Community Gardens
Community gardens are places where individuals or groups come together to garden or cultivate a piece of land. They support urban agriculture and are defined as food-growing spaces in cities that are managed and run by citizen groups and not-for-profits.
Community gardens provide many benefits, including:
- Increased physical, mental and social well-being of residents
- Supporting food security
- Opportunities for community building and cultural awareness
- Recreational enjoyment and
- Beautification of neighbourhoods
Did You Know:
- Front and back yard gardens are permitted in St. Albert?
- Community gardens are permitted on private land?
- St. Albert runs an annual rain barrel program?
- Many of the local community gardens offer a seed exchange program.
- St. Albert offers grant funding for eligible community gardens or urban agriculture projects on private land? Learn more about the City of St. Albert’s Environmental Initiatives Grant Program.
Community Partnership Gardens in St. Albert
The following Community Gardens are operated in the city through valued local not-for-profit organizations and private garden organizations.
- St. Albert Botanic Park
- St. Albert Community Garden Association
- St. Albert Arts and Heritage Foundation
- Braeside Garden Pilot Project – The Braeside Community Garden pilot project was approved in 2022. The garden pilot was initiated by a group of residents and is being reviewed for its potential as part of a city-wide strategy to support community gardens.
Private Community Gardens in St. Albert
- Star of the North
- Coalmine Road Community Garden at Christ Community Church
- Lacombe Park Community Garden
Anyone and everyone! Individuals, groups and not-for-profits with a love of gardening initiate and participate in community gardens.
You can start your own private community garden on private land. These have proven to be very successful in St. Albert over the years.
The City has not yet established service levels or developed programs for community gardens on public lands. Until these take root, we are not looking to cultivate additional gardens on City lands.
In 2023, the City conducted a study that examined best practices in community gardens. It found that municipalities with the most vibrant community garden networks had clear service standards related to urban agriculture and invested in programs that reflected the unique nature and specific needs of their local communities.
The City has not yet established service levels or developed programs for community gardens on public lands. However, the development of private community gardens on private land is allowed and has proven successful in operation.
Community Gardens have been identified in the City’s Municipal Development Plan (MDP), Flourish under Goal 11, and a new definition for Community Gardens has been proposed and incorporated into the draft Land Use Bylaw (LUB) Update. Approval on the draft LUB is anticipated by the end of 2024.
Related Pages
Last edited: March 11, 2026