people for active ageing: An interdisciplinary approach to the co-design of community gardens. Front Psychol., 27(12), 702525. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.702525.
Brown, B., Dybdal, L., Noonan, C., Pedersen, M.G., Parker, M. & Corcoran, M. (2020). Group gardening in a Native American community: A collaborative approach. Health Promot Pract. 21(4), 611-623. doi: 10.1177/1524839919830930.
Burt, K.G., Koch, P. & Contento, I. (2017). Development of the GREEN (Garden Resources, Education, and Environment Nexus) tool: An evidence-based model for school garden integration. J Acad Nutr Diet., 117(10), 1517-1527.e4.
Carney, PA., Hamada, JL., Rdesinski, R., Sprager, L., Nichols, KR., Liu, BY., Pelayo, J., Sanchez, MA. & Shannon, J. (2012). Impact of a community gardening project on vegetable intake, food security and family relationships: A community-based participatory research study. Journal of Community Health, 37(4), 874-881.
Chauvenet, C., Sheppard, B., Siddique, N., Gallagher, B., Kearney, W. & De Marco, M. (2021). Aqualitative study of rural low-wealth participants’ experiences with community gardens. J. Hunger Environ. Nutr., 1-21.
Cueva, K., Lovato, V., Carroll, D., Richards, J., Speakman, K., Neault, N. & Barlow, A. A. (2020). Qualitative evaluation of a community based, culturally relevant intervention to promote healthy food access in American Indian communities. J Community Health., 45(3), 458-464. doi: 10.1007/s10900-019-00760-4.
Derkzen, M. (2021). Healthy urban communities: How does involvement in green citizen initiatives benefit people’s health and well-being? ISHS Acta Horticulturae 1330: XV International People Plant Symposium and II International Symposium on Horticultural Therapies: The Role of Horticulture in Human Well-being and Social Development.
Egli, V., Oliver, M. & Tautolo, E. (2016). The development of a model of community garden benefits to wellbeing. Preventative Medicine Reports, 3, 348-352.
Emmanuel, R., Read, U.M., Grande, A.J. & Harding, S. (2023). Acceptability and feasibility of community gardening interventions for the prevention of non-communicable diseases among Indigenous populations: A scoping review. Nutrients., 15(3), 791. doi: 10.3390/nu15030791.
Federation of City, Farms and Community Gardens. (2016). Benefits of community growing: Mental health. FCFCG.
Felderhoff, J., Gathof, A.K., Buchholz, S. & Egerer, M. (2023). Vegetation complexity and nesting resource availability predict bee diversity and functional traits in community gardens. Ecol Appl., 33(2), e2759. doi: 10.1002/eap.2759.
Fleming, L. & Zhang, W. (2022). Horticulture for health in U.S. hospitals: Horticultural therapy, gardens in hospitals, nutrition-led programs & affiliated community gardens. Journal of Therapeutic Horticulture, 32(1), 25-38.
Garcia, M.T., Ribeiro, S.M., Germani, ACCG. & Bógus, C.M. (2018). The impact of urban gardens on adequate and healthy food: A systematic review. Public Health Nutr., 21(2), 416-425. doi: 10.1017/S1368980017002944.
George, D.R. (2013). Harvesting the biopsychosocial benefits of community gardens. Am J Public Health, 103(8), e6.
George, D.R., Rovniak, L.S., Kraschnewski, J.L., Hanson, R. & Sciamanna, C.N. (2015). A growing opportunity: Community gardens affiliated with US hospitals and academic health centers. Preventative Medicine Reports, 2, 35-39. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211335514000242.
Glover, T.D. (2021). Healthy garden plots? Harvesting stories of social connectedness from community gardens. Int J Environ Res Public Health., 18(11), 5747. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18115747.
Gray, T., Tracey, D., Truong, S. & Ward, K. (2022). Community gardens as local learning environments in social housing contexts: Participants perceptions of enhanced wellbeing and community connection. Local Environment, 27(5), 570-585. doi: 10.1080/13549839.2022.204.8255.
Gregis, A., Ghisalberti, C., Sciascia, S., Sottile, F. & Peano, C. (2021). Community garden initiatives addressing health and well-being outcomes: A systematic review of infodemiology aspects, outcomes, and target populations. Int J Environ Res Public Health, 18(4), 1943.
