Announcing USDA Funding to Build Raised Beds

Volunteers Needed!
Boyd Street Garden Rebuild Saturday 12/7

Cultivating Community is pleased to continue the process of converting Portland’s community gardens to raised beds. Based on the Maine CDC’s recommendation, Boyd Street Community Garden will be the next to be rebuilt, and we would love your help!

Join us on Saturday, December 7th from 10 – 2.
Click below to learn more and RSVP.
 

Building gardens is building a community. Please pitch in if you can, we need all hands on deck to get Boyd St. Community Garden rebuilt for next season before winter is here to stay! Lunch, snacks, water, tools, and gloves are all provided. 

Funding and Next Steps 

This project is an exciting next phase of our partnership with the City’s Parks, Recreation & Facilities Department to ensure that Portland’s 11 community gardens are safe and accessible. We are happy to announce that we have secured funding through the Maine Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) for the next 3 rebuilds.

Why raised beds? This season, Portland’s community gardens underwent comprehensive soil testing after contamination was found at the Libbytown Community Garden. Results from all soil tests can be found here. The overwhelming takeaway from all tests was that each garden, with the exception of Libbytown (already converted to raised beds in June!), contained soil that was safe for in-ground gardening, but because of the potential risks from urban fill, conversion to raised beds was recommended within 5 years for most of the City’s community gardens. With the NRCS funding, we will be beginning with the Boyd St Community Garden, followed by the Common Share Community Garden in the Spring of 2025, which will increase accessibility and safeguard the garden against pests, as it is currently the only garden without a fence. Finally, the Casco Bay Community Garden will be rebuilt in late fall of 2025, after the growing season. Across the city’s gardens, raised bed growing will make the community gardens more accessible and climate-resilient.

Clark Street, North Street, Payson Park, and Valley Street Community Gardens have also been recommended for conversion to raised bed gardening and will be included in the next phase of this project which the City and Cultivating Community are working together to secure additional funding for. The final phase’s proposed rebuilding is first Payson Park, then North Street, then Valley Street, and finally Clark Street; this tentative order is subject to change. Peaks Island, Brentwood, and Riverton Community Gardens are not of concern at this time and can remain as in-ground gardens, though we hope to raise the funds for gardeners to have raised beds if they choose. 

Wine & Cocoa Holiday Mailing Party Tuesday 12/3

Our mission is to grow food justice in Greater Portland by providing education, resources, and opportunities to cultivate and share culturally familiar food.

Founded in 2001, our place-based programs prioritize those most likely to experience hunger and be excluded from access to fresh food and land – including immigrants, children, people of color, older adults, and limited-resource people.

Please consider donating if you are able. Our grassroots work is possible thanks to our supporters, thank you!