Help Save Werner's Community Garden

Werner’s Community Garden, located in East Mt. Airy is an active site of farming, food donation, land stewardship, and community gathering. With a looming building development on the horizon, the garden’s longevity is at risk. The community of Werner’s Garden needs your help!

Garden leaders have been working to preserve the garden with the Neighborhood Gardens Trust (NGT), a Philadelphia-based nonprofit land trust that has protected over 50 community gardens across Philadelphia. Together we have figured out a pathway to preservation for the garden. The final hurdle is raising the money for NGT to acquire the garden land, so they hold it for the community in perpetuity.

Werner’s Garden has persisted and provided for many years. The garden occupies about a ¼ acre, tucked away on the back half of a residential property neighboring Fred’s Mt. Airy Motors. It has growing plots, a variety of cane fruits, and a perennial garden with flowers and medicinal herbs.

In late winter of 2022, gardeners learned that the parcels containing Fred’s Motors and two multi-family residences were being sold to building developer Stuart Udis, who plans to construct 12 town homes and a 30-unit condominium. The great news is that Udis has agreed to purchase the parcels containing the garden and to gift the garden portion to NGT.

With your help, Werner’s Garden can grow and thrive for years and generations to come. We need your help to raise $10,000 to cover settlement costs like legal fees and to support operational costs and infrastructure projects once the building project is complete.

Werner’s Garden has always been community led and mission based, participating in the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society's City Harvest program for support in its donation initiative. In 2019, with infrastructure improvements such as building a shed, redesigning the compost system, and restoring overgrown plots, more of its growing space became designated for donation. In season, the garden makes weekly donations to Face to Face in Germantown and since 2020 has harvested just over 3,000 lbs. Face to Face uses the produce for hot meals and raw food distributions.

“Werner’s Garden is one of the gardens in our neighborhood that’s elevated the wisdom of community. They are helping us dignify our meals and as well extend our open Market on Thursdays. Thank you Werner’s Garden for being the seed of caring to our Germantown Community.”

– Chef Altenor Vaval, Director of Food Services and Operation

Werner’s Community Garden is a place of hope, joy, and community engagement. As a former member of the garden so eloquently states, “Joining Werner’s Community Garden allotted me the space to not only connect with the earth and my food, it connected me to my new community. The garden offered me an encouraging, collaborative, and intergenerational environment to learn and explore."

It’s an important green space that if protected will continue to nourish Mt. Airy and beyond. Werner's Garden is grateful for your contribution!