Gripper, A.B., Nethery, R., Cowger, T.L., White, M., Kawachi, I. & Adamkiewicz, G. (2022). Community solutions to food apartheid: A spatial analysis of community food-growing spaces and neighborhood demographics in Philadelphia. Soc Sci Med., 310, 115221. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.115221.
Hartwig, K.A. & Mason, M. (2016). Community gardens for refugee and immigrant communities as a means of health promotion. Journal of Community Health, 41(6), 1153-1159.
Heilmayer, D, Reiss, N. & Buskirk, M. (2020). Community gardens cultivate positive experiences for refugees. Journal of Therapeutic Horticulture, 30(1), 25-35.
Heise, T.L., Romppel, M., Molnar, S., Buchberger, B., Berg, A.V.D., Gartlehner, G. & Lhachimi, S.K. (2017). Community gardening, community farming and other local community-based gardening interventions to prevent overweight and obesity in high-income and middle-income countries: Protocol for a systematic review. BMJ Open, 7(6), e016237.
Howarth, M., Brettle, A., Hardman, M. & Maden, M. (2020). What is the evidence for the impact of gardens and gardening on health and well-being: A scoping review and evidence-based logic model to guide healthcare strategy decision making on the use of gardening approaches as a social prescription. BMJ Open, 10(7), e036923.
Hume, C., Grieger, J.A., Kalamkarian, A., D'Onise, K. & Smithers, L.G. (2022). Community gardens and their effects on diet, health, psychosocial and community outcomes: A systematic review. BMC Public Health., 22(1), 1247. doi: 10.1186/s12889-022-13591-1.
Hunter, C.M., Williamson, D.H., Pearson, M., Saikaw,a E., Gribble, M.O. & Kegler, M. (2020). Safe community gardening practices: Focus groups with garden leaders in Atlanta, Georgia. Local Environ., 25(1), 18-35.
Jakubec, S.L., Szabo, J., Gleeson, J., Currie, G. & Flessati, S. (2021). Planting seeds of community-engaged pedagogy: Community health nursing practice in an intergenerational campus-community gardening program. Nurse Educ Pract., 51, 102980. doi: 10.1016/j.nepr.2021.102980.
Kingsley, J., Bailey, A., Torab,i N., Zardo, P., Mavoa, S., Gray, T., Tracey, D., Pettitt, P., Zajac, N. & Foenander, E. (2019). A systematic review protocol investigating community gardening impact measures. Int J Environ Res Public Health, 16(18), 3430.
Koay, W.I. & Dillon, D. (2020). Community gardening: Stress, well-being, and resilience potentials. Int J Environ Res Public Health, 17(18), 6740.
Koncikowski, J. (2021). Therapeutic gardening: A community-led, community-wide approach. ISHS Acta Horticulturae 1330: XV International People Plant Symposium and II International Symposium on Horticultural Therapies: the Role of Horticulture in Human Well-being and Social Development.
Kordon, S. (2022). Understanding people’s perceptions and attitudes toward community garden landscape in Roanoke, Virginia (Doctoral dissertation: Virginia Tech).
Lampert, T., Costa, J., Santos, O., Sousa, J., Ribeiro, T. & Freire, E. (2021). Evidence on the contribution of community gardens to promote physical and mental health and well-being of non-institutionalized individuals: A systematic review. PLoS One, 16(8), e0255621.
Liamputtong, P. & Sanchez, E. (2022). Community gardens and social connectedness among rural older people. In Liamputtong (Ed.) Handbook of Social Inclusion. Springer, Cham.
Lee, S.M., Jang, H.J., Yun, H.K., Jung, Y.B. & Hong, I.K. (2022). Effect of apartment community garden program on sense of community and stress. Int J Environ Res Public Health., 19(2), 708. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19020708.
Litt, J.S., Alaimo, K., Buchenau, M., Villalobos, A., Glueck, D.H., Crume, T., Fahnestock, L., Hamman, RF, Hebert, J.R., Hurley, T.G., Leiferman, J. & Li, K. (2018). Rationale and design for the community activation for prevention study (CAPs): A randomized controlled trial of community gardening. Contemp Clin Trials, 68, 72-78.
