• Friday, March 6 | noon – 1 p.m.
• Friday, March 6 | 4 – 5 p.m.
• Saturday, March 7 | 9 – 10 a.m.
• Saturday, March 7 | 10:30 – 11:30 a.m.
• Monday, March 9 | 5 – 6 p.m.

Celebrate Creek Week and learn how rain gardens are both beautiful and functional additions to an urban yard. We’ll explore choosing a location, installation pointers, plants and strategies for creating a successful rain garden. Register Here.

• Wednesday, March 18 | 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. | Good Hope Farm
• Thursday, March 19 | noon – 1 p.m. | Carpenter Park

Support pollinators and a healthy ecosystem by participating in the Good Hope Farm Native Plant Sale this spring. This is a walk-up purchasing opportunity, no registration needed.

Adding native flowers to your yard helps essential pollinators like birds, bees, and butterflies thrive, which supports growing fresh fruits and vegetables. Proceeds from the sale fund initiatives to help local farmers start agribusinesses and improve food security. Enjoy affordable wildflower plugs, expert advice, a farm tour, and the beauty of a historic teaching farm.

Anticipated Plants For Sale: 

• Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)

• White Doll’s Daisy (Boltonia asteroides)

• Echinacea (Echinacea pallida)

• Dense Blazing Star (Liatris spicata)

• Sweet Black Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia subtomentosa)

• Woodland Phlox (Phlox divaricata)

• White Wood Aster (Eurybia divaricata)

• Blue Wood Aster (Symphyotrichum cordifolium)

• Foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia)

• Bluestem Goldenrod (Solidago caesia)

Plants are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Sales are conducted in person and are limited to credit card payments only. There is a limit on the number of plants sold per person.

• Friday, March 20| 3 – 6 p.m. | Good Hope Farm
• Farm Tour | 4 p.m.

Learn tips for growing your own produce through organic gardening. Experts will instruct on bed types, growing for all seasons, plant selection, and more. Registration required.

• Saturday, March 21 | 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Volunteer to support our fire station gardens. Help us amend soil, plant pollinator plants and spring veggies, and do general maintenance. This is an outdoor event, so please dress for the weather, wear closed toe shoes, and bring a full water bottle. Registration closes 2 days prior to workday. Registration required.

• Fire Station 1 | Monday, April 6 | 3:30 – 5 p.m.
• Fire Station 2 | Tuesday, April 7 | 3:30 – 5 p.m.
• Fire Station 6 | Friday, April 10 | 3:30 – 5 p.m.
• Fire Station 7 | Saturday, April 11 | 9 – 10:30 a.m.
• Fire Station 8 | Saturday, April 11 | 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
• Fire Station 5 | Saturday, April 18 | 3:30 – 5 p.m.
• Fire Station 3 | Sunday, April 19 | 3:30 – 5 p.m.

Enjoy a behind the scenes tour of a historic teaching farm. Learn about organic farming practices, food security issues, and the farm to table movement. Wear sturdy shoes; we will be walking in the fields. This class is open to the family and geared towards adults. Register here.

• Saturday, April 18 | 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. | Good Hope Farm
  

• Saturday, May 2 | 9 –10 a.m.

Explore our community gardens. Ask an expert about our garden program, learn about the plot rental lottery, and how to register for a garden bed. Tour the space and get tips and tools for growing a greener garden at home. No pets allowed. All ages welcome. Children must be accompanied by an adult. 

McCrimmon Garden Open House (3870 Cary Glen Blvd.)

• Saturday, May 2, 2026 | 9 - 11 a.m.
• Learn more about this garden here.

Carpenter Garden Open House (4420 Louis Stephens Dr.) 

• Saturday, May 2, 2026 | noon - 2 p.m.
• Learn more about this garden here.

Compost Education Center Community Garden Open House (200 Metro Park Drive)

• Saturday, May 9, 2026 | 9 - 11 a.m.
• Learn more about this garden here.

• Gardening for Beginners | March 12

• Designing Native Gardens | March 22

• Divide and Prosper: Native Plants | March 20 & April 16

• Family Gardening |May 1

• Invasive Plant Awareness |February 1 & May 20

• Wildflower Watering Club | March 17 – May 26

Third Saturday of each month | 9-11 a.m.

Help us grow at Good Hope Farm by joining us for one of our monthly workdays on the 3rd Saturday of each month. Volunteers must be at least 12 years old, and volunteers under the age of 14 must be accompanied by an adult. Registration required.

• February 21
• March 21
• April 18
• May 16

The lottery application period is closed for 2026 for both Carpenter and McCrimmon Community Gardens. Stay tuned for the next application period, which runs from on or around December 1, 2026 through January 2027.

Would you like to grow food for your family and learn more about gardening? The Carpenter and McCrimmon Community Garden plots are rented for an eleven-month term for the price of $50 for a Standard or ADA plot. McCrimmon Community Garden has smaller perimeter beds available for the eleven-month period at a cost of $25. Beds have convenient access to watering hoses, our garden shed is stocked with tools, and we provide renters with educational materials to support their success.

To apply you must be a Cary resident and at least 18 years old, however, no prior garden experience is required.

If you are awarded a garden plot, you are required to attend an orientation session at the assigned garden before beginning any gardening activities. Only individuals who have been awarded a garden plot through the lottery are eligible to attend an orientation. 

2026 Carpenter Community Garden Orientations

• Saturday, February 7 | 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m 
• Thursday, February 12 | 5–6 p.m.

2026 McCrimmon Community Garden Orientations

• Saturday, February 7 |1–2 p.m.
• Thursday, February 12 | 3:30–4:30 p.m. 

For more details about each garden, please visit Carpenter Community Garden or McCrimmon Community Garden webpages.

Does your group have a garden project we can help with? Through our tool lending library we can provide common garden tools for your group to borrow including wheel barrows, rakes, shovels, pitch forks, garden hoes, etc. Additional volunteers may also be available if needed.

This option is great for churches, school gardens, and other organizations that need support with a workday. Town approval process required.

Visit us at Spruce for more information about our tool lending library.

Questions? Call 311 in Cary or 919-469-4000 outside town limits.

We can support scouting projects that help us meet Town environmental and recreational goals. Previous projects include constructing bird houses, raised garden beds, and creating educational outreach events.

Questions? Call 311 in Cary or 919-469-4000 outside town limits.

Building gardens that thrive depends on a rich abundance of wildlife, natural habitats, and ecosystems. Through the Cary Garden for Wildlife program, learn how you can plant with pollinators in mind and help support the birds, butterflies, bees, and other species that we depend on. You can also register your backyard as a Certified Wildlife Habitat with the National Wildlife Federation.

The Town of Cary Mayor's Monarch Pledge began in 2019, which was proclaimed as the Year of the Monarch Butterfly. Through community action, education, and outreach, we accomplished the objectives outlined in the National Wildlife Federation's Mayors' Monarch Pledge, and successfully increased native habitat and promoted pollinator conservation in the Town of Cary.