Build a Garden with City Green!

Have you been looking to start a community garden in your Passaic County neighborhood? Does your school have the perfect space to build a school garden? City Green is here to help bring your garden vision to life!

City Green aims to cultivate community and school gardens across Passaic County and surrounding towns in support of fresh, healthy food, habitat restoration, and community beautification. Community and school gardens are spaces where children and adults alike can experience hands-on learning and increased fresh food availability, while forging deeper connections with nature.

Through our Dig In! and School Grounds Programs, community organizations, municipalities, and schools are invited to apply for a garden. If accepted, local groups will gain the technical, educational, and material support from City Green that is necessary for a successful and sustainable garden.

Dig In! Community Garden Grants

Through the Dig In! Community Garden Grant, City Green provides funding, in-kind materials, and technical assistance to support community organizations, garden clubs, green teams, and faith-based organizations looking to start and sustain a community garden. Organizations looking to start a community garden with Dig In! must be located in Passaic County.

Currently, grant applications are open for new community gardens that have not previously received Dig In! funding. Eligibility requirements are as follows:

All projects must be:

• food-producing gardens

• located in Passaic county

• have a minimum of three adults committed to their project

Garden sites must:

• have a level site with at least 6-8 hours of sunlight and water access within 100 feet​​

​Not eligible:

• Pre-K - Middle Schools (eligible for School Grounds grants)

• Commercial for-profit entities

• Private residences

Learn more about the Dig In! Community Garden Grants on our Dig In! website. To submit a letter of inquiry, fill out this form by October 3rd.

School Gardens

Pre-K - Middle Schools are invited to build a school garden through City Green’s School Grounds network. This opportunity is open to schools in all municipalities in Passaic County as well as the following towns: Elmwood Park, Garfield, Lodi, Bloomfield, Nutley, Belleville, and Montclair. Interested schools can submit our School Garden inquiry form on a rolling basis through October 3rd for a garden installation the following year.

Once we receive your inquiry, a member of our team will reach out to schedule a site visit to assess the proposed garden site and discuss the garden project in more detail. Following the site visit, City Green will collaborate with your school garden committee to design and build a garden at your site the following spring. In addition to the garden build day City Green will provide teacher training to support you in planning & maintaining the garden, and integrating the garden into the class curriculum. Teachers are able to continue receiving support from City Green through the School Grounds Educator Hub.

To learn more about school garden grants, visit our School Grounds website. To submit a school garden inquiry, fill out this form.

Watch the video below to learn more about growing a garden with City Green!