Dunning Community Garden

Contact Information: Louise Johnson at dunningcommunitygardenchicago@gmail.com
Address: 4235 N Neenah Avenue
Neighborhood/Community Area: Dunning
Garden Established: 2011
Protected by NeighborSpace: 2013
Social Media/Website:
Facebook: Dunning Community Garden
Community Partners: Portage Park Chamber of Commerce

About the Garden: (From Dunning Community Gardens on Facebook)
Dunning Community Gardens is a unique, 25,000-square-foot garden in Chicago consisting of three separate parts: a garden used as a teaching tool for students at Wilbur Wright College Environmental Biology Department, a garden tended by Bhutanese refugees affiliated with the Global Garden Refugee Training Farm, and a community garden with raised 4×8-foot beds for individual gardeners who lease beds to raise food for themselves. The garden planted by the college students becomes a charity garden during the summer and its harvest is donated to a local organization. The three groups work together to bring a positive gardening experience to all participants.

Dunning Community Gardens History
In 2012, a few neighbors in the Dunning neighborhood gathered to discuss the possibility of starting and maintaining a community garden in some nearby vacant property owned by the city of Chicago. Luckily, the Environmental Biology Department at neighboring Wilbur Wright College already had a small garden on this spot and was willing to have the community join them. Former Alderman Tim Cullerton gave his support readily and helped get the ball rolling. In the spring of 2013, 20 bed frames were built and leased to neighbors. During the next three years, a shed, shelter, patio, benches, fence, and 30 additional bed frames were added, encompassing a total space of 25,000 square feet. In 2014, farmers from the Global Gardens Refugee Training Farm joined Dunning Community Gardens to grow vegetables for their families.