Now that we’re through the worst of itchy eyes, runny noses and dusty yellow cars that accompany every spring pollen season, it’s time to stay outside and get down and dirty planting a garden.  

With an abundance of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) research to pull from, and city garden beds to plant in, Gainesville has a harvest of resources ripe for helping you dig into planting your own garden, someone else’s or just learning how. 

Here’s what you need to know about gardening, getting the seeds you need and finding space for planting them. 

Learn 

If you’re looking to learn more about what to plant, when and how, for information on native plants or general gardening advice, UF/IFAS is a good place to start.  

The UF/IFAS Florida Garden Calendar displays which plants grow best each month and links to resources backed by UF research on how to grow them. The Gardening Solutions webpage features information about which plants are best to plant and when, how to grow vegetables and how to care for native plants. 

UF/IFAS also operates a Florida-Friendly Landscaping Program that helps promote environmentally friendly alternatives to “conventional” landscaping.  

The program aims to educate the community on the nine principles of Florida-Friendly Landscaping, including putting the right plants in the correct place, efficient watering, appropriate fertilizing, mulching, attracting wildlife, managing pests responsibly, recycling yard waste, reducing stormwater runoff and protecting the waterfront.  

Every UF/IFAS county extension office in Florida also offers a Master Gardener Volunteer Program. The program trains UF/IFAS extension-certified volunteers to help educate residents on various gardening, agriculture, lawn care and natural resource topics. 

Gather 

Once you know what you want to plant and how to do it, where do you get seeds? UF/IFAS offers a list of resources that suggests getting seeds from places such as seed catalogs, exchanges, swaps and garden stores.  

Local nonprofit Working Food also offers a seed program that features a curated collection of seed varieties that thrive in the North Central Florida region, as well as a collection aimed at preserving and protecting national crop varieties. The collections can be purchased online or locally at the Auk Art Market, Grow Hub, Thousand Leaves Herb Shop, Mosswood Farm Store and Ward’s Supermarket. 

All Alachua County Public Libraries also offer seeds in seed libraries, and you don’t need a library card to check them out. While each library has its own limit on how many seeds you can check out, there is no requirement to return them or provide others in their place. Library seeds are usually donated from companies or local growers, such as Working Food. 

Working Food also offers a seed saving guide for gardeners who want to prepare for the next gardening season by being proactive in collecting seeds in the current one, and UF/IFAS warns gardeners that if they want a high-quality garden, they need high-quality seeds. 

Grow 

Now you know what you want to plant, how you’re going to do it, and you have the seeds to do it with. Where do you plant them? 

Below is a list of community gardens in Gainesville that are available for anyone to use. According to their website, the city started incorporating community gardens in 1998 at SE 4th Avenue. As the project has grown, the USDA now recognizes five of the gardens as part of the People’s Garden Initiative. 

Local nonprofits Keep Alachua County Beautiful (KACB) and GROW HUB also partner to dig new community gardens and work with established ones in coordinating volunteers to keep them growing. You can volunteer with them to garden for others or pick a plot and plant on your own at any of the following locations. 

• Field and Fork Farm and Gardens 
  1062 Museum Rd. 
  Run by student volunteers, Field and Fork donates the produce they grow to the Hitchcock Field and Fork Pantry which gives the produce to members of the UF community experiencing food insecurity.    

• Fifth Avenue Community Garden 
  911 NW Fifth Ave. 

• Clarence R. Kelly Community Garden 
  1701 NE Eighth Ave. 
  USDA recognized 

• Dreamer’s Garden 
  400 NW Tenth Ave.   
  USDA recognized 
  MGV works Tuesday’s 9-11 a.m. 
  KACB volunteer site 

• Duval Community Garden 
  2445 NE 12th Ave.   
  USDA recognized 
  KACB volunteer site 

• Fred Cone Park Community Garden 
  2841 E University Ave. 
  KACB volunteer site 

• Green Acres Park Community Garden 
  643 SW 40th St. 

• McRorie Community Garden 
  615 SE Fourth Ave. 
  USDA recognized 

• Porters Community Farm 
  518 SW 3rd St. 
  KACB volunteer site 

• Possum Creek Community Garden 
  4009 NW 53rd Ave. 

• Reserve Park Community Garden 
  1125 NE Eighth Ave. 
  USDA recognized 

• Southwest Community Garden 
  2947 SW 40th Place 

• Thelma Boltin Center Community Garden 
  516 NE Second Ave. 

• UF Organic Garden Cooperative 
  2617 SW 23rd Terr. 
  For questions on plot acquisition and renewal, contact plotcoordinator@gmail.com. 

• Unity Park Community Garden 
  1760 NE 31st Ave.