• Fall 2026 program dates coming soon!

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.

• Fall 2026 program dates coming soon!

Each spring we host a native plant sale to help you support pollinators and a healthy ecosystem. This is a walk-up purchasing opportunity that takes place at Good Hope Farm; stay tuned for 2027 info coming soon!

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

• Fall 2026 program dates coming soon!

Volunteer to support our fire station gardens. Help us amend soil, plant pollinator plants and spring veggies, and do general maintenance.

• Fall 2026 program dates coming soon!

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.

• Fall 2026 program dates coming soon!

• Fall 2026 program dates coming soon!

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. 

• Fall 2026 program dates coming soon!

• Invasive Plant Awareness | June 24, July 18, & August 15

• Fall 2026 program dates coming soon!

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.

• June 20
• July 18
• August 15

The lottery application period is closed for 2026 for both Carpenter and McCrimmon Park Community Gardens. Stay tuned for the next application period, which runs from on or around December 1, 2026 through January 15, 2027.

Would you like to grow food for your family and learn more about gardening? The Carpenter and McCrimmon Park Community Garden plots are rented for an eleven-month term for the price of $50 for a Standard or ADA plot. McCrimmon Park 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. 

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

Help support pollinators trough native plants and habitat restoration! Thriving lawns and gardens require wildlife diversity, natural habitats, and healthy soils. Through the Cary Garden for Wildlife program participants learn more about natural gardening and landscape practices that support birds, butterflies, bees, and other wildlife.

The Town of Cary's 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. As the national program evolved to become an annual designation opportunity, Cary participates by increasing monarch habitat, promoting pollinator conservation, and educating about the majestic monarch butterfly.