Urban Agriculture Program
The Rutgers Gardens Sustainable Agriculture team is creating a set of thriving, inclusive community gardens that will serve as a model for sustainable urban food production, cultural exchange, and food sovereignty. Through hands-on learning and community engagement, we empower individuals with the tools and knowledge to grow nutritious food, extend the growing seasons, and preserve the harvests. By improving access to healthy food and creating opportunities for collaboration, these gardens provide a welcoming environment where people can connect, learn, and grow together.
Sustainable Agriculture student interns with Rutgers Gardens have ample experiential learning opportunities supporting vegetable production and food security efforts within the urban farms throughout our campus.
Community members are invited to participate in community garden activities by utilizing a garden bed or plot for which they are responsible for the season, or by volunteering with our team.
Esperanza Community Garden
The Esperanza Community Garden is one component of the SEBS Healthy Harvest Initiative at 178 Jones Avenue in New Brunswick, near the Rutgers Community Farmers Market (RCFM) pavilion. Gardeners must be residents of Middlesex County or affiliated with Rutgers University and must be 18 years or older to rent a 4’ by 8’ raised bed for the gardening season. The Esperanza Garden is open 7 days a week, from sunrise to sunset, for community members to grow nutritious and culturally diverse vegetables, fruits, and herbs that feed their families or provide a source of income. The garden is open to the public during RCFM operating hours at Jones Avenue.
The Rutgers Gardens Sustainable Agriculture team grows seasonal vegetables and flowers in the community garden and surrounding urban farm plots that attract and nourish pollinators for the benefit of the entire garden. The food grown here is shared equally among the community gardeners with excess made available to community members in need of fresh, healthy vegetables.
Cook Organic Garden
The Cook Organic Garden (COG) is located at 14 College Farm Road West, New Brunswick, on the George H. Cook campus of Rutgers University. This space is also managed by Rutgers Gardens, and community members have the choice of renting either a 10’ by 10’ or a 20’ by 20’ in-ground garden plot. Gardeners in this campus-based garden cultivate a wide variety of crops from around the world, reflecting the diverse community of the COG, the university, and New Jersey. Expanding the educational opportunities of the COG, student organizations and classes are welcome to participate by renting a garden plot or volunteering in this space.
Community Garden Guidelines
Both the Cook Organic Garden and the Esperanza Garden are operated with a shared commitment to organic growing practices, serving as vibrant community hubs where food and connections are grown. Community residents and university students, staff, and faculty are invited to participate as members.
Each member of both the Esperanza Community Garden and the Cook Organic Garden is responsible for the care and maintenance of their plot, and all participants attend group workdays on-site which foster cooperative relationships and keep the gardens thriving as well-maintained assets to the neighborhood. Rutgers Gardens and our cohort of student interns maintain the general community garden sites and composting operations, share gardening tools and sustainable agriculture knowledge with members, and ensure that the rules and policies of these communal spaces are followed.
Anahi Nicolas Gaspar coordinates community participation in the Cook Organic Garden and the Esperanza Community Garden toward a goal of increased food security and garden beautification.
Interested in a plot in our community gardens to grow fresh vegetables, herbs, fruit, and flowers? Please contact Anahi via email at avn26@sebs.rutgers.edu.
Want to get involved without the commitment of maintaining your own rented garden plot? We welcome volunteers to lend a hand in our efforts to grow food and community! Learn more about the Rutgers Gardens Volunteer Program.