Gardens for the People
Gardens for the People! That’s our motto and that’s what we do. We create gardens for people who dream of having a garden to tend to and harvest fresh food and medicine from. Growing food and tending to a garden is a simple act, but for many it is a central practice to their health and wellness. A garden can be a place to connect with Earth and connect with the plants and animals we share our home with. A garden can be a place where we find the time and space to tend to the garden inside of ourselves. A garden can be a tool for creating dignity and respect within ourselves and our community. And, of course, a garden can transform our lives by producing delicious and nutritious food right in our own yards. This is especially important for those who don’t have access to life-giving foods like fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs.
Through Gardens for the People, we select people who will really benefit from having a garden at their home and then we build them a garden. We create the garden with the recipient and plant the food. Sometimes they don’t take part in the building process, but we always prefer that they do. We teach the garden recipient the basics of how to care for the garden so the garden can become a long-term part of their life. We also supply them with the seeds they’ll need for at least a year of gardening ahead.
Who do we build gardens for?
Anyone qualifies who is dreaming of a garden but does not have the money or means to create a garden on their own. We focus on providing gardens for single-parent families, elders and people living with low income. Our gardens can be at homes, apartments, community centers, schools, churches or any organization and anywhere else that a garden can be placed and taken care of.
What we look for in our recipients:
A deep desire for this garden.
A true belief that this garden will be meaningful and have a positive impact on their life.
A commitment to take care of the garden, to eat the food and to share it if there’s more than they can eat!
A location for the gardens that receives ample sun and has water access.
We have created 40 Gardens for the People so far!
We created five gardens in Orlando in 2018, ten gardens in Orlando and Central Florida in 2019, ten gardens in St. Pete, Florida in 2021 and 15 gardens with Wellkind in Guatemala in 2021.
St. Pete Florida 2021
Guatemala with Wellkind 2021
Raised Bed Gardens in Central Florida 2019
Gardens for the People has been made possible through the support of the Live Like Foundation.
We share our gratitude for our community:
Kelli Harper of FernBella Botanicles for designing and building gardens with us in St. Pete, Florida.
Palm Beach Farmyards and Connected Landscapes designing and building gardens with us in Orlando.
The Orlando Permaculture Community and Fleet Farming for their support in Orlando.
All of our teammates and volunteers who have helped with this program and all of our programs.
Shad Qudsi and Wellkind
Nurseries that supported us – Albert Risemberg, Elise Pickett at The Urban Harvest, Littletree Homestead and Nursery and more.
GrowOya for providing us with ollas – a traditional, natural way to water less frequently and grow a more successful garden.