Since 2014, City Green's has been offering the Dig In! Community Garden Grant program to support the creation and maintenance of food-growing Community Gardens. Established through a collaboration between City Green and the Passaic County Board of County Commissioners, the Dig In! Community Garden offers eligible groups in Passaic County funding and in-kind garden supplies, tools, soil, wood, compost, and more. In 2018 Native Tree, Daffodil Bulb, and Native Perennial Habitat Gardens were added to Dig In! Program's offerings. Overall Dig In! aims to offer residents of Passaic County the opportunity to take part in gardening projects that create food access, enhance neighborhoods, build community, and promote a climate-resilience strategy in the county.
We are in the midst of distributing a record-breaking number of plants with 392 native perennial plants, 49 native trees, and 20,800 daffodil bulbs awarded to 9 Passaic County municipalities and 10 county-based community groups.
Climate Resilient Gardens for Passaic County
Climate-Resilient Gardening is a set of gardening practices that prepare gardens for climate change and improve their ability to adapt to the effects of climate change. Rising temperatures and extreme weather can wreak havoc on private and public green spaces. Native perrenial gardens and native tree installations are key components to climate-resilience and the Dig In! program ensures those tools are accessible to the entirety of Passaic County.
According to The University of Maryland, trees provide many benefits: shading and cooling urban heat islands, carbon sequestration, and improving air quality. Native plants require less water, are adapted to our local environment, provide shelter and food for native wildlife. Dig In! projects are helping Passaic County capture carbon, reduce soil erosion, and improve bio-diversity. Download City Green's Native Perennial Plant Guide below to learn more about the plants that are best-suited to our area.
For five years, towns and organizations have been taking on climate-change through the the Dig In! Native Tree, Daffodil and Native Perennial Gardens grants. Since 2018, 19 Native Pollinator Grants, 33 Daffodil Grants and 24 Trees Grants have been awarded to 69 applicants. City Green is currently accepting applications for Community Garden Grants. Visit the Dig In! Page on our website to learn how you can get involved with this program to transform your community.
This year's list of partners includes:
Borough of Hawthorne | Little Falls Public Library |
Borough of Pompton Lakes | Mental Health Clinic of Passaic |
Borough of Totowa | NJCDC Great Falls Youth Center |
Borough of Prospect Park | Pompton Lakes Woman's Club |
City of Clifton | Ringwood Manor Association of the Arts |
City of Passaic | Shomrei Torah, the Wayne Conservative Congregation |
Clifton Advisory Beautification Commitee | Township of Little Falls |
Downtown Clifton Economic Development | William Paterson University / Paterson School 12 |
Friends of Garret Mountain | Youth Council: City of Passaic |
Islamic Center of Passaic County | |
Dig Deeper into Sustainable Gardening
Sign up for our upcoming workshop, Preparing the Garden for Winter, with City Green's Director of Agriculture, Henry Anderson. Explore soil-building and winter gardening techniques that can be started in the fall season. Learn sustainable gardening techniques like fall mulching, tarping and cover cropping, and methods to grow in your garden into the winter.
Learn more sustainable gardening practices that support a climate-resilient garden at home.
Sign up for our newsletter to find out about upcoming workshops
Download the Dig In! Native Plant Guide