Growing Healthy People,
Growing Strong Communities
Let's grow together
Do you love....
gardening, sustainability, food equity and healthy living? We do too!
Join a Garden
Whether you’re a gardening novice or a seasoned expert, gardens are always seeking new members. Click below to find a community garden near you!
Come to an Event
Community gardens host an array of events, and we would love for you to join! Click below to find out what's going on near you.
Get Support
Explore our community garden website for a wealth of resources to help you get the most out of your gardening experience!
Why Community Garden?
Live healthy
Community gardens grow fresh organic fruits and vegetables, making them more accessible to participants. This promotes healthier eating habits, provides nutritious chemical and pesticide free options that may not be as readily available in stores, and aids in disease reduction.
Physical Exercise
Gardening itself is a physical activity that can improve fitness levels and contribute to overall well-being. It involves activities such as digging, planting, weeding, and harvesting, which can be excellent forms of exercise.
Mental Health
Gardening has been shown to reduce stress and promote relaxation. It provides an opportunity to connect with nature and put your hands in the dirt, which can have a calming effect on the mind and lasting mental health benefits.
Community Building
Community gardens bring people together from diverse, intergenerational, and cross-cultural backgrounds to create a sense of community. Participants often work together towards a common goal, fostering social connections and a sense of belonging. It also provides an opportunity to get to know your neighbors.
Environmental benefits
Community gardens can contribute positively to the environment by promoting sustainable practices such as composting, reducing food miles (the distance food travels from farm to consumer), and creating green spaces that support biodiversity. It also reduces the carbon footprint and improves the viability of soil.
Educational Opportunities
Community gardens provide a hands-on learning experience about gardening techniques, plant biology, and environmental stewardship. It also educates participants about healthy eating and nutrition and teaches children where food comes from, changing the trajectory of families and future generations.
Improved Food Security
For communities with limited access to fresh produce, community gardens can help improve food security by providing a local source of nutritious food, thereby reducing money spent on groceries.
Beautifies the Neighborhood
Community gardens beautify neighborhoods and provide green spaces that residents can enjoy, often reducing crime and improving property values. They can enhance the quality of life in urban areas by offering a peaceful retreat from the hustle and bustle of city life.
Skill Development
Gardening in a community setting allows participants to learn new skills, such as planting, watering, and composting. It can also provide opportunities for leadership and teamwork.
Community Empowerment
By taking an active role in growing their own food, community members gain a sense of empowerment and self-reliance. They become more connected to where their food comes from and can take pride in contributing to their community's well-being.
Flowers grow in flower gardens, vegetables grow in vegetable gardens, communities grow in community gardens.
Join one of our
60 gardens
for your health & community
Our Impact, Together
Testimonials
From Gardeners & Youth
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to connect with the community
🌱October is here—time to celebrate! As temperatures cool, you can see the benefits of your summer cover crops like legumes, buckwheat, and sunn hemp, which enrich your soil with nitrogen.
🌱It`s the perfect moment to plant Brussels sprouts, lettuce, carrots, and tomatoes, or you can wait a couple more weeks for optimal growth—these will be ready to harvest in about 90 days.
🌱Use diluted fish emulsion fertilizer on plants that have been growing for a month, following the label instructions. If you`re planning to succession plant green beans or broccoli, now’s the time to sow that next row. Enjoy your garden’s potential!
#coalitionofcommuitygardens #cocg #growinghealthypeople #growingstrongcommunities #centralfloridagardening
🌱October is here—time to celebrate! As temperatures cool, you can see the benefits of your summer cover crops like legumes, buckwheat, and sunn hemp, which enrich your soil with nitrogen.
🌱It`s the perfect moment to plant Brussels sprouts, lettuce, carrots, and tomatoes, or you can wait a couple more weeks for optimal growth—these will be ready to harvest in about 90 days.
🌱Use diluted fish emulsion fertilizer on plants that have been growing for a month, following the label instructions. If you`re planning to succession plant green beans or broccoli, now’s the time to sow that next row. Enjoy your garden’s potential!
#coalitionofcommuitygardens #cocg #growinghealthypeople #growingstrongcommunities #centralfloridagardening
Coalition of Community Gardens is thrilled to announce our First Annual Community Garden Tour on Sunday, November 3rd! With over twenty beautiful gardens across three counties, this is a rare opportunity to visit gardens across Tampa Bay and learn about growing your own food!
All proceeds benefit COCG, a registered 501-C3 focused on growing healthy people and strong communities across Greater Tampa Bay.
We hope to see you there! For more information on participating gardens and tickets visit the link in our bio!
