History
The garden originated as part of a city redevelopment plan for the area between MIT and Cambridge Street and Lechmere. The neighborhood was comprised of a predominance of Italian, Portuguese, and Black families living in single and duplex…
The community garden and playground of Hurley Street Park, amid the tightly knit neighborhood of East Cambridge, is truly a haven. The curved, rounded lines of its beautiful design by Gary Chan of the City’s Community Development Department provide…
Moore Street Community Garden occupies a truncated L-shaped space bounded by a tennis court, a parking garage, some residential housing, and a park. A large portion of the gardeners come from many corners of the earth. The garden is unusual, not just…
Squirrel Brand Community Garden (originally known as the Broadway & Boardman Community Garden) has seen many changes since its inception in 1977. Although it is now less than half its original size it still retains much of its grass-roots-based…
This community garden has always been unique because it is comprised of one shared communal garden plot, as opposed to one plot for each gardener. Planting, maintenance, harvesting, and all other responsibilities are shared by the gardeners. It is a…
Peggy Hayes Memorial Garden is well established and deeply embedded in its immediate community. All the gardeners can walk from their residences to the site: this is a garden whose members see each other on the street and share garden…
Riverside Press Park Community Garden is in transition from the traditional form of community gardening with individual plots assigned to individual gardeners to becoming a pilot program offering a communal form of gardening. This new program is an…
Green Street Neighborhood Garden is the only Cambridge Community Garden that is owned and maintained privately with no input or support from the City of Cambridge. The advantages and disadvantages of this privately-owned community garden depend on…
This unprepossessing rectangle, with a path running diagonally through it, is aptly named “Field of Dreams.” It is the inspiration for a rich, beloved garden to many. Privately managed by a resident neighborhood group on property technically…
Sacramento Street Community Garden has been a lively and important feature of the neighborhood since 1975. Many gardeners and plant lovers, young and old, have found friends and refuge from city bustle along with a place to pursue a variety of…
Corcoran Park Community Garden is well sited on a slight plateau at the northwest corner of Corcoran Park. With its slightly elevated position, and neat chain link fencing, the garden seems to crown the green expanse of the park stretching out below…
McMath Park Community Garden is set well back from the street, and further hidden by a tall hedge that acts as a barrier between a shady little park with benches and the long north side of the garden. There is an element of real surprise when one…
This is a new garden that was made available to gardeners in 2019; it was designed in the updated mode of raised beds and wide accessible pathways. Gardeners tend to be younger and live in West Cambridge. A plot can be used for three years.
Early…
William G. Maher Community Garden can claim to be year-round and, on purpose or not, to be a source of food for wildlife as well as humans. Some of the wildlife is vexing and the humans inevitably have ups and downs, but the vibe is mainly friendly,…
A great friend of mine (boyfriend at the time, still great friends) had property in the country that needed some TLC. He had an above ground pool that was taken down, but had left the deck up. He let me design a beautiful butterfly garden in that…
We have been partners in our community garden in Longmeadow, Massachusetts for 15 years. Our love of gardening stems from our childhood. Our heritage is one of farmers—Linda’s grandparents had a farm in Monson, Massachusetts and Karen’s great aunt…
In January 2014 Michelle interviewed her neighbor Kelly, a first-time beekeeper in Watertown, Massachusetts. The transcript of their conversation follows.
Michelle: Tell me a little bit about your garden?
Kelly: We have a pretty small urban…
