Concord’s Community Gardens

Since the town’s establishment in 1635, working the soil has been part of Concord’s identity and character. Emerson’s ‘green Musketaquid’ and ‘meadowed farms’ flourished from the beginning, thanks to the fertile agricultural land.

Community gardening in Concord had its beginnings in 1973, when Dan Monahan, the Director of Natural Resources at that time, investigated the concept being practiced in other parts of the U.S. by those who remembered the success of the WWI and WWII Victory Gardens in local communities throughout the country.  

Dan’s plan was to establish gardens strategically located on town-owned conservation lands throughout Concord, where citizens would be able to grow their own food and flowers in assigned plots. Volunteer coordinators from each garden would work together with other gardeners to sort out any problems and handle the logistics of plot assignment, fee collection, equipment purchases, etc. This proved to be critical to the success of the Community Garden program.

The initial gardens, consisting of Hugh Cargill, Cousins Field, Peter’s Spring, Barrett’s Mill, and Harrington Park, were launched in 1975 and 1976. Today’s community gardens include the original Hugh Cargill and Cousins Field locations along with East Quarter Farm (2009) and Rogers (2016).

Two other community-based gardens that were not part of the town’s program were also established — one in 1977, at GenRad on Baker Avenue, for use by its employees during lunch and after hours; and the other in the 1950s for the residents of the Conantum area. The latter is still active.

Each of our gardens has its own personality and approach. 

HUGH CARGILL GARDENS (HCCG) was created in 1975 on land donated to Concord by its namesake in 1799 for the purpose of providing for the poor in the town. In the last two centuries, the town has expanded its goals as the property was divided to enable construction of Alcott Elementary School, the Concord Police and Fire Departments, affordable housing, and infrastructure to protect the Hugh Cargill well, a source of water for the townspeople. When the land was divided by the town in 1959, local farmer Larry Kenney leased and farmed the tract along Walden Street. The community garden was established in 1975 when Mr. Kenney donated a portion for use by the local 4-H club. Initially consisting of 34 plots farmed by a combination of local 4-H members, their families, and adults, it has grown to 70 plots today.  Each plot has individual perennial strips where gardeners have planted strawberries, flowers, garlic, and even a peach tree! The plots are used by gardeners ranging in age from 20+ to 84. Some of them have been at HCCG for over 40 years, and others are just beginning.  

The land is fertile, with full sun and a high water table. Each spring, farmer Bill Kenney plows and rototills the field, carrying on his father’s tradition of helping the garden. When watering is needed, traditional hand pitcher pumps are used to pull up the groundwater. Diversity is the hallmark of this garden, with individuals drawing on their backgrounds and interests to create a patchwork of lush, productive gardens.

Coordinators Michelle Wiggins, Rebecca Purcell, and Kirsten Schwartz manage the logistics of Concord’s largest community garden.

COUSINS GARDEN, also established in 1975 on a large town-owned field between Brown and Prairie Streets in West Concord, shares the space with picnickers, dog walkers, and soccer players. The gardens have 35 plots and a no-till section at the back of the garden. In addition, they have a pollinator garden and communal perennial patches for growing raspberries, rhubarb, blueberries, and garlic. Water is available from a town source. Interestingly, the gardeners originally wanted to use hand pitcher pumps, but the 30-foot lift was too great to enable a pitcher pump to function. The gardeners range in age from the mid-30s to the mid-80s; at least four have worked their plots for 25-plus years, one of them for 42 years! 

Coordinator Sabrina Haber helps guide this stable, active group of gardeners. 

EAST QUARTER FARM was created in 2009 to fill a need after Peter’s Spring garden ceased operation in the 1980s. Located off Merriam Road on the former Amendolia farmland, it shares a portion of the land with Bill Kenney, who plows the gardens every spring. Some of the 25-30 plots are sectioned off for no-till gardening, and a separate section is used for growing community blueberry and raspberry bushes. Water is supplied by an ingenious irrigation system designed by the gardeners to pull water from a nearby creek to a holding tank which feeds a system of faucets. Multi-generational families make up this garden community. The gardeners actively participate in donating extra produce to the Open Table program for distribution to needy families and individuals in the area.  

Coordinators Dale and Sally Clutter manage the many facets of this garden’s operation.

ROGERS GARDEN, established in 2016 off Harrington Avenue, is the smallest community garden, numbering 18 plots worked by 27 individuals and families. Establishing the garden was a town goal to return the land to its former agricultural use. The garden was a challenge in the beginning. Several ongoing improvements, including soil amendment by the town and the gardeners and removal of rocks, have significantly upgraded the garden. Water is obtained from a well that the town installed for the garden and adjacent farmland to support the farmer who leases the adjoining two acres. 

Coordinators Carol Aronson and Mark Del Guidice guide the garden as it builds its history.

Our community gardens share many common characteristics, including a love of planting and caring for produce and flowers, dealing with the challenges of our changeable weather, and the ever-present weeds and deer. Our gardens are “little patches of sanity” in the midst of stressful times. We learn from our garden neighbors by trading tips such as how and when to plant peas. We eagerly share extra seeds, plants, and tools and respect plot boundaries. Most importantly, we learn respect for our land and our gardening neighbors as we work our plots. In the process, our gardens maintain Concord’s agricultural traditions and are a visible reminder of our town’s heritage.

For more information or to request a community garden plot of your own, visit concordma.gov/747/Community-Gardens.

All photos courtesy of the community gardens