#coalitionofcommunitygardens #cocg #communitygardentour #growinghealthypeople #growingstrongcommunities
Coalition of Community Gardens is thrilled to announce our First Annual Community Garden Tour on Sunday, November 3rd! With over twenty beautiful gardens across three counties, this is a rare opportunity to visit gardens across Tampa Bay and learn about growing your own food!
All proceeds benefit COCG, a registered 501-C3 focused on growing healthy people and strong communities across Greater Tampa Bay.
We hope to see you there! For more information on participating gardens and tickets visit the link in our bio!
#coalitionofcommunitygardens #cocg #communitygardentour #growinghealthypeople #growingstrongcommunities
Our very own Urban Agriculture Specialist Nathan Farley and Co-Founder & Treasurer Kitty Wallace are presenting at the American Community Gardening Association`s 46th Annual Conference in Boston this weekend! With the theme "Growing Greener Generations" their speech "COCG`s Garden Steps at Healthy 22nd Street Garden - A Successful Model of Urban Agriculture" will talk about our successful Garden Steps program in East Tampa, soon to be replicated in West Tampa through the USDA Urban Agriculture Grant.
Learn more about the Garden Steps Program on our NEW website here:
https://coalitionofcommunitygardens.org/about/heath-equity-projects/garden-steps/
#coalitionofcommunitygardens #cocg #acga #growinggreenergenerations #growinghealthypeople #growingstrongcommunities
Our very own Urban Agriculture Specialist Nathan Farley and Co-Founder & Treasurer Kitty Wallace are presenting at the American Community Gardening Association`s 46th Annual Conference in Boston this weekend! With the theme "Growing Greener Generations" their speech "COCG`s Garden Steps at Healthy 22nd Street Garden - A Successful Model of Urban Agriculture" will talk about our successful Garden Steps program in East Tampa, soon to be replicated in West Tampa through the USDA Urban Agriculture Grant.
Learn more about the Garden Steps Program on our NEW website here:
https://coalitionofcommunitygardens.org/about/heath-equity-projects/garden-steps/
#coalitionofcommunitygardens #cocg #acga #growinggreenergenerations #growinghealthypeople #growingstrongcommunities
It’s #mentalhealthmonday!
Michael, the garden leader at @wellcomeomcenter in Spring Hill explains how community gardening saved his life after he woke up with crippling anxiety and depression 💚🌱
#coalitionofcommunitygardens #cocg #mentalhealthmonday #growinghealthypeople #growingstrongcommunities #gardeningsavedmylife #mentalhealthawareness #mentalhealthmatters
It’s #mentalhealthmonday!
Michael, the garden leader at @wellcomeomcenter in Spring Hill explains how community gardening saved his life after he woke up with crippling anxiety and depression 💚🌱
#coalitionofcommunitygardens #cocg #mentalhealthmonday #growinghealthypeople #growingstrongcommunities #gardeningsavedmylife #mentalhealthawareness #mentalhealthmatters
Starting a community garden is not an easy undertaking! Planning done up front will result in the success or failure of a site which is why COCG strongly recommends following the American Gardening Association’s ten steps.
COCG visited a new community garden site, the amazing @guinn_center on Sligh and Nebraska to help them determine their next steps. The Guinn Center, partnered with @tpawalls, plan to bring a gardening and art experience to Old Seminole Heights! 🎨🌿
We will be documenting their journey in following the ten steps and also invite you to visit them on the Community Garden Tour on November 3rd where they will be sharing their plans as well as the process! Get excited - tickets will be on sale soon!
#watchthemgrow #coalitionodfommunitygardens #cocg #communitygardentour #growinghealthypeople #growingstrongcommunities #tampacommunitygarden #communitygardensodinstagram
#guinncentercomnunitygarden #guinncenterartgarden #guinncenter
Starting a community garden is not an easy undertaking! Planning done up front will result in the success or failure of a site which is why COCG strongly recommends following the American Gardening Association’s ten steps.
COCG visited a new community garden site, the amazing @guinn_center on Sligh and Nebraska to help them determine their next steps. The Guinn Center, partnered with @tpawalls, plan to bring a gardening and art experience to Old Seminole Heights! 🎨🌿
We will be documenting their journey in following the ten steps and also invite you to visit them on the Community Garden Tour on November 3rd where they will be sharing their plans as well as the process! Get excited - tickets will be on sale soon!
