Food Forest Parks
Discover a Food Forest Park Near You!
Curious about visiting a BFFC food forest park? Our sites are located throughout Boston — in Mattapan, Dorchester, JP and beyond.
Take a tour around our virtual map to discover which sites are near or in your neighborhood.
These parks are open everyday, waiting to welcome you in!
Boston Nature Center Food Forest
Coalition Site | Est. 2013
500 Walk Hill Street, Mattapan, MA 02126
BFFC’s flagship food forest site is located at Mass Audubon’s Boston Nature Center, a publicly-accessible site adjacent to the oldest, and largest community garden in Boston. Since 2013, hundreds of volunteers and many stewards have planted fruit trees, perennial shrubs, herb beds, and hügelkultur beds in this food forest. As a “live learning lab," the site hosts a variety of educational classes for stewards, groups, and community members to learn and grow.
Edgewater Food Forest at River Street
Land Trust Site | Est. 2021
640 River St, Mattapan, MA 02126
For many years, the neighbors of the Edgewater Food Forest at River Street worked diligently and collaboratively to transform this vacant space in Mattapan into a beautiful food forest garden. In 2021, the Edgewater Neighborhood Association invited the Boston Food Forest Coalition into the process of development of the space. As of May 2023, this beautiful food forest is open to the public and has already become an oasis in the neighborhood, with a dedicated group of neighborhood stewards at the helm.
Egleston Community Orchard
Land Trust Site | Est. 2014
195 Boylston St, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
Egleston Community Orchard (ECO) began as a neighbor-led effort for sustainable urban agriculture and community green space in Jamaica Plain. Today, ECO is a hub for community events, permaculture workshops, and collaborative harvests. As one of the older sites in the coalition, ECO has seen several iterations and various teams of caretakers. At this site you’ll find perennial plants and garden boxes alike.
Ellington Street Community Food Forest Garden
Land Trust Site | Est. 2017
103 Ellington Street, Boston, MA 02121
Together with the Boston Food Forest Coalition, the Ellington Street community turned a neglected city lot in Dorchester into a vibrant food forest garden. By growing vegetables, fruit trees, berry vines and more, and by creating a community gathering space, this food forest and its stewardship team are strengthening the connection between people and food in Dorchester. The neighbors who enjoy this space grow food for themselves, their community members, and local food banks in the area.
Hope Garden
Land Trust Site | Est. 2020
424-428A Geneva Ave, Dorchester, MA 02122
Hope Garden was created in 2020 as a new, agriculture-focused green space in Dorchester. This magnificent space features a geothermal year-round greenhouse and many fruit trees, and has become a special space for neighbors and community members in Dorchester. Hope Garden features perennial plants like grapevines and berry bushes, as well as raised beds for annual crops and herbs.
As of 2023, the stewardship team of Hope Garden is reestablishing itself and expanding. If you’d like to get involved with this amazing food forest site, reach out to Tye (tye@bostonfoodforest.org).
Leland Cooperative Garden
Coalition Site | Est. 1975
Leland Street Cooperative Garden is a space for community gathering, gardening, and education. The oldest site in the coalition, Leland Garden is an oasis offering shade trees and places to sit, as well as cutting flowers, vegetable beds, perennial borders, an herb garden, established trees, and walking paths. The stewardship team at Leland Street hosts regular concerts and events open to the public. The team also hosts regular “work parties” during the spring, summer, and fall.
Old West Church Food Forest
Coalition Site | Est. 2014
131 Cambridge St, Boston, MA 02114
Not far from City Hall, Reverend Sara Garrard and other leaders at Old West Church began envisioning how to better demonstrate the church’s commitment to food and social justice. In collaboration with the Boston Food Forest Coalition, Old West Church demonstrated that commitment by building a beautiful new food production space, opening its arms to the surrounding community and creating a shining example of successful, small-scale urban agriculture.
Savin Hill Wildlife Garden
Land Trust Site | Est. 2021
410 Savin Hill Ave, Dorchester, MA 02125
Savin Hill Wildlife Garden began as a vacant space in Dorchester overlooking Interstate 93. Over the course of several years of planning and thoughtful community collaboration, the space has been transformed into a budding, beautiful food forest and small-scale wildlife sanctuary. Thanks to the enthusiastic neighbor and volunteer involvement, this space has become a treasured community resource featuring native plants and pollinators, as well as benches and areas in which to gather, play, and engage with nature.
Upham’s Corner Food Forest
Land Trust Site | Est. 2021
11A Everett Ave, Dorchester, MA 02125
After years of neighbor collaboration to acquire the parcel of land on Everett Avenue in Dorchester, ecological development of the space ramped up between 2020-2022. Today, the Uphams Corner Food Forest is a thriving community resource and a treasured green space in Jones Hill. With a dedicated stewardship team and support from BFFC’s network of permaculture-based educators, this space now hosts events for neighbors and community members.
New to the coalition!
Egleston Branch Library Food Forest
2044 Columbus Ave, Roxbury, MA 02119
More info coming soon!
What is a land trust site?
Sites labeled ‘land trust site’ are legally protected in the BFFC nonprofit land trust. This means that these sites will be conserved in perpetuity for future generations. BFFC typically acquires these parcels from the City of Boston, thus becoming the legal trustee of the land. The beneficiaries of the land trust sites, however, are the stewards, neighbors, volunteers, and community members who visit — they make decisions autonomously about the future of the space, including what to grow for the future generations of Bostonians that will inherit it.
What is a coalition site?
Sites labeled ‘coalition site’ are not legally in our land trust, but are part of our broader coalition. These parcels may be conserved by another organization, for example the Massachusetts Audubon Society. However, stewards of coalition sites receive the same support from BFFC as our land trust site stewards: partnering with us for educational workshops, coalition-wide events, and one-on-one support in the maintenance of their land.