History of Knox County Community Gardens

In the early 1900s, Knoxville College utilized land (now occupied by Beardsley Farm), to grow food for students in agriculture. Beginning in  1902  the State of Tennessee provided financial support for the College’s agricultural and industrial departments up until 1912. Knoxville College hosted regional farming workshops and distributed free seeds on their campus – a tradition that is continued today by Beardsley Farm. 

By 1917, the National Emergency Good Garden Commission was established to encourage Americans to grow their own produce with home gardens during World War I. These gardens were also known as “Community War Gardens” or “Victory Gardens.” 

In 1919, the "Knoxville Colored Orphanage" was established, later named the "Ethel Beck Home for Children," drew support from the Community Chest (later renamed United Way).

Gardening continued, where the Elmwood Women’s Community Club began gardening to prep hot lunches for students. This was stated as the first community in Knox County and the first to plant a garden to feed school-aged youth.

Knox County school lunchroom managers gathered at the court house to propose community garden projects. They planned to can produce from the garden to serve in school lunchrooms for undernourished youth. The lunchroom operators later received federal funds for this project.

The Ethel Beck Home continued with successful changes from Ethel Beck, where they taught 26 youth a variety of skills including tending a victory garden and raising poultry and livestock. They had a large space for flower and vegetable gardens, chicken yards, pens for hogs, and cows. Through the funding provided by the community chest, Miss War Work attended community chest agencies participating in the Community War Work Campaign in 1942.

During the 1970s, the community garden movement surged throughout the U.S. Community gardens became the most common form of urban agriculture in Knoxville. The Knoxville-Knox County Community Action Committee (CAC) began the Green Thumb Home Garden Program in 1973. The program started off with 100 families, where CAC provided free seeds, plants, fertilizer, insecticide and tools for families under the federally defined poverty level.  

By 1980, there were 2500 families with supplies for home or community gardens. The CAC Green Thumb program helped people with low income save as much as $400 in food costs per year. Gardens produced food for citizens all over Knoxville including Isabella Towers, South Knoxville, Christenberry Heights, Lonsdale, Mechanicsville, and Northgate Terrace.

Gardens in public housing continued to increase, where gardens in housing such as Isabella Towers thrived. CAC provided food for 250-300 low income people in the year 1981. Residents saved up to $400 in food costs per year.

Success continued despite federal budget cuts in the CAC's Green Thumb Program. CAC received $8,000 from the Aetna Foundation Focus Program, which enabled CAC to continue community gardens. The funding was used to provide fertilizer, seed and other assistance for four community gardens. One of these was Love Towers, where elderly residents had a successful community garden.

Community gardens are alive and well in the 90s. Green Thumb organizer, Becky Smith, oversaw half of CAC gardens. She established a plan to shift the program away from the use of chemicals and into a more organic approach which includes compost bins, recycling bins, flowers, and herbs for insect control, and alternatives to chemicals.

By 1993, Green Thumb has been around for about two decades, overseen by volunteers in earlier years, and now capable to hire a full-time staff member to organize and oversee the program through a $50,000 federal grant.

CAC expands and provides nutrition education for school aged youth and preschool children. Qualified areas received seed packages including carrots, beets, beans, radishes, yellow squash, cucumbers, greens, okra, sugar peas, swiss chard, zucchini, and four veggie plants such as bell peppers, cayenne peppers, and tomatoes.

A recent program "Vegetables for Recycles," was implemented. Residents in Mechanicsville and Lonsdale, exchanged aluminum cans for fresh produce. Members of a youth empowerment group called Tribe One, gave residents a bag of fresh vegetables in exchange for the cans collected. Funds collected for the recycled materials, were then divided among the youth in the program.

By 1998, Beardsley Farm was founded. The grant funded farm was started by employees of CAC, and land leased from the City of Knoxville. The farm aimed to promote healthier food options in the Mechanicsville, Lonsdale, Western Heights, and Beaumont areas.  

In the 2000s, 27 community gardens were organized by Knoxville's Community Development Corp, and an estimated 200 gardeners participated in them, with 90% seniors. KCDC also ran a Green Thumb program that provided Knox County residents who meet certain low-income levels with free seeds and plants each spring. CAC gave out 1,010 seed and plant packages this year, an 18% increase from the year prior.

By 2011, CAC created a guide to community gardens and community gardening provided an agricultural outlet for immigrants who would spend many of their evenings tending a wide variety of vegetables from tomatoes to squash to beans. Gardening had an impact on the ability for families to afford healthy food.

Gardens continued to flourish and residents in urban housing such as Westview Towers, grew corn, tomatoes, watermelon, beans, squash, mint, peppers, cucumbers, and more. Westview Towers residents saved hundreds of dollars with their community garden.

By 2015, the city council passed a new zoning ordinance. Knoxville’s zoning code previously had not kept pace with changes in the local food economy. Amendments were proposed to remove barriers to food production on private property and allow use of unused or vacant properties. By passing the new zoning ordinance, the city of Knoxville and community partners can better develop programs that increase access to healthy, local food.

In the past few years, community gardens have continued to grow in Knoxville despite challenges such as the COVID pandemic. In 2023, the first community garden report was published, identifying a total of 53 gardens. Additionally, gardening clubs in Knox County schools have thrived and have expanded further in 2024. Today, there are a total of 57 gardens reported with over 2600 gardeners participating.