Recycling and waste reduction benefit everyone, not just by saving money, but also by improving the quality of life throughout our community. The waste reducing strategies of the PLANT program – home composting, smart landscaping and soil building and toxics reduction – are also making a growing difference in strengthening neighborhoods here in the Piedmont.

PLANT's community outreach strategy begins with the MCPLANT Master Composter volunteer program. These skill-trained community volunteers apply their training in projects in their home neighborhood, their workplace or a community institution such as a school, nature center or community garden.

In addition to our demonstration sites at the Nature Centers in Reedy Creek and Latta Parks and at the Nature Museum, you'll find PLANT working at these Community Gardens:

Winget Garden at 704-529-1827 at 12025 Winget Rd; across from Tennis courts.

Ramsey Creek Garden at 980-722-2341 at 18441 Nantz Rd.

Reedy Creek Garden at 980-722-2251 at Grier Rd.

Huntingtowne Farms Garden at 704-552-8213 at 2400 Ramblewood Lane

Baxter St. Park Garden at 980-722-2243 at 1000 Baxter St.

Little Sugar Creek Community Garden at 704-353-1237 at end of N. Alexander St. at 17th St.

East Park District Community Garden at Holly Lane at 704-568-4044

Midwood Park Community Flower Garden at 704-353-1237 at 2100 Wilhelmina Drive (Midwood Park) (Volunteer project with Plaza Midwood Neighborhood Association).

Robbins Park Community Garden at 704-892-6031x 167 at Robbins Park on West Catawba Ave. in Cornelius.  Cornelius Park and Recreation,  visit the website at:  http://other.cornelius.org/parksrec/.

Druid Hills Neighborhood Community Garden at 704-332-1879 at Corner of Isenhour and Patch; near intersection of Atando and Statesville Avenue; north of downtown.

Urban Ministries Community Garden at 704-347-0278 at 945 N. College St.(Construction is complete at the new building. The garden is being reestablished. Volunteers are welcome to assist.

Shamrock Senior Garden at 704-432-6769 at Senior Center on 3925 Willard Ferrow Dr. off Shamrock. St. (Limited to Seniors at the Center, volunteers are welcome to assist.)

North Davidson (NoDa) Community Garden at 3327 North Davidson St. 704-332-5686. 

The East Park District now has a Community Garden.

Bottle art in the garden.

PLANT also works directly with a number of Park and Recreation and community garden programs to spread the word about the benefits of PLANT techniques.

The Urban Ministries Community Garden at 945 College Street.  Construction is completed and a new garden is being established. The garden had a bottle tree, the uniquely Southern 'poor person's stained glass window', created with bottles from the recycling program, and a soil stabilization - beautification program using native plants. Children from Trinity Episcopal School, volunteers from the Charlotte Area Peace Corps Association (CAPCA), Winghaven Garden, Americorps and Myers Park Methodist's Charlotte Green project have all been partners in the garden. For information, call 704-347-0278.

Information for organic gardening classes on vegetables for the Piedmont can be obtained through PLANT co-founder and Organic Gardening Magazine's Zone 7 correspondent, Don Boekelheide. Call 704-336-5359 for more information.

Previous Community garden at Urban Ministries.

The Park and Recreation Department of the Town of Cornelius has opened the first publicly sponsored community garden in the Charlotte region, with support from PLANT. In addition to generous garden plots where gardeners can grow flowers, herbs and vegetables, the garden will serve as a training center for PLANT classes, as well as classes in organic gardening, butterfly and bird gardens, and other topics.

The soil for the garden was enriched with high quality municipal compost from Compost Central, and mulched with the county's hardwood mulch.

The garden is located in Robbins Park on West Catawba Avenue, a half-mile south of the intersection of W. Catawba and Westmoreland.

Art and gardening together, a  bottle Tree!