Community Gardens
Many Knox County residents living in public housing communities and apartments do not have access to the land needed to grow their own food. Our Community Gardens provide these residents with the space to grow fresh, healthy produce.
CAC maintains over two dozen community gardens, which are located in a variety of places from city parks to public housing communities. Every year, we register around 150 Knox County residents for garden plots and provide some technical assistance as needed. Plot sizes vary depending on the site and the gardeners’ needs. Gardeners are also qualified to receive seeds and plants in the Spring.
Green Thumb Program
Our Green Thumb program provides low-income residents with the space to grow fresh, healthy produce. Beardsley maintains over three dozen of these community gardens located throughout the Knox area, from city parks to public housing communities. Through surveys and conversations, we know that many of the garden sites need more raised beds to accommodate differences in physical ability. We also need additional tools, soil, plants, lessons, and programming to help make their gardens successful. Many of the residents, whether they have a garden or not, enjoy the outdoor space that these gardens provide. We often see residents taking advantage of the health benefits from walking around the crops and flowers. Beardsley also has plots at our main site that are reserved for low-and-moderate income community members with a need for garden access.