#watchthemgrow #coalitionodfommunitygardens #cocg #communitygardentour #growinghealthypeople #growingstrongcommunities #tampacommunitygarden #communitygardensodinstagram
#guinncentercomnunitygarden #guinncenterartgarden #guinncenter
Happy September! Here are COCC’s gardening tips for this month:
🌱In September, think ahead. We have dinners with the various holidays and parties that will be happening soon. Do you want to take green beans or a salad to one of these gatherings?
🌱From there, determine how long each plant takes. Check out the UF/IFAS Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide listed below, specifically the Planting Guide on Table 1, which tells you how to plant your seeds and how long from planting to harvest. Bush Blue Lake Green beans (Kitty’s favorite variety) take 45-60 days to grow to harvest. So, if you want to take green beans to Thanksgiving, you will need to plant by the third week of September.
https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/VH021
🌱For all of you perfectionists out there, don’t have paralysis by analysis. Just start! Gardening is all about learning as you go, making mistakes, and enjoying the journey. We promise everything will be ok! 💚
#coalitionofcommunitygardens #cocg #septemberplantingguide #centralfloridagardening #growinghealthypeople #growingstrongcommunities
Happy September! Here are COCC’s gardening tips for this month:
🌱In September, think ahead. We have dinners with the various holidays and parties that will be happening soon. Do you want to take green beans or a salad to one of these gatherings?
🌱From there, determine how long each plant takes. Check out the UF/IFAS Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide listed below, specifically the Planting Guide on Table 1, which tells you how to plant your seeds and how long from planting to harvest. Bush Blue Lake Green beans (Kitty’s favorite variety) take 45-60 days to grow to harvest. So, if you want to take green beans to Thanksgiving, you will need to plant by the third week of September.
https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/VH021
🌱For all of you perfectionists out there, don’t have paralysis by analysis. Just start! Gardening is all about learning as you go, making mistakes, and enjoying the journey. We promise everything will be ok! 💚
#coalitionofcommunitygardens #cocg #septemberplantingguide #centralfloridagardening #growinghealthypeople #growingstrongcommunities
August’s Gardener of The Month is Tyler from The Sustainable Living Project! Tyler is in high school and found SLP through Eventbrite as he needed volunteer hours for his Bright Futures Scholarship. While he is brand new to gardening, he already loves the great atmosphere and being connected with nature.
Gardens are always seeking volunteers, so please let us know if you, or anyone you know, would like to help out!
And get excited, @thesustainablelivingproject, a hidden gem right across from Lowry Park Zoo, will be a stop on our Community Garden Tour on November 3rd! This incredibly charming nature escape will soon be available to rent for your parties or events, so make sure to put it on your list to check out! 🌿🦋🌺🐓
#coalitionofcommunitygardens #cocg #growinghealthypeople #growingstrongcommunities #communitygardentour #gardenerofthemonth #communitygardensofinstagram #tampacommunitygarden #sustainableliving
August’s Gardener of The Month is Tyler from The Sustainable Living Project! Tyler is in high school and found SLP through Eventbrite as he needed volunteer hours for his Bright Futures Scholarship. While he is brand new to gardening, he already loves the great atmosphere and being connected with nature.
Gardens are always seeking volunteers, so please let us know if you, or anyone you know, would like to help out!
And get excited, @thesustainablelivingproject, a hidden gem right across from Lowry Park Zoo, will be a stop on our Community Garden Tour on November 3rd! This incredibly charming nature escape will soon be available to rent for your parties or events, so make sure to put it on your list to check out! 🌿🦋🌺🐓
#coalitionofcommunitygardens #cocg #growinghealthypeople #growingstrongcommunities #communitygardentour #gardenerofthemonth #communitygardensofinstagram #tampacommunitygarden #sustainableliving
Interested in sponsoring our First Community Garden Tour on November 3rd? COCG has over 60 gardens across five counties so we expect this event to have quite a reach! Please email Meryl at mstout@coalitionofcommunitygardens.org if you, or anyone you know is interested - they are selling fast!
🍌🌿📸: Linwood Community Garden - Temple Terrace
#coalitionofcommunitygardens #cocg #communitygardentour #communitygardensofinstagram #growinghealthypeople #growingstrongcommunities
Interested in sponsoring our First Community Garden Tour on November 3rd? COCG has over 60 gardens across five counties so we expect this event to have quite a reach! Please email Meryl at mstout@coalitionofcommunitygardens.org if you, or anyone you know is interested - they are selling fast!
🍌🌿📸: Linwood Community Garden - Temple Terrace
#coalitionofcommunitygardens #cocg #communitygardentour #communitygardensofinstagram #growinghealthypeople #growingstrongcommunities