Loftus, L., Spaulding, A.D., Steffen, R., Kopsel, l. D. & Nakwe, N. (2017). Determining barriers to use of edible school gardens in Illinois. J Am Coll Nutr., 36(7), 507-513.
Lovell, R., Husk, K., Bethel, A. & Garside, R. (2014). What are the health and well-being impacts of community gardening for adults and children: A mixed method systematic review protocol. Environmental Evidence, 3, 20.
Malberg Dyg, P., Christensen, S. & Peterson, C.J. (2020). Community gardens and wellbeing amongst vulnerable populations: A thematic review. Health Promot Int., 35(4), 790-803.
Marsh, P., Brennan, S. & Vandenberg, M. (2018). ‘It’s not therapy, it’s gardening’: Community gardens as sites of comprehensive primary healthcare. Australian Journal of Primary Health, 24, 337-342.
Marsh, P., Mallick, S., Flies, E., Jones, P., Pearson, S., Koolhof, I., Byrne, J. & Kendal, D. (2020). Trust, connection and equity: Can understanding context help to establish successful campus community gardens? Int J Environ Res Public Health, 17(20), 7476.
McGuire, L., Morris, S.L. & Pollard, T.M. (2022). Community gardening and wellbeing: The understandings of organizers and their implications for gardening for health. Health & Place, 75, 102773.
Mejia, A., Bhattacharya, M. & Miraglia, J. (2020). Village community garden & learning center. Community gardening as a way to build cross-cultural community resilience in intersectionally diverse gardeners: Community-based participatory research and campus-community-partnered proposal. JMIR Res Protoc., 9(10), e21218. doi: 10.2196/21218.
Mejia, A., Bhattacharya, M., Nigon-Crowley, A. et al. (2020). Community gardening during times of crisis: Recommendations for community-engaged dialogue, research, and praxis. JAFSCD, 10(1), 1-7.
Milliron, B.J., Vitolins, M.Z., Gamble, E., Jones, R., Chenault, M.C. & Tooze, J.A. (2017). Process evaluation of a community garden at an urban outpatient clinic. J Community Health, 42(4), 639-648.
Mmako, N.J., Capetola, T. & Henderson-Wilson, C. (2019). Sowing social inclusion for marginalized residents of a social housing development through a community garden. Health Promotions Journal Australia, 30(3), 350-358. doi: 10.1002/hpja.225.
Ohly, H., Gentry, S., Wigglesworth, R., Bethel, A., Lovell, R. & Garside, R. (2016). A systematic review of the health and well-being impacts of school gardening: Synthesis of quantitative and qualitative evidence. BMC Public Health, 16, 286.
Okvat, H. & Zautra, A. (2011). Community gardening: A parsimonious path to individual, community and environmental resilience. American Journal of Community Psychology, 47, 374–87. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10464-010-9404-z.
Ong, M., Baker, A., Aguilar, A. & Stanley, M. (2019). The meanings attributed to community gardening: A qualitative study. Health Place, 59, 102190.
Ornelas, I.J., Rudd, K., Bishop, S., Deschenie, D., Brown, E., Lombard, K. & Beresford, S.A.A. (2021). Engaging school and family in Navajo Gardening for Health: Development of the Yéego intervention to promote healthy eating among Navajo children. Health Behav Policy Rev., 8(3), 212-222. doi: 10.14485/HBPR.8.3.3.
Ornelas, I.J., Deschenie, D., Jim, J., Bishop, S., Lombard, K. & Beresford, S.A. (2017). Yéego Gardening! A community garden intervention to promote health on the Navajo Nation. Prog Community Health Partnership, 11(4), 417-425.
Ovat, HA. & Zautra, AJ. (2014). Sowing seeds of resilience: Community gardening in a post-disaster context. In Tidball & Krasny (Eds.) Greening in the Red Zone. Springer, Dordrecht.
Palar, K., Lemus Hufstedler, E., Hernandez, K., Chang, A., Ferguson, L., Lozano, R. & Weiser, S.D. (2019). Nutrition and health improvements after participation in an urban home garden program. J Nutr Educ Behav., 51(9), 1037-1046. doi: 10.1016/j.jneb.2019.06.028.
