Community Gardening

The Baltimore City Department of Recreation & Parks Horticulture Division offers community garden plots in Patterson Park for rental as part of the Çity Farms program. The fee is $20 per year, plus a $10 refundable key deposit. There is water available in the gardens from April until November and the city provides wood chips and leaf mold for gardeners. For information on obtaining a plot, contact Coordinator of the City Farms Program for Baltimore City, at410-396-0180.

Every August the City Farms Program hosts a supper for growers from all seven city gardens. At that supper, participants receive awards in various categories of flower and vegetable gardening. The contest is judged by Master Gardeners from several Maryland university cooperative programs.

Community Gardening has a long history in Patterson Park. In 1904 and again in 1913, the dedication of land for community-tended garden plots is discussed in Park Commission reports with a 1935 map depicting a large children’s garden. Photographs from the time confirm their existence and area residents have said that community-tended gardens or victory gardens have been in the park since World War II.