San Diego, CA
Guide to San Diego County’s community gardens
Why this matters
Located in neighborhoods across the county, community gardens seek to provide resources and educational opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds.
Give $10
Tucked into neighborhoods, schoolyards and park edges, community gardens have woven themselves into the fabric of San Diego.
Many are established in food deserts – areas that lack access to affordable and nutritious food. For predominantly low-income and racially diverse communities, a local garden plot can be the difference between having fresh produce or none at all.
Beyond the food, community gardens have become gathering places where social bonds across generations and languages form and environmental education can flourish. From elementary school students to senior citizens, people of all ages are able to tend to plants or participate in community activities hosted onsite.
San Diego County has more than 80 community gardens, according to the Master Gardener Association of San Diego County. Most of them are managed by churches, nonprofits or local volunteers.
However, funding may be running short. The One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act led the county to cancel contracts related to CalFresh Healthy Living in October 2025, as previously reported by inewsource. Community gardens were one of the lifestyle programs impacted by these cuts.
Nonprofit leaders have also sounded the alarm about federal cuts causing funding instability that could impact their community programs.
But there are still ways for the community to get involved. Here’s a map maintained by the Master Gardener Association that shows dozens of gardens around the county.
inewsource asked Heather Holland, president of the Master Gardener Association of San Diego County, and Julia Rauner Guerrero, the organization’s community garden chair, to talk about the basics of community gardens.
Answers have been edited for clarity and brevity.
Community gardens vary based on who owns the land but most gardens are spaces where renters of the garden beds have access during set hours. Most gardens have events or times where they open their doors to the public.
Community gardens are spaces where the public can garden or learn about gardening together. There are a few categories of community gardens that could be grouped this way:
- Gardens that include beds or spaces that can be rented for growing.
- Gardens that grow food that is donated to others.
- Gardens that act as learning spaces so the public can learn how to garden together.
- Semi-public spaces where someone from an area (as in a resident of an HOA) can garden in a space.
Most of San Diego’s community gardens fall into one of those categories and often include several of these characteristics. On our community garden map we’ve focused on gardens with individual or shared/cooperative plots, some of which also incorporate education and/or food sharing with the community.
No, generally there isn’t any registration with the county and the cities operate under different rules. Community gardens located on public land have different approaches dictated by their city. For example, in the city of San Diego nonprofit groups can apply to the city to use parks and recreation land for a community garden.
Community gardens are operated by a mix of persons depending on who is running the site. In most cases it is a church, a nonprofit or a group of volunteers who manage the space. A few San Diego cities such as Imperial Beach, Carlsbad and La Mesa oversee their gardens and in other cases the County of San Diego directly operates the community gardens on their property.
Volunteer at your nearby community garden to get a feel for the garden, the people and the management.
Type of Content
Explainer: Provides context or background, definition and detail on a specific topic.
SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — San Diego is hosting two international soccer friendly matches at Snapdragon Stadium this weekend, giving local businesses a major economic boost as fans from around the world descend on the city ahead of the FIFA World Cup.
McGregors Bar and Grill is among the businesses capitalizing on the excitement, offering watch parties and preparing for larger-than-usual crowds drawn by some of international soccer’s biggest names.
Managing Partner Ian Linekin said the energy around the matches has been building steadily.
“We started early. We had a great crowd for the pregame for the Australia-Switzerland game. It’s been good,” Linekin said.
To meet the surge in demand, Linekin and his staff have been stocking up on supplies.
“We just order more food, we order more beer, we order more, more vodka and bourbon,” Linekin said.
The crowds are not limited to local fans. Linekin said international supporters have been making McGregors a destination as well.
“It was somebody in Australia… put together a flyer, found our logo, and planned a pregame party for this morning here,” Linekin said.
With the two friendly matches at Snapdragon Stadium serving as a preview of World Cup excitement, Linekin said he expects the atmosphere inside the bar to match the energy on the pitch.
“There’s gonna be, there’s gonna be chanting, there’s gonna be towels waved overhead, and yeah, it’s, it’s gonna be, be something to see,” Linekin said.
Beyond the food and drinks, McGregors has built its reputation on the overall experience it provides guests — something Linekin said has kept customers coming back for decades.
“That’s why we’ve been here for 30 years. We take care of people and we provide a fun, clean, safe place to come and enjoy yourself,” Linekin said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
-
Winning poster by Yohan R.
(Courtesy of Olivenhain Municipal Water District)
1 of 2
Winning poster by Yohan R.
(Courtesy of Olivenhain Municipal Water District)
Expand
At its May 20 meeting, Olivenhain Municipal Water District’s Board of Directors recognized the winners of the 2026 North County Water Agencies Fourth Grade Water Awareness Poster Contest. In its 33rd year, the contest was themed “Love Water, Save Water.” Winning entries were submitted by Austin M. from Olivenhain Pioneer Elementary School, Yohan R. from Monterey Ridge Elementary School, and Kira S. from Stone Ranch Elementary School, according to a news release.
“The annual poster contest offers future water stewards the chance to showcase their creativity and share their understanding of why saving water is so important,” shared board president Matthew Hahn in the news release. “On behalf of the entire board, a heartfelt thank you to every student who participated this year, and a big congratulations to all the winners!”
Austin’s poster features an image of the Earth as a crying eye, with oceans forming tears that flow into the word “Water.” His poster highlights the urgency of conserving water and protecting the planet.
Yohan’s entry showcases an hourglass filled with water flowing from a faucet. It symbolizes that time is of the essence and every drop counts. The poster also includes the messages “Love Water, Save Water” and “Preserve Every Drop.”
Kira’s poster depicts a vibrant underwater scene filled with marine life. It includes a whale, fish, turtles, and coral. Her poster emphasizes the potential impacts of water pollution with the phrase “Say No to Plastic,” and to “Love Water, Save Water.”
The three posters will be featured in the 2027 Water Awareness Calendar.
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — A man in Chula Vista celebrated a career milestone that’s a statistical anomaly.
Tom McKievick has been the director of security at Fredericka Manor for 50 years.
He responded to a newspaper ad back in 1976 and has been working at the senior living community ever since.
“When I started, I wouldn’t think in a million years I’d still be here, but I enjoy the residents and the work,” McKievick said.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2024 the average job tenure for Americans was 3.9 years — a 15% drop from 4.6 years in 2014.
McKievick has never taken a sick day and said he has no plans to retire anytime soon.
“It’s entertaining and challenging and never boring,” McKievick said. “A lot of people think working at a senior facility is very quiet, but it can be very hectic and very challenging, but that’s part of the job.”
-
Fitness2 minutes agoFitness: Does high blood pressure limit your exercise options?
-
Movie Reviews14 minutes agoFilm review #5: The Life and Times of Allen Ginsberg
-
World17 minutes agoSoccer-Iran World Cup Players Granted Visas to Enter the US, Says White House Official
-
Lifestyle1 hour agoSummer TV season has arrived — here’s what you shouldn’t miss
-
Technology1 hour agoJMGO’s N3 Ultimate projector is the new portable 4K champ
-
World1 hour agoPro-US conservative faces leftist in Peru’s high-stakes presidential runoff
-
Politics1 hour agoGOP firebrand lashes out at reporter over Massie allegation: ‘F— you, first of all!’
-
Health1 hour agoScientists unveil ‘living bandage’ that could dramatically speed wound healing