Ponstingel, D. (2022). The governance of community gardens as commons and its role in the socio-ecological outcomes of gardening in Austin, Texas, USA. Socioecol Pract Res., 4(4), 355-376. doi: 10.1007/s42532-022-00133-7.
Raymond, C.M., Diduck, A.P., Buijs, A. & Boerchers, M. (2019). Exploring the co-benefits (and costs) of home gardening for biodiversity conservation. The International Journal of Justice and Sustainabilit,y 24(3).
Ronan, B. (2016). How a hospital’s community garden grew into something bigger. Fierce Healthcare. https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/hospitals/how-a-garden-fulfilled-a-hospital-s-mission-and-brought-a-community-together.
Sadeghzadeh, C., Sheppard, B., de Groot, J. & De Marco, M. (2022). Evaluating the benefits of a SNAP-Ed-Funded community garden intervention using ripple effect mapping. Health Educ Behav., 49(1), 141-149. doi: 10.1177/10901981211058075.
Spano, G., D’Este, M., Giannico, V., Carrus, G., Elia, M., Lafortezza, R., Panno, A. & Sanesi, G. (2020). Are community gardening and horticultural interventions beneficial for psychosocial well-being? A meta-analysis. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(10), 3584.
Spees, K.C., Joseph, A., Darragh, A., Lyons, F. & Wolf, N.K. (2015). Health behaviors and perceptions of cancer survivors harvesting at an urban garden. American Journal Health Behavior, 39(2), 257–266. doi: 10.5993/AJHB.39.2.12.
Stluka, S., McCormack, L.A., Burdette, L., Dvorak, S., Knight, N., Lindvall, R., Pierce, L., Schoch, J. & Walkling, P. (2019). Gardening for health: Using garden coordinators and volunteers to implement rural school and community gardens. Prev Chronic Dis., 16, E156.
Tharrey, M., Perignon, M., Scheromm, P., Mejean, C. & Darmon, N. (2019). Does participating in community gardens promote sustainable lifestyles in urban settings? Design and protocol of the JArDinS study. BMC Public Health, 19(1), 589.
Tharrey, M., Sachs, A., Perignon, M., Simon, C., Mejean, C., Litt, J. & Darmon, N. (2020). Improving lifestyles sustainability through community gardening: Results and lessons learnt from the JArDinS quasi-experimental study. BMC Public Health, 20(1), 1798.
Tracey, D., Gray, T., Sweeting, J., Kingsley, J., Bailey, A. & Pettitt, P. (2020). A systematic review protocol to identify the key benefits and associated program characteristics of community gardening for vulnerable populations. Int J Environ Res Public Health, 17(6), 2029.
Veldheer, S., Winkels, R.M., Cooper, J., Groff, C., Lepley, J., Bordner, C., Wagner, A., George, D.R. & Sciamanna, C. (2020). Growing healthy hearts: Gardening program feasibility in a hospital-based community garden. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 52(10), 958-963. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1499404620305200.
Wang, J., Zhang, G., Zhao, X., Sun, L. & Wu, Y. (2022). Evaluating the effectiveness of community gardens by a quantative systematic framework: A study of Saint Louis, Missouri in the United States. Sustainable Cities and Society, 79, 103676. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2022.103676.
Ward, K.S., Truong, S. & Gray, T. (2022). Connecting to nature through community engaged scholarship: Community gardens as sites for collaborative relationships, psychological, and physiological wellbeing. Front Psychiatry, 13, 883817. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.883817.
Washington, A.E., Coye, MJ. & Feinberg, DT. (2013). Academic health centers and the evolution of the health care system. JAMA, 310(18), 1929-1930. (includes hospitals & community gardens)
Wong, R., Gable, L. & Rivera-Núñez, Z. (2018). Perceived benefits of participation and risks of soil contamination in St. Louis urban community gardens. J Community Health, 43(3), 604-610.
Wood, C.J., Polley, M., Barton, J.L. & Wicks, C.L. (2022). Therapeutic community gardening as a green social prescription for mental ill-health: Impact, barriers, and facilitators from the perspective of multiple stakeholders. Int J Environ Res Public Health., 19(20), 13612. doi: 10.3390/ijerph192013612.
