El Paseo Community Garden is in the Pilsen neighborhood and was founded as Growing Station in 2009. Our garden is located on a former brownfield site and was constructed during the first phase of the rails to trails project “El Paseo”. We are planning a third expansion next year for a total area of an acre. The garden sits along the public path and maintains a monarch butterfly prairie on one side and raised beds on the other. We offer private allotment beds and collective beds. The garden serves as a public green space for the neighborhood, especially for our neighbors in the adjacent senior living and affordable housing apartments. El Paseo garden brings a diverse crowd of people together through our monthly community events, including: volunteer days, educational gardening workshops, potluck parties, annual children’s harvest festival , weekly yoga, and weekly meditation. Our goal is to Empower through Nature.
Our mission is to harness the skills and talents of neighborhood residents and to strengthen environmental stewardship and civic engagement in Pilsen. Our land acts as a community space that provides the opportunity to not only grow healthy food, but become an active member of the community and learn from one another. We provide opportunities to share knowledge while bridging the cultural gap around issues of health and sustainability.
