About the Garden
In 2010, the Tenderloin People’s Garden (TPG) was created by tenants, neighbors, and community members who transformed the vacant lot at the corner of Larkin and McAllister into a lush garden growing fresh, free produce, herbs, and native plants. Originally a project of the Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation, the garden has always been stewarded by volunteers and community members. In the absence of formal management since Fall 2023, neighbors and volunteers have continued to hold open hours, ensuring that the community continues to have access to the fresh produce and the peaceful, green oasis within TPG.
The Tenderloin is a dense, culturally-rich neighborhood in the heart of San Francisco— and the only neighborhood in the city with no full-service grocery store for its 30,000 residents, many of whom are experiencing housing insecurity, poverty, and structural barriers in access to food and well-being. In the midst of a food desert, the Tenderloin People’s Garden provides fresh produce for free each week, directly contributing to food security and sovereignty in the TL. Further, TPG is one of the few “community gardens” in San Francisco that is truly accessible to the public, rather than being a collection of individually-accessed plots, sometimes with years-long waitlists. This means that every Saturday, any and all are welcome to share the harvest and help plant new seeds.
Between late October and mid February, approximately 275 pounds of fresh produce have been harvested and distributed to approx. 245 households. The garden has hosted 270 volunteer interactions and 265 visitor interactions in the same period.
As of mid-February, TPG is growing: chard, cabbage, Chinese mustard greens, tree collards, mizuna, celery, Vietnamese coriander, borage, nasturtiums, thyme, yarrow, dill, sweet peas, radishes, fava beans, marigolds, kale, onions, lettuce, lemons, pineapple guavas, several native flowers, pollinator plants, and herbs. We’re getting ready to plant for Spring! Come join us.
Friends of the Tenderloin People’s Garden
Across 14 years and several different managers, the Tenderloin People’s Garden has always been just that - stewarded by the people. Regardless of who was being paid to maintain TPG, community members and volunteers have returned week after week to tend the veggies and connect with each other and the land, steadfast in their care for the garden and their neighbors. Community stewardship of this space is not new, but it is vital.
In the absence of formal management since Fall 2023, community members and volunteers have continued to steward the garden, hold open hours, and share the harvest with neighbors.
Our goals are simple:
to feed our neighbors and each other
to maintain public access to one of the only green spaces in the TL
to carry on the legacy of community stewardship that has sustained TPG since the beginning.
Who are the Friends of the Tenderloin People’s Garden?
We are a group of gardeners, creatives, change makers, and Tenderloin residents who believe in the power of connecting with the land and each other across our differences. We plant with the intention of honoring the needs and desires of those living in the heart of San Francisco; we also support the growth of the veggies, trees, and herbs that are already rooted here and share the food we harvest with our neighbors.
We steward this garden space ultimately to co-create the kind of world we want to live in; we are grounded in values of community care and nurturance. In maintaining continued public access to the land, countless souls are nourished, and refuge, sanctuary, and connection remain possible. For a neighborhood that knows all too well the impacts of poverty and neglect, we believe this garden is essential.
Community Stewardship
What does community stewardship look like?
Taking care of the land, together, and holding space for people to find purpose and healing through connecting to the earth and the plants residing in the garden.
Ongoing community conversations on how this garden can be responsive to the needs of those who live in this neighborhood and contribute to a more socially just city.
Decisions about stewardship tasks, materials, and learning opportunities are made collectively by all those that tend to the land and wish to be included.
What is our vision for the future?
We envision the garden as a bastion of community building and togetherness in the heart of the city. The way we care for the garden now encourages a sense of belonging and growth, and we hope that with continued enthusiastic stewardship, this garden will blossom into an epicenter for fostering community resilience. With a compost system in place currently, we envision similar continued efforts to reduce waste and cultivate abundance in the garden, in addition to new systems for collecting rainwater and recycling grey water for irrigation.
Visit Us
All are welcome!
324 Larkin Street, San Francisco
Northeast corner of Civic Center
Hours
Every Saturday
10am - 1pm