Zick, C.D., Smith, K.R., Kowaleski-Jones, L., Uno, C. & Merrill, B.J. (2013). Harvesting more than vegetables: The potential weight control benefits of community gardening. Am. J. Public Health, 103(6), 1110-1115.
Alaimo, K., Beavers, A.W., Crawford, C. Snyder, E.H. & Litt, J.S. (2016). Amplifying health through community gardens: A framework for advancing multicomponent, behaviorally based neighborhood interventions. Curr Environ Health Rep., 3(3),302-12. doi: 10.1007/s40572-016-0105-0.
Al-Delaimy, W.K. & Webb, M. (2017). Community gardens as environmental health interventions: Benefits versus potential risks. Curr Environ Health Rep. 4(2):252-265.
Barry, V. & Blythe, C. (2018). Growing pathways to well-being through community gardens and greenspace. Case studies from Birmingham and the West Midlands, UK. In Coles, Costa & Watson (Eds.) Pathways to Well-Being in Design Examples from the Arts, Humanities and the Built Environment. Routledge, 76-96.
Baur, J. (2020). Campus community gardens and student health: A case study of a campus garden and student well-being. J Am Coll Health, 5, 1-8.
Beam, D.R., Szabo, A., Olson, J., Hoffman, L. & Beyer, KMM. (2021). Vacant lot to community garden conversion and crime in Milwaukee: A difference-in-differences analysis. Inj Prev., 27(5), 403-408. doi: 10.1136/injuryprev-2020-043767.
Bice, M.R., Ball, J., Bickford, N., Bickford, S.H., Hollman, A., Coughlin, A., Dinkel, D., Meyer, R.C. & Ranglack, D.H. (2018). Community gardens: Interactions between communities, schools, and impact on students. The Health Educator, 50(1).
Boffi, M., Pola, L., Fumagalli, N., Fermani, E., Senes, G. & Inghilleri, P. (2021). Nature experiences of older people for active ageing: An interdisciplinary approach to the co-design of community gardens. Front Psychol., 27(12), 702525. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.702525.
Brown, B., Dybdal, L., Noonan, C., Pedersen, M.G., Parker, M. & Corcoran, M. (2020). Group gardening in a Native American community: A collaborative approach. Health Promot Pract. 21(4), 611-623. doi: 10.1177/1524839919830930.
Burt, K.G., Koch, P. & Contento, I. (2017). Development of the GREEN (Garden Resources, Education, and Environment Nexus) tool: An evidence-based model for school garden integration. J Acad Nutr Diet., 117(10), 1517-1527.e4.
Carney, PA., Hamada, JL., Rdesinski, R., Sprager, L., Nichols, KR., Liu, BY., Pelayo, J., Sanchez, MA. & Shannon, J. (2012). Impact of a community gardening project on vegetable intake, food security and family relationships: A community-based participatory research study. Journal of Community Health, 37(4), 874-881.
Chauvenet, C., Sheppard, B., Siddique, N., Gallagher, B., Kearney, W. & De Marco, M. (2021). Aqualitative study of rural low-wealth participants’ experiences with community gardens. J. Hunger Environ. Nutr., 1-21.
Cueva, K., Lovato, V., Carroll, D., Richards, J., Speakman, K., Neault, N. & Barlow, A. A. (2020). Qualitative evaluation of a community based, culturally relevant intervention to promote healthy food access in American Indian communities. J Community Health., 45(3), 458-464. doi: 10.1007/s10900-019-00760-4.
Derkzen, M. (2021). Healthy urban communities: How does involvement in green citizen initiatives benefit people’s health and well-being? ISHS Acta Horticulturae 1330: XV International People Plant Symposium and II International Symposium on Horticultural Therapies: The Role of Horticulture in Human Well-being and Social Development.
Egli, V., Oliver, M. & Tautolo, E. (2016). The development of a model of community garden benefits to wellbeing. Preventative Medicine Reports, 3, 348-352.
Emmanuel, R., Read, U.M., Grande, A.J. & Harding, S. (2023). Acceptability and feasibility of community gardening interventions for the prevention of non-communicable diseases among Indigenous populations: A scoping review. Nutrients., 15(3), 791. doi: 10.3390/nu15030791.
Federation of City, Farms and Community Gardens. (2016). Benefits of community growing: Mental health. FCFCG.
