Exploring Albuquerque’s Community Gardens

Albuquerque community gardens offer vibrant spaces where even residents in apartments can engage with nature, plant seeds, and nurture their green thumbs. These urban gardens go beyond merely growing food; they serve as hubs for enriching community interactions that can significantly enhance well-being.

Discover the diverse community gardening options in Albuquerque, which not only cultivate plants but also foster local relationships and promote healthy lifestyles.

Alvarado Urban Farm

The Alvarado Urban Farm is committed to teaching Albuquerque residents about sustainable food systems and gardening. This downtown garden hosts a variety of events, including lectures and classes, while also participating in the local growers’ market to offer its produce. Collaborative efforts from the Historic District Improvement Company, the Downtown Action Team, and other local partners underpin this initiative.

Barelas Community Garden

The Barelas Community Garden, situated west of the Barelas Senior Center, spans 6,000 square feet and was designed to promote intergenerational engagement. The garden features raised bed plots intended for the local community, including nearby schools.

Growing Awareness Urban Farm

Growing Awareness Urban Farm, initiated by East Central Ministries, serves the local neighborhood in multiple ways while providing fresh produce. The farm creates jobs related to gardening and pottery, thereby economically empowering the community.

This flourishing project has expanded from a few seedlings to encompass various micro-businesses, including a nursery, apiary, chicken coops, demonstration gardens, and a small storefront. All profits are reinvested back into the community.

La Placita Gardens at Sanchez Farms

La Placita Gardens, part of the historic Sanchez Farms in Albuquerque’s south valley, is an organic community farm actively involving neighborhood children, agricultural specialists, and community organizers. The farm grows a wide array of organic vegetables, fruits, medicinal plants, and flowers, which are available at local farmers markets and through community-supported agriculture shares.

Project Feed the Hood

Project Feed the Hood, located in Albuquerque’s International District, emphasizes food literacy through community gardening. It encourages residents to engage with agricultural practices while enhancing community health outcomes.

Rio Grande Community Farm

The Rio Grande Community Farm (RGCF) operates as a certified organic farm managed by Albuquerque’s Open Space division. Embracing gardeners of all experience levels, this community garden occupies two acres in the northwest corner of the Los Poblanos Open Space, allowing participants to either take home their harvest or donate it to a local food bank.

UNM Lobo Gardens

The Source Forest is a wellness center that hosts a small community garden aimed at fostering collaboration. This garden integrates the rich knowledge of forest ecosystems into its design.

UNM Lobo Gardens

The Lobo Gardens at the University of New Mexico provide an excellent opportunity for students, faculty, and staff to engage in food cultivation education. The gardens support research and programs focused on urban agriculture, with multiple locations across the campus facilitating community knowledge sharing.