The Jewish Volunteer Gardening Brigade (JVGB) matches gardening novices with gardening veterans.

  • Did you recently start a garden and have lots of questions?
  • Have you been gardening for years and want to lend a hand to all the new gardens popping up?
  • Not sure if what is coming up is a weed or what you planted?
  • Excited to share with others what is blooming in your garden?

The JVGB aims to support and engage new gardeners. As we’ve seen gardens sprout up in our neighborhoods around Greater Boston, we want to ensure these gardens are productive the entire growing season. Beyond the increased self-sufficiency of growing your own food, it takes a community to feed a community. We are connecting small-scale efforts at growing food to build a more resilient web for all.

Beantown Jewish Gardens has been connecting the Greater Boston Jewish food justice community since 2011. We have worked with individuals, synagogues and day schools. By developing the JVGB as a curated and welcoming community dedicated to mentorship of new gardeners, we are responding to the increased inquiries and pictures of new sprouts we have received during the past couple of months.

Our hands in the soil increases connection to Creation as well as stimulating questions and learning opportunities. This is the time to learn and to act. This is the time to be amazed at what we can do when we support each other. In this time of the coronavirus, the national Jewish Community Farming field (of which BJG is a member) issued an “invitation to take direct action and weave those actions into our story of liberation and peoplehood.”

The JVGB is a Greater Boston community resource providing:

  • Garden mentor/mentee relationship providing 1:1 support
  • Curated community forum (Facebook group for sharing, celebrations and support)
  • Shabbat inspirations (weekly Friday morning email with tips, justice and reflective activities, and seasonally appropriate resources)
  • Sukkot-themed end-of-growing-season celebrations

We ask for a suggested donation of $54, or an amount that feels best for you to facilitate the growing of more local, healthy produce and toward building up our community resiliency toolbox.

Join the Jewish Volunteer Gardening Brigade today!

Sign up here if you’re a novice gardener looking for support.

Sign up here if you’re a veteran interested in being a mentor.

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