In the heart of South Salt Lake, nestled between cozy homes and bustling streets, lies a hidden gem known as the Fitts Park Community Garden. The garden opened in 2022, as a labor of love from the community and in partnership with South Salt Lake City. Residents, young and old, come together in this sanctuary, tending to 38 plots. Gardeners volunteer their time to care for a “public pick” area outside of the garden fence, providing delicious fresh produce for passersby. A neighbor cares for the free little library, regularly restocking it with fresh books for children and adults alike. In the words of a Fitts Park Community gardener, “this garden is more than just a patch of land—it's a haven of shared dreams, a sanctuary for growth, and a testament to the enduring power of nature to nurture both the earth and the human spirit.”

The garden lies just south of Fitts Park, on the corner of Front Avenue and 400 East. 

Wasatch Community Gardens and Utah Open Lands Join Forces To Sustain A Community Resource For Increased Local Food Security

Salt Lake City, UT (February 6, 2024) - Uniting to preserve a community resource supporting increased local food security, Utah Open Lands and Wasatch Community Gardens announce the forever protection of an urban agricultural landscape through a conservation easement in west Salt Lake City.  The groundbreaking project is the result of a unique and longstanding partnership between Utah Open Lands and Wasatch Community Gardens that ensures the future of one of Salt Lake City’s flourishing agrihoods.  In total, approximately 2 acres of valuable regenerative agricultural practices and soil is now safeguarded from the threat of concrete.  The existing structures and central new ‘barn’ will serve as Wasatch Community Gardens' new Farm Hub.

“What Wasatch Community Gardens does for the community is as impressive as what they do for regenerative agriculture,” emphasizes Wendy Fisher, Executive Director of Utah Open Lands.  “Our two organizations share core values surrounding agriculture and increased food resiliency in our communities” continued Fisher.  Food grown at the farm is easily accessible and distributed for free through social service partners and designated free pick areas, as the land is just off a regional trail network.

Dwindling contiguous green space underscores the reality of the anticipated loss of resources necessary to serve community needs.  The value of preserving productive green space during this period of robust development in the Salt Lake Valley is more urgent now than ever.  The new farm location allows Wasatch Community Gardens to deepen its impact to ensure greater food security for members of the community who have been pushed to the margins and for those who are disproportionately affected by limited or no access to fresh healthy food.  The farm also plays a role in expanding the capacity to support farmers and agriculture across Utah through creating sharable models that can be referenced and replicated across the state.

“Utah Open Lands’ expertise in negotiating and nurturing complex land protection efforts is remarkable, and Wasatch Community Gardens has long relied on them as a partner in our work.” said Georgina Griffith-Yates, Executive Director of Wasatch Community Gardens.  Over the past 35 years, Wasatch Community Gardens has evolved, seeking to serve all in the community with access to healthy food and gardening opportunities.  As the cost of land and fresh food continues to rise in our region, our work has become even more vital as more people struggle to access affordable healthy food for their households.” said Yates.

As Utah Open Lands pursues the protection of tens of thousands of acres of agricultural ranch and farm lands, the role of educating generations about where their food comes from is as important as saving the productive lands that keep them fed.  The organization’s recent protection of the Albert Kohler Farm and dairy land includes the continued commitment of the Kohler family toward educating over 700 school district kids and agricultural extension interns and the new Farm Hub project greatly increases educational access to agricultural know-how for youth. 

The partnership between Utah Open Lands and Wasatch Community Gardens  highlights the commitment both organizations have to sustaining community self-reliance and self-sufficiency.  The Farm Hub project affirms the paramount role of agricultural resilience in securing our communities’ collective well-being and the multiple benefits that come from communities with green space.  In a departure from the conventional narrative that often pushes farming away from communities, the Farm Hub project positions agriculture as the heart of the community.  It fosters intimate connections between people, their food, and the farmers who cultivate it.

####

About Wasatch Community Gardens

Wasatch Community Gardens’ (WCG) mission is to empower people to grow and eat healthy, organic, local food. Since 1989, WCG has provided youth and adults in Salt Lake County with access to land and education for growing and eating fresh produce, while building and nurturing community connections through gardening and healthy food. Annually, over 11,000 community members are served by WCG’s programs, gardens, events, and produce donations, and the majority of program participants are from low- and moderate-income households. 

About Utah Open Lands

For over three decades Utah Open Lands has remained committed to permanently protecting Utah's unique quality of life and natural heritage for future generations.  With over 64,000 acres under our Trust, Utah Open Lands is committed to a vision of land protection that lasts forever and sustains the land which nourishes community. It is a vision that recognizes the generosity of landscapes and the foresight to leave land undeveloped, a promise of safeguarding possibilities for the future.

Volunteer Program Director

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
801-810-7975

Marketing & Communication Director

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

External Education Manager

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Wasatch Community Gardens is delighted to have been chosen by Salt Lake City's Department of Sustainability as a 2023 Food Equity Microgrant Awardee, along with our partner Artes de México en Utah. Together, our organizations administer the Sabores de Mi Patria and Families as Teacher programs.

Sabores de Mi Patria, or Flavors of My Homeland, is a three-part workshop series that increases participants' understanding and appreciation of the cultural legacy of la milpa and the three sisters (which are both traditional systems of growing corn, beans, and squash) as symbols of indigenous identity.

The Families as Teachers program provides an opportunities for families to meet before each Sabores de Mi Patria workshop to help garden and learn skills with a smaller group, allowing families to connect with one another and share their heritage.

“We get a lot of comments from folks who maybe grew up in Utah, but their families came from another place of culture. They love this workshop because they feel like they’re getting reconnected to the culture their families are from,” explains Wasatch Community Gardens' School and Family Garden Manager Kimberly Yapias.

Many of the families that participate in Sabores de Mi Patria and Families as Teachers identify as indigenous from various different parts of Latin America. Growing la milpa can help them celebrate this rich cultural identity.

Learn more about Salt Lake City's Food Equity Microgrant and recipients here.

Learn more about how the microgrant is supporting Wasatch Community Gardens' and Artes de México en Utah's programming here. 

Individual Giving Director

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
801.810.7238 x13

Each summer and fall, our enthusiastic and knowledgeable staff offer a variety of garden tours throughout the Salt Lake Valley (these tours are geared primarily toward adults - for youth-related visits, please click here).

Our free Wednesday Walk-Throughs are held at our various community gardens during the growing season, providing informal opportunities to observe other gardeners' successes, challenges, and delights, and to ask us about your own garden issues or projects. To view any scheduled  Wednesday Walk-Throughs, please visit our Education Calendar. 

Self-guided tours of our Wasatch Community Gardens' Campus (located at 629 East and 800 South in Salt Lake City) offer a free and flexible option as well, and we welcome you to visit the Campus from dawn to dusk when programming isn’t active in the gardens. To view our Campus map, click here. Free parking is available. Please help us be good neighbors, and as much as possible, use on-street parking on the north side of 800 South or the east side of 600 East.

On request, we offer several types of paid tours at our Campus about urban organic gardening, and offer valuable tips for growing, harvesting, and eating healthy organic food. You’ll also learn about our other dynamic programs that seek to expand healthy food access for everyone, and how to get involved with our organic gardening community! Please click on the button below to request a Campus Garden Tour.

Request a Campus Garden Tour