If you live in an apartment, a basement unit or a house with a shady yard, the main way to get a garden plot in Provo is through Community Action Services and Food Bank, which rents small plots for $20 a season at three gardens in the city. Water is included. In exchange you agree to a set of rules, including six hours a year of shared garden work and a monthly plot inspection. Renewals for current gardeners are due Dec. 31, which makes late fall the time to get on the list for spring.
Here is how it works, and the other options around the valley.
Community Action's gardens: the main option
Community Action Services and Food Bank (CASFB in its own rules) is a nonprofit that runs a food pantry, rental and utility help, homebuyer education and other services from 815 S. Freedom Blvd., Suite 100, in Provo. Its gardens page says it rents small plots "to families and individuals with limited yard space so that they can grow fresh produce alongside their neighbors," and that all community members are welcome. You do not have to be a food-pantry client.
Garden locations listed by Community Action (October 2026):
- 300 W. 700 S., Provo
- 811 N. 600 W., Provo
- 673 N. 100 W., Provo
- A Spanish Fork address, 790 W. Center St.
- Canyon View Community Garden, listed as "coming soon"
Utah's 211 directory, which the state health department runs, describes the program as three community gardens in Provo and two in Spanish Fork, with a $20 seasonal fee and renters responsible for watering, weeding and maintaining their plots.
The garden boxes have been around since 2010, according to Community Action's garden manager, quoted by BYU's Daily Universe in spring 2025, when more than 50 BYU students helped clear them for the season. "We provide the land, the tools, the seeds and the water," she told the paper. "Then members of the community can just come here and grow food."
How to get a plot
- Fill out the Community Gardens Interest Form linked from Community Action's gardens page, or email communitygardens@casfb.org.
- Wait for a plot. Plots are filled first-come, first-served, with priority for returning gardeners who had no plot violations the year before. Generally it is one plot per household across all of Community Action's gardens.
- Go to an orientation. New gardeners must attend an on-site orientation and plot assignment before they plant; the garden manager will contact you to schedule it.
- Pay the $20 fee, unless the garden manager approves a waiver. No refunds after May 1.
- Sign the liability waiver before you use the garden.
Want a second plot? Secondary plots are assigned by lottery starting May 1 at gardens with no waitlist, and they are good for one season only.
The calendar
| When | What happens |
|---|---|
| December | Renewal forms go to eligible returning gardeners |
| Dec. 31 | Renewal deadline |
| May 1 | Secondary-plot lottery begins; plot fees no longer refundable |
| May to October | Drip irrigation generally on, weather permitting |
| Week of the 15th, monthly | Plot inspections |
| Nov. 1 | Fall winterizing deadline |
That calendar matters for timing. If you want a plot for spring 2027, get on the interest list now; returning gardeners lock in their plots before the new year.
The rules you are agreeing to
Community Action's garden rules (updated January 2023) are specific. The ones that most often surprise new gardeners:
Water. An automatic drip system runs May through October. Do not alter it. Keep drip lines straight, without kinks and connected to the main line. Holes are pre-punched; do not make your own. Natural mulch (straw, leaves) is recommended in summer to save moisture and cut weeds. Our vegetable garden guide explains why water is half the gardening problem in this valley.
Upkeep and inspections. You control weeds and trash in your plot and the paths next to it. Plots are inspected the week of the 15th each month. Fall short and you are notified; fail to fix it within 14 days and you may lose the plot. If you will be away, arrange for someone to tend it.
What you cannot grow or toss. Brambles, trees and invasive herbs need permission. Weeds that have gone to seed, or that spread from cuttings like bindweed, go in the trash, not the compost. Heavily infested plants also go in the trash.
Harvest. Pick ripe produce regularly to keep pests and vandalism down. Extra produce can be left in the donation coolers at the garden.
Six hours of shared work. Beyond your own plot, each gardener owes at least six hours a year toward collective garden needs. Volunteering with other Community Action programs does not count.
