Register your local garden
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has renewed its push for the People’s Garden Initiative which now includes registering vegetable gardens nationwide.
Do you have a community farm or garden that you’d like to designate a People’s Garden? Gardens of different sizes and types, including school gardens, community gardens, urban farms, and small-scale agriculture projects in rural and urban areas, can be recognized as a “People’s Garden” if they:
People’s Gardens grow fresh, healthy food and support a resilient, local food system; teach people how to garden using sustainable practices; and nurture habitat for pollinators and wildlife, and greenspace for neighbors to gather and enjoy. People’s Gardens all:
- Benefit the community by providing food, beautification, arts, wildlife habitat, education, green space, tree canopy, recreation, volunteer opportunities.
- Are a collaborative effort involving neighbors, co-workers, food pantries, master gardeners, conservation districts, USDA agencies, veterans, youth organizations, seniors, faith-based groups, or others.
- Incorporate sustainable practices such as rain barrels or micro-irrigation, composting, cover crops, pest management, bat houses or insect hotels, and/or native plants.
- Educate the public about sustainable practices and the benefit of local food systems through signage, classes, events, outreach materials, websites, and youth field trips.
Your garden or farm location will be posted to this map, and we’ll send you a “People’s Garden” sign to display.
Gardens on federal property must donate or use produce for educational purposes. We will provide an easy-to-use form to report how many pounds and what types of produce you’ve donated every six months.
To register your garden with the USDA, one must meet several easily obtainable standards.
These standards essentially define every community garden in the country. Now, the government organization that shells out billions every year to companies whose products, like high-fructose corn syrup, are responsible for a massive epidemic of obesity across the planet, will have a database of them.
School gardens, community gardens, urban farms, and small-scale agriculture projects in rural, suburban and urban areas can be recognized as a “People’s Garden” if they register on the USDA website and meet criteria including benefitting the community, working collaboratively, incorporating conservation practices and educating the public.
Join the People's Garden Initiative today by completing this registration form. Please visit https://www.usda.gov/peoples-garden to complete the registration. Your garden will be posted to a map on USDA's website and we will send you a People's Garden sign to display. Learn more about the initiative including criteria to participate by visiting The People's Garden. Email the USDA Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production at urbanagriculture@usda.gov with comments or questions.