Natick has four community gardens with over 150 plots for residents and non-profit groups to rent for a nominal yearly fee. Apply here.
JJ Lane Park Community Garden—185 Speen St.
Claim to fame: Opened in 2014 as Natick’s first community garden.
Number of plots: 24
Vibe: Traffic buzzing along busy Speen Street gives the garden a city feel.
Extras: The park also has a playground, restrooms, and walking paths.
Plot map
Eric Markman Interfaith Community Garden—next to 99 Hartford St.
A rose by any other name: Formerly known as Hartford Street Community Garden.
Number of plots: 50+
Vibe: English country garden. Things are tousled, flowers and vegetables share cramped quarters, a wood edges the property
Giving back: Many of the fruits and vegetable produced are donated to A Place to Turn, the emergency food pantry adjacent to the gardens.
Plot map
Navy Yard Park Community Garden —56-48 Washington Ave.
Q:When did Natick have a Navy Yard?
A: Never. According to the Town’s website, Navy Yard Field is named after the neighborhood, which may have gotten the name in the late 1800s from its resemblance to the Navy Yard in Charlestown. It was also known as Whitney Field, after the family who once owned a large portion of the property in the neighborhood. It was formally renamed Navy Yard Field in the 1980s.
Landmark: adjacent to Natick Sons & Daughters of Italy. Just don’t park in their lot unless you want to get ticketed and towed.
Number of plots: 23 ADA accessible raised garden plots
Vibe: Obsessive gardeners keep their plots incredibly tidy. Not a single slacker among them.
Extras: Tend your plot then hop onto the Cochituate Rail Trail bike path for some more exercise.
Plot map
Erica Ball Community Garden—behind the Housing Authority offices at 72 South Main St.
Claim to fame: Its namesake, Ricky, town volunteer extraordinaire.
Number of plots: 32 ADA-accessible raised garden plots.
Vibe: Up-and-coming. The garden opened in spring 2022.
Plot map
Please send tips, photos, ideas to natickreport@gmail.com