Felderhoff, J., Gathof, A.K., Buchholz, S. & Egerer, M. (2023). Vegetation complexity and nesting resource availability predict bee diversity and functional traits in community gardens. Ecol Appl., 33(2), e2759. doi: 10.1002/eap.2759.
Fleming, L. & Zhang, W. (2022). Horticulture for health in U.S. hospitals: Horticultural therapy, gardens in hospitals, nutrition-led programs & affiliated community gardens. Journal of Therapeutic Horticulture, 32(1), 25-38.
Garcia, M.T., Ribeiro, S.M., Germani, ACCG. & Bógus, C.M. (2018). The impact of urban gardens on adequate and healthy food: A systematic review. Public Health Nutr., 21(2), 416-425. doi: 10.1017/S1368980017002944.
George, D.R. (2013). Harvesting the biopsychosocial benefits of community gardens. Am J Public Health, 103(8), e6.
George, D.R., Rovniak, L.S., Kraschnewski, J.L., Hanson, R. & Sciamanna, C.N. (2015). A growing opportunity: Community gardens affiliated with US hospitals and academic health centers. Preventative Medicine Reports, 2, 35-39. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211335514000242.
Glover, T.D. (2021). Healthy garden plots? Harvesting stories of social connectedness from community gardens. Int J Environ Res Public Health., 18(11), 5747. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18115747.
Gray, T., Tracey, D., Truong, S. & Ward, K. (2022). Community gardens as local learning environments in social housing contexts: Participants perceptions of enhanced wellbeing and community connection. Local Environment, 27(5), 570-585. doi: 10.1080/13549839.2022.204.8255.
Gregis, A., Ghisalberti, C., Sciascia, S., Sottile, F. & Peano, C. (2021). Community garden initiatives addressing health and well-being outcomes: A systematic review of infodemiology aspects, outcomes, and target populations. Int J Environ Res Public Health, 18(4), 1943.
Gripper, A.B., Nethery, R., Cowger, T.L., White, M., Kawachi, I. & Adamkiewicz, G. (2022). Community solutions to food apartheid: A spatial analysis of community food-growing spaces and neighborhood demographics in Philadelphia. Soc Sci Med., 310, 115221. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.115221.
Hartwig, K.A. & Mason, M. (2016). Community gardens for refugee and immigrant communities as a means of health promotion. Journal of Community Health, 41(6), 1153-1159.
Heilmayer, D, Reiss, N. & Buskirk, M. (2020). Community gardens cultivate positive experiences for refugees. Journal of Therapeutic Horticulture, 30(1), 25-35.
Heise, T.L., Romppel, M., Molnar, S., Buchberger, B., Berg, A.V.D., Gartlehner, G. & Lhachimi, S.K. (2017). Community gardening, community farming and other local community-based gardening interventions to prevent overweight and obesity in high-income and middle-income countries: Protocol for a systematic review. BMJ Open, 7(6), e016237.
Howarth, M., Brettle, A., Hardman, M. & Maden, M. (2020). What is the evidence for the impact of gardens and gardening on health and well-being: A scoping review and evidence-based logic model to guide healthcare strategy decision making on the use of gardening approaches as a social prescription. BMJ Open, 10(7), e036923.
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> Examples of community gardens
Active Orlando community gardens
Beacon Food Forest in Seattle Washington is open to the public to forage on the 7 acre plot adjacent to a local park.
Boston Medical Center’s rooftop farm. Boston Medical Center. (n.d.). The rooftop farm at Boston Medical Center [Video]. YouTube.
Cancer Treatment Centers. (n.d.). Cancer patients use gardening for physical & mental health [Video]. YouTube.
Community Gardens, Edible South Florida lists community gardens (2021)
Gainesville Giving Garden in Gainesville, FL is committed to “Bridging the gap between low-income families and fresh, organic produce by growing and distributing food to those in need.”
Green Haven Project in Overtown, FL is a non-profit organization that creates community gardens in food deserts and provides locally grown food free to community residents. They also provide educational workshops on horticulture and nutrition for youth.
Grow2Heal Hospital Garden South Florida PBS. (n.d.). YSF – Grow2Heal Hospital Garden [Video]. YouTube.
Henryford.com. (2022). Greenhouse.
