90 Container Gardens and Growing!
We’re excited to share that nearly 90 edible container gardens have now been distributed across the greater Lloyd neighborhood as part of our 2025 gardening program. What began as a small pilot last summer has grown into a deeper effort to support food access, community connection, and greener urban spaces.
So far, 82 container gardens have been handed out during our in-person planting events, and another 8 are being delivered to Right 2 Dream Too this week. Together, that’s 90 new gardens now growing on balconies, patios, and porches across the EcoDistrict.
We hosted three pickup and planting days at Lloyd Center, including one that coincided with Trash for Peace’s Free Furniture Fair. The event created a lively, welcoming atmosphere where residents could not only pot their plants but also browse furniture and household goods being given away for free. We also held a special planting event at Central City Concern’s Miracles Central Apartments, where residents gathered to plant their gardens with help from our team.
People from all over Lloyd came out to participate, including neighbors from Cornerstone Apartments, Axcess 15, The Merrick, Holladay Park Plaza, Grace Peck Terrace, Hassalo on Eighth, Cascadia Condos, and more. It was inspiring to see so many people engaged and excited to take home something they had planted themselves.
Depending on the day, folks could choose from a rotating selection of plants including tomatoes, hot peppers, lettuces, chard, kale, arugula, beets, mint, rosemary, and thyme. Each person potted their own edible plant onsite with tools and gloves provided, then brought it home to care for and harvest in the months ahead.
A heartfelt thank you goes out to our incredible volunteers: Hina, Gayle, Thao, and Marcia. They helped make these events run smoothly by welcoming residents and guiding them through planting. Their energy and support make all the difference as our small team runs programs like these! Also, a shoutout to Garden Fever, who has a great selection of organic vegetables and herbs – that’s’ is where we sourced all of this year’s plants.
We’re also deeply grateful to East Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District (EMSWCD) for supporting this project and helping us grow a more resilient and connected community.
This is what local sustainability looks like: neighbors growing food, sharing knowledge, and finding joy in something as simple as a potted tomato plant. We can’t wait to see what grows next.
