Hansberry Garden & Nature Center grows community by offering organic gardening, cultural and educational programs, and fresh, wholesome produce to an underserved neighborhood.
Programs
Organic Gardening
Our organic garden gives the people of Southwest Germantown a beautiful green space — and the invaluable opportunity to grow fresh produce with our own hands. Garden members gather regularly to maintain the garden, to share knowledge, food, and company, and to make new friends in the community.
Garden Collective
In 2024, the HGNC Garden Collective shares 17 4′ x 8′ beds among 17 member households, rather than tending individual beds. Collective members vote on which crops to grow and attend regularly scheduled hours as they are able; they also contribute to the maintenance of the common spaces of the garden.
Kelly Green Project
HGNC’s partnership with the nearby John B. Kelly School is helping transform its schoolyard. The Kelly Green Project incorporates a student garden, a native-pollinator pocket meadow, environmental and nutrition education, and an effort to revitalize the school grounds with green spaces and a working playground.
City Harvest
Hansberry Garden participates in the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s City Harvest program, a partnership with urban gardeners that makes fresh, nutritious produce https://www.hansberrygarden.org/events/more widely available to Philadelphians in need. Several Hansberry Garden plots are dedicated to City Harvest.
Events
Hansberry Garden and Nature Center hosts social and educational events like concerts, potlucks, plant fairs, and workshops that make use of the idyllic garden setting to showcase local musicians, share the delicious results of our horticultural efforts, and strengthen community ties.