Needham Community Farm MA provides hands-on education and growing space for sustainable growing, community connections & food donations for food insecure community members.
Prinzessinnengarten urban farm in Berlin Germany beside the former Berlin Wall in unused space in the city is growing vegetables in easy to move containers (recycled tetra pacs, rise sacks, plastic crates).
Whitelock Community Farm in Baltimore, Maryland promotes gardening, composting & community activity.
Beacon Food Forest in Seattle Washington is open to the public to forage on the 7 acre plot adjacent to a local park.
Boston Medical Center’s rooftop farm. Boston Medical Center. (n.d.). The rooftop farm at Boston Medical Center [Video]. YouTube.
Cancer Treatment Centers. (n.d.). Cancer patients use gardening for physical & mental health [Video]. YouTube.
Community Gardens, Edible South Florida lists community gardens (2021)
Gainesville Giving Garden in Gainesville, FL is committed to “Bridging the gap between low-income families and fresh, organic produce by growing and distributing food to those in need.”
Green Haven Project in Overtown, FL is a non-profit organization that creates community gardens in food deserts and provides locally grown food free to community residents. They also provide educational workshops on horticulture and nutrition for youth.
Grow2Heal Hospital Garden South Florida PBS. (n.d.). YSF – Grow2Heal Hospital Garden [Video]. YouTube.
Henryford.com. (2022). Greenhouse.
Needham Community Farm MA provides hands-on education and growing space for sustainable growing, community connections & food donations for food insecure community members.
Prinzessinnengarten urban farm in Berlin Germany beside the former Berlin Wall in unused space in the city is growing vegetables in easy to move containers (recycled tetra pacs, rise sacks, plastic crates).
Whitelock Community Farm in Baltimore, Maryland promotes gardening, composting & community activity.
> Videos, webinars & websites on community gardens
Agrihoods, a new approach to master-planned neighborhoods & interest in community farms is profiled in Forbes magazine article in Serenbe GA, Grayslake Ill, & Palm Beach FL.
Common Grounds online forum for exchanging stories, suggestions & questions.
Community Agriculture: Concepts, Models, and Impacts website by Utah State University provides background information.
Community Gardens: Different Types video from K-State Research and Extension
Harlem Grown community gardens seeks to inspire youth to lead healthy ambitious lives through hands-on education available at this organization’s site in downtown NY.
Healthcare without Harm. (2018). Examples of hospital roles and participation [in community farms].
Health: Community Garden Storytelling Project
Hunter College New York City Food Policy Center website identifies 15 urban farms bringing fresh produce & food education to New Yorkers (Brooklyn Grange, The Battery Urban Farm, Eagle Street Rooftop Farms, East New York Farms….).
NC Collard Greens and Common Ground resources including guides in English & Spanish,
The BIPOC Community Garden – Connecting Food and People through Gardening Ithaca, NY
Tour This ¼ Acre Urban Food Forest & Community Garden: St. Pete EcoVillage
Common Grounds online forum for exchanging stories, suggestions & questions.
Community Agriculture: Concepts, Models, and Impacts website by Utah State University provides background information.
Community Gardens: Different Types video from K-State Research and Extension
Harlem Grown community gardens seeks to inspire youth to lead healthy ambitious lives through hands-on education available at this organization’s site in downtown NY.
Healthcare without Harm. (2018). Examples of hospital roles and participation [in community farms].
Health: Community Garden Storytelling Project
Hunter College New York City Food Policy Center website identifies 15 urban farms bringing fresh produce & food education to New Yorkers (Brooklyn Grange, The Battery Urban Farm, Eagle Street Rooftop Farms, East New York Farms….).
NC Collard Greens and Common Ground resources including guides in English & Spanish,
The BIPOC Community Garden – Connecting Food and People through Gardening Ithaca, NY
Tour This ¼ Acre Urban Food Forest & Community Garden: St. Pete EcoVillage
> Related organizations
Jardins Comunitarios de Orlando, FL
Local Master Gardener & Extension offices
Community Garden Council of Waterloo Region, Canada
Local Master Gardener & Extension offices
Community Garden Council of Waterloo Region, Canada
Written & compiled by Lesley Fleming, Daniela Perez Lugones Nov 2021; revised in Mar 2023 by Lesley Fleming