Community Garden - Riverside Avondale Preservation

Welcome to the Community Garden

The Community Garden is located at the corner of Azalea Place and Park Street across from the Willow Branch library. Gardeners grow their own vegetables and flowers in assigned plots and maintain the garden through volunteer service hours. The Garden features a public butterfly garden and herb garden to be enjoyed by all. The community is invited to view the garden plots and enjoy sitting along the outer fence in the shade – you can almost see the plants grow!

It’s a place of community and a place of hard work!

Julian Jones

History of the Garden:

Opened in April 2016, the garden is the first of its kind in Jacksonville. Located within the larger Willow Branch Park in the former Willow Branch Rose garden, it operates as a public-private partnership between the City of Jacksonville’s Parks and Recreational department and Riverside Avondale Preservation.The Community Garden was designed by Dorina Bakari of The American Institute of Architects (AIA) as part of an Emerging Professionals Design Professionals (EDP) contest. Ms. Bakari’s serpentine design features a curving horizontal wall made of slatted wood that ranges in height along Park and Azalea street. The curves’ undulations create public seating, with benches constructed into both the interior and exterior curves. The Garden was built by a group of dedicated gardeners and residents who have volunteered thousands of hours towards making this amenity a reality. We thank them for their vision, dedication, and service to their community.

How To Get a Plot:

The garden has a total of thirty-one 4 x 20’ irrigated raised plots, one of which is ADA wheelchair-accessible. The plots are assigned to city residents at the beginning of each year. Any member of the public may apply for either a full or half plot.

The Riverside Community Garden is currently at capacity. When a plot becomes available, we look to our waitlist and reach out to individuals on a first-come first-served basis. Our Community Garden Manager, Susan Fraser, will reach out to waitlist recipients via email and then phone with details on joining the garden when the time comes. Most gardeners can be on the waitlist for several months to 1-year before a plot became available. To add your name to the list, please click here.

Gardeners pay a $150 yearly fee for a full plot or $75 for a half plot to cover water, electricity, insurance and other garden maintenance needs. Gardeners maintain their plots and must commit to six hours of volunteer service per quarter.

For further questions contact us at info@riversideavondale.org

Make sure to like the Riverside Avondale Community Garden on Facebook to stay up to date and for more information.