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Supporting Neighborhood Gardeners
The Food Project has been working with backyard gardeners in the Roxbury and Dorchester neighborhoods since 1998. Within a mile radius of our Boston office there are over 160 backyard gardeners.
Over the years, Food Project youth and staff have built awareness about the benefits of growing organically, the presence of lead in urban soils, and the use of simple, safe gardening practices. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) lists the danger level for growing food in lead contaminated soil at 400 parts per million. Much of the garden soil in the Roxbury and Dorchester neighborhoods is contaminated with lead at a concentration of 1000 parts per million or higher.
Our partnership with Wellesley College has enabled us to provide free soil tests to neighborhood gardeners, and experiment with several remediation strategies including raised beds, compost amendment, excavation, and phytoremediation. We currently recommend compost amendment and raised beds as the most cost-effective and efficient remediation techniques. For more about the research project done in partnership between The Food Project and Wellesley College, you can download this article from Environmental Research (PDF).
Every spring, The Food Project distributes over 30 cubic yards of free compost to backyard gardeners to improve the quality of their soil. Adding compost to contaminated soil binds heavy metals (such as lead), thereby preventing the contaminated particles from being absorbed by plants. Wellesley College’s research has also shown that the highest concentrations of lead are found when its particles become dust or airborne. Therefore, the greatest risks for gardeners are from fine particles of contaminated soil being inhaled, coating the surface of plants, or covering people’s skin or clothing. Simple gardening practices can greatly reduce exposure. These include:
- Working in garden when soil is moist or damp rather than dry and dusty
- Wearing gloves while gardening
- Washing hands after gardening and before eating
- Washing and scrubbing vegetables before eating or cooking
- Removing gardening shoes before entering home to avoid tracking excessive dirt indoors
Build-a-Garden
In 2007, The Food Project started the Build-a-Garden program to help residents and organizations in Boston and Lynn grow their own food in raised bed gardens filled with healthy soil. Participants are also provided with seeds, transplants, a Growing Guide, workshops, and additional support as needed. And of course, you can grow your own affordably homegrown vegetables!
Boston Bounty Bucks
The Food Project and the City of Boston are proud to sponsor the Boston Bounty Bucks program. This program is a dual effort to enable all residents of Boston to have access to the local bounty of farm products available at city farmers' markets and to strengthen the economy of local farmers. For more information, including a list of Boston markets that accept BBB, please see our Bounty Bucks page.
Annual City Farm Festival
Each May, The Food Project hosts the City Farm Festival at our West Cottage Street farm. With live music, food, workshops, compost giveaway, and a plant and seed sale, City Farm Festival is a large neighborhood celebration that informally serves as the beginning of the growing season.
Neighborhood Tours
Join us for a tour that explores the Dudley Street neighborhood, our urban farm sites in Roxbury and Dorchester, and related Food Project programming. (By request only, limited availability)
Urban Learning Farm
The Food Project partnered with the Shirley Eustis House Association in 2006 to build the Urban Learning Farm at Shirley Place. This demonstration and education farm was created for youth and adults in the community. We use raised bed gardening as a way to grow safely on urban soil, and maximize how much we can grow. The plants growing here do well in small spaces.
We offer the following programs at the Urban Learning Farm:
Summer Group Program: Bring a group of up to 15 youth to explore the farm for a day. Youth will be led by Food Project's high school interns, and will experience working on the farm, prepare a healthy, fresh snack with food they harvest, and participate in educational activities related to healthy eating and local food systems. Curriculum is adaptable for ages 8 to 18.
Gardener Workshops: Through the Build-a-Garden program, The Food Project offers workshops related to raised bed gardening. These are sometimes hosted at the Urban Learning Farm, which participants are also encouraged to visit at any time.
School Partnerships: We work with third and fourth graders from three neighborhood schools on a 14 week gardening, plant science and healthy eating curriculum. Participating schools include the Mason, Emerson, and Clap Elementary Schools.
