Ginkgo Organic Gardens – NeighborSpace

Contact Information: ginkgoorganicgardens@gmail.com
Address: 4055-59 N. Kenmore Avenue
Neighborhood/Community Area: Uptown
Garden Established: 1994
Protected by NeighborSpace: 1998
Social Media/Website: Ginkgo Organic Gardens on facebook, Ginkgo Organic Gardens.org
Community Partners: Ginkgo Organic Gardens Steering Committe

About the garden: Ginkgo Organic Gardens was founded in 1994 by community gardeners as a response to local hunger. They saw, on one hand, surplus produce in urban gardens that ended up on the compost pile, and on the other, non-profit organizations unable to afford fresh produce for the homeless and low-income people they serve. Ginkgo Organic Gardens is a community production garden that aims to solve both problems. Using organic methods, we grow approximately 1,500 pounds of vegetables, herbs, fruit, and flowers each year and donate them to Uptown-area non-profit organizations. As our name suggests, there is more than one kind of garden at Ginkgo. In front, there is a neighborhood park landscaped with benches, raised flagstone beds, perennials – including native prairie plants – and our namesake, a large female Ginkgo tree. Behind the park are raised production beds for vegetables, herbs, flowers and special demonstration projects; several types of fruit trees; composting areas; and a tool shed and patio shaded by Silver Maples. Currently, we donate produce to Vital Bridges’ GroceryLand, a food pantry that serves low-income persons living with AIDS. Like Ginkgo, GroceryLand has a strong, caring volunteer base, but until the garden was established, they had no responsive, reliable source of fresh produce. Past recipients of Ginkgo’s bounty also include Lakeview Pantry, Inspiration Cafe, and the Native American Medical Center. Come join us and get your fingernails dirty!