In the fall of 2015, Pastorius Community Gardens, in partnership with Germantown Mennonite Historic Trust and Men Who Care of Germantown, began to organize and plan a community garden and fruit orchard in East Central Germantown.
A steering committee was formed with neighbors on Pastorius, Herman, and Tulpechoken streets, along with Men Who Care of Germantown. Together we formed a mission to create a community green space, which both made affordable organic nutrition accessible and created a public green space where art and culture could be celebrated by all. Our garden does not have a fence and is open to everyone to spend time in and enjoy! We also cultivate three community garden beds which are for the public to harvest. In the summer we keep a FreeFood Cooler with free produce for all of our neighbors.
With our work, we hope to create a space where our economically and culturally diverse community can be brought together and begin to empower one another through educational workshops, fresh produce, skill exchange opportunities, and art! In the spring of 2017 we installed a permaculture fruit orchard in partnership with Philadelphia Orchards Project. Our fruit orchard and organic community garden have transformed the underused, 7200-square-foot lot into a destination – a peaceful and productive green space for all to enjoy.
Pastorius Community Gardens 