Inside Baltimore's City Farms Program

Susan Botich describes the City Farms program—led by Baltimore's Recreation and Parks Department—which allows residents and organizations to use community gardens located in parks. The post provides details about the types of gardens people and organizations run through the program, funding, and the popularity of the program. The garden at Patterson Park, for instance, has a waiting list of over 200 people who hope to use the garden there.

The program's newest addition is Upton Garden, which is located in a vacant lot rather than the program's traditional park setting. City Farms Coordinator Harold McCray is quoted in the article describing the resources and challenges presented by Upton Garden: "Upton is one of those areas of Baltimore that has some urban issues…The City Farm program recognizes that. We’re doing what we can to elevate an awareness in the community—that through growth and participation in improving your health by gardening, the community can be elevated. By doing this, you are sending out a message to others that 'this is my community, I want to grow my own food, and I will do whatever I need to do to make sure that this idea has propagated.'"