Fall cleanup. By Nov. 1, plots must be cleared of debris and trellising. Perennials and overwintering crops may stay, and plots can be covered in mulch or cover crops.
People and pets. No pets. Children are welcome with adult supervision. Hosting a group or public event at the garden needs Community Action's approval first.
The land is borrowed. Community Action says it does not own most of its garden properties, and access to the land could be revoked. The gardens must be open to the public during daylight hours, or as the landowner sets.
Accommodations. The rules note that gardening takes bending, lifting and tool use, and invite gardeners who need accommodations because of a medical condition to talk with the garden manager.
Other gardens in Utah Valley
BYU's Gathering Gardens (volunteer, not rental)
BYU launched its Gathering Gardens in 2026, run by students with support from the College of Life Sciences, the Ballard Center for Social Impact and the Sustainability Office. There are two sites: one between the Risk Management Building and the South Campus Office Building, about half a block south of the Botany Pond, and one west of Wasatch Elementary School off 820 North.
These are shared volunteer gardens, not individual plots. The Sustainability Office's page in October 2026 listed a Tuesday volunteer hour, 5 to 6 p.m., with weekly emails for directions, and no experience needed. Produce goes out free at a grab-and-go table on the second floor of the Life Sciences Building on Wednesdays, with the remainder going to the Food & Care Coalition. For a BYU student who wants to garden without committing to a plot, this is the easiest door. Email sustainability@byu.edu with questions.
Vineyard's city gardens (lottery)
In May 2023 the Daily Herald reported that Vineyard had opened a new Sunset Beach Community Garden, across 300 West from Sunset Beach Park, bringing the city's total to 42 boxes, including eight raised beds for gardeners who need adaptive spaces. Spots were assigned by lottery, and the committee had more than 65 applications that year. The program was run by a volunteer Vineyard Community Garden committee, reachable through its Facebook page or by email at vineyardcommunitygarden@gmail.com. We could not find a 2026 lottery date; contact the committee.
Orem Community Hospital's garden
Orem Community Hospital also hosts a community garden, and several Vineyard residents had boxes there in 2023, per the Daily Herald. KSL reported in 2019 that the hospital offered about 50 plots to families through an application each February. We could not confirm the 2026 application process; our Orem Community Hospital guide covers what the hospital's own pages say about the garden.
If you cannot get a plot this year
- Volunteer instead. Community Action has a garden volunteer sign-up on the same page, and BYU's Gathering Gardens take walk-in student volunteers. Our volunteering guide covers other places to give time.
- Grow in containers. Our vegetable garden guide covers the frost dates and what grows well here.
- Buy from the people who grow it. Our farm stands and CSAs guide covers where to buy local produce.
- If the cost of food is the real issue, our food help guide covers Community Action's pantry and the rest of the county's food assistance.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a community garden plot cost in Provo?
Where are the community gardens in Provo?
How do I get a community garden plot?
Do I have to volunteer to keep a plot?
When do I need to sign up for next year?
Is water included?
Can students get a community garden plot?
Can I bring my dog to the community garden?
Sources
The facts in this guide were checked against these sources. Hours, fees and rules change, so confirm anything time-sensitive with the source before you go. How we make Provo.com.
- Community Gardening (Community Action Services and Food Bank listing), Utah 211 / Utah Department of Health & Human Services. Checked October 19, 2026.
- Gathering Garden, BYU Sustainability. Checked October 19, 2026.
- Community Gardens (Food and Nutrition), Community Action Services and Food Bank. Checked October 19, 2026.
- CASFB Community Garden Rules (updated 01/2023), Community Action Services and Food Bank. Checked October 19, 2026.
- BYU students help prepare community garden in spring cleanup, BYU Daily Universe. Checked October 19, 2026.
- Vineyard enlarges community garden, plans for more (May 2, 2023), Daily Herald. Checked October 19, 2026.
- Orem family reaps physical and mental health benefits from working in community garden (April 26, 2019), KSL.com. Checked October 19, 2026.
