Community Garden

The Community Garden is located in the west field of the Borland Center at 4885 PGA Boulevard, in Palm Beach Gardens.  Area residents are encouraged to become caretakers in this volunteer effort to plant, nurture and sustain this community effort.

Eric Jablin, Palm Beach Gardens Councilman first proposed the idea of a community garden to Raymond Underwood, Lead Pastor of Palm Beach Community Church, earlier this year.  

“Here we are called Palm Beach Gardens, and we don’t even have a public garden,” joked Jablin.  

Underwood quickly agreed to the idea of utilizing the fallow ground to benefit the community.  

“The dream of the Borland Center has always been to leverage our property and facilities to give back to the community,” said Underwood.  “We wanted to join with Eric’s vision and other individuals and groups in Palm Beach Gardens to enrich our community, and to enjoy the process along the way.”

The purpose of the Community Garden at The Borland Center is to appropriate an unused land resource for the benefit of Palm Beach County’s needy by raising vegetables for donation; to educate the community and particularly the youth community about the process of planting, tending and harvesting food; and to provide an opportunity for all residents of Palm Beach County to participate in a community project for the benefit of those less fortunate.  

The coordination of the garden is led by a coalition of private individuals and not-for-profit organizations including the Jewish Community Center of the Palm Beaches, Palm Beach Community Church, The Borland Center and Temple Judea as well as privately held companies including Ram Realty Services.

Corporate partner Waste Management has committed significant resources to the initial stages of the project, and will continue to be a sponsor of this community outreach that supports their company mission.  

“We are delighted to be a part of this green project that implements sustainable concepts aligned with Waste Management initiatives aimed at improving how we all take care of our environment,” said Jeff Sabin, Government Affairs Manager.

Garden volunteers are studying permaculture, a design system based on creating sustainable environments that are ecologically sound and economically viable.  Permaculture encompasses many green concepts and connects components within a system to provide natural protection from disease and insect damage.  An example the garden will utilize is planting marigolds, tomatoes and cabbages together, creating a mutually beneficial plant association where the marigolds deter pests that would attack the tomatoes, and the tomatoes protect the cabbage plants in a similar fashion

“We invite everyone to come and help plant and be part of the garden, regardless of your skill level,” said Eric Jablin. “/We would love to have school-children planting alongside seasoned permaculture and gardening experts.  Just bring your gloves and sunscreen for this learn-as-we-grow experience.”  

For additional information or to find out how you can help, contact:
Lynette.green@yahoo.com