The Garden

Group of five people in a garden with raised vegetable beds, smiling and posing for the photograph on a sunny day.

In our garden, we raise food for distribution, demonstrate best practices, and offer educational workshops.

Growing Food. Growing Community.

Our garden is at the heart of everything we do. It serves as a community gathering space and outdoor classroom, providing hands-on learning opportunities. In it, we raise food for distribution to share with partner organizations and at Harvest Tables, demonstrate best practices, and offer educational programming.

Located in Riverside Park in downtown Spruce Pine, NC, our garden is tended by a small staff and dedicated volunteers who grow and share fresh, organic produce with the community at no cost.

Garden with raised wooden beds growing flowering and leafy plants under a bright blue sky with some clouds.
Person holding freshly harvested green onions in a garden with a grassy area, trees, bushes, and a house in the background.
Three smiling people standing outdoors in a garden with greenery and trees in the background; two women and one man, with one woman and the man having their arms around the other woman.
A green seed pod hanging from a plant surrounded by green leaves, with sunlight shining through.
A woman in a burgundy tank top tending to orange marigold flowers outdoors on a sunny day.
Close-up of a mature green cabbage plant with large veined leaves surrounding a rounded head growing in dark soil.

Our Growing Practices

We use organic, biointensive, and companion planting methods to maximize production and demonstrate regenerative techniques to home gardeners. You’ll find interplanted crops, flowering borders, and thriving pollinator habitats.

We focus on soil health and biodiversity by amending beds with compost, using multispecies cover cropping, and crop rotation. When necessary, we use biological controls for pests.

During the growing season, we share our community-grown food weekly with Shepherd’s Staff food pantry and The Hive community center to help families in need.

Visiting the Garden

We welcome you to enjoy our garden!

Feel free to leave us a note in the comment box.

Green husk on a plant surrounded by green leaves in sunlight.
Close-up of a vibrant yellow sunflower with green leaves in the foreground, a garden bed with leafy plants, and a small shed with a map and window on its side in the background, under a clear blue sky.

Interested in Volunteering?

A man with gray hair, a mustache, and a gray cap tending to large leafy green plants in a garden with pink coneflowers and trees in the background.
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