Oak Ridge has three community gardens plus a Grow Your Own program and a mushroom growing project.
Grow & Learn Community Garden
Location: 1051 Oak Ridge Turnpike, Oak Ridge.
Started in 2009 by First Presbyterian Church of Oak Ridge, the Grow & Learn Community Garden has 32 plots, and is managed by Grow Oak Ridge as a teaching and growing space.
It is open to the general public for space rental, and it is also home to our Grow Your Own Program, which teaches people to grow food.
No pesticides or herbicides are allowed in the garden, and organic compost is encouraged.
Workdays are organized throughout the season, but gardeners work on their own as well. Produce is kept by the gardeners, or donated to food pantries.
For more information about this garden, contact our garden manager.
Scarboro Community Garden
Location: 100 Houston Ave., Oak Ridge.
13 Raised beds; communal gardening. Volunteers join together to work at various times. Produce is shared by workers and donated to the greater community. Supported by the Oak Ridge Rotary Club and other volunteers in the community. Contact garden manager to get involved.
St. Mary Vegetable Garden
Location: 327 Vermont Ave., Oak Ridge
St. Mary Vegetable Garden is 100% communal effort, with produce going to St. Joseph Food Pantry and garden volunteers. It follows a 3-year crop rotation, including winter cover crops. Production is tracked and volunteers receive weekly communication from the manager. The garden employs drip line irrigation, a Florida weave for tomato trellises, and a reduced tillage method of aeration using a broad fork. It is a UT Master Gardener designated project. To get involved, email the garden manager at stmarygardenoakridge@gmail.com.
Seed Catalogue
OR Public Library
Free Seeds! Borrow - Grow - Return
Borrow seeds from the Oak Ridge Public Library’s online catalogue in 4 simple steps:
1.Go to orpl.org and select “Catalog” from the toolbar at the top
2.On the left-hand side of the page, select ‘Seed Library’ at the bottom
3.From here, patrons can select a ‘Seed Inventory Link’ to see what seed varieties are in stock
4.Finally, select the ‘Seed Request Form’ and fill out the information for your order including contact information and the types of seeds you wish to borrow.”
•There is a 10 packet per card holder limit per check out and seeds are picked up at the Main Desk of the library. We just ask that seed borrowers make a good faith effort to bring back harvested seed at the end of the season.