Boston's Gardening Season Kicks Off With 47th Annual Gardeners' Gathering

Boston’s gardening season kicked off in mid-March with the 47th annual Gardeners’ Gathering. The first in-person event since 2019, the Gathering was hosted at Northeastern University and featured workshops and talks for every interest and experience level. 

“This was our first year back in person, it was wonderful. Everyone was happy to be together, and there was an extra-celebratory energy this year,” shared Michelle de Lima, Engagement Manager, Boston.  

The day began with the plenary session, where special guest speaker, Karen Washington, spoke about her experiences working in urban gardening. Originally from New York City, Karen has been recognized for her work to turn empty lots in the Bronx into community gardens. Her impactful work in food justice has expanded well beyond New York City to New York State and beyond. To hear her remarks, click here. 

“Karen is a dynamic speaker and humble person. Her remarks were inspirational and pertinent to our urban gardening community here in Boston,” shared de Lima. 

Following Karen’s remarks, Chimel Idiokitas, Assistant VP For Community Relations at Northeastern University spoke, followed by Trustees CEO Nicie Panetta. It was then time for Boston Mayor Michelle Wu to present the community gardening awards.  

“The awards have been given out for over twenty years, and people are always excited for the opportunity to come together and recognize folks doing inspirational work in Boston’s community gardens each year,” said de Lima. This year’s winners were: 

  • Rookie Garden of the Year: Gore Street Garden, Mission Hill 

  • Most Valuable Gardeners: Sarah Hutt and John McLachlan, Berkeley Community Garden, South End   

  • Hall of Fame Garden: Bremen Street Community Garden, East Boston 

After the morning’s sessions, folks broke out into several workshops that centered around garden skill building. Workshops covered topics from backyard composting to gardening for pollinators, to saving seeds as an act of resistance, to rainwater harvesting, and beyond. 

“We used to have eight to ten workshops per hour which had folks more spread out, so this year, we did 5-6 per slot and had larger, engaged groups which was really fun,” shared de Lima. 

Fourteen exhibitors also joined the gathering to share information about the work they are doing around food access and urban agriculture. Job openings, program offerings, and resources were shared with attendees.  

“It was nice to have a fun, engaging and exciting event. Everyone who was there felt the energy ,” de Lima reflected. 

The Trustees community gardens are gearing up for an exciting and busy summer. From continued Seed, Sow & Grow workshop series programming to new program offerings like Watercolors in the Garden and Guided Plant Meditations there is a lot to discover in these urban green spaces even if you don’t have a green thumb.  

“We try to work with the gardens and meet their needs. It is always fun to do real skill sharing in person and outside,” Michelle said. “We are all just crossing our fingers right now that there is not a drought and ridiculous heat like last season, but the good thing is that things will still grow. After the winter, everyone is energized by spring and the opportunity to get back out into these green spaces.” 

The community gardens team looks forward to welcoming everyone to the gardens this season to enjoy these special places in unique ways. Check out our website for upcoming programming, and if you are interested in getting more involved in the community gardens or our urban outdoors initiative, check out open job postings here. 

The One Waterfront Team