A new community garden is blooming in Pendleton, offering residents a shared space to grow their own food, connect with nature and build stronger community ties.
The Pendleton Community Garden Project is a collaborative effort between Umatilla County Public Health, Umatilla County Master Gardener Association (UCMGA), and the City of Pendleton. The community garden is being cultivated at 1020 SW 25th Street, a city-owned lot behind the Pendleton McDonald’s. The garden will be open to the public in early spring 2026 to meet the start of the growing season, and plots will be available for rent beginning in February 2026. At a time when food costs and access to fresh produce continue to challenge local families, this new community space offers a practical, healthy, and hopeful solution.
Supported by UCo Health, the Community Garden Project aims to address some key health outcomes based on Umatilla County’s 2022–26 Community Health Improvement Plan, which identified five key health priorities for the area, including: addressing food insecurity, providing access to health and food education, increasing youth and senior programming and building community around healthy food practices.
“We are thrilled to be a collaborative partner in bringing this beautiful new green space to life for our community,” says Analyah Cruz, the Healthy Communities Coordinator at Umatilla County Public Health Department. “The garden is designed to be a place where people can not only grow fresh produce for themselves but also learn from each other, get hands-on experience and education around gardening, and foster a stronger sense of neighborhood connection.”
Planned features of the garden include: raised plots available for rent, a children’s learning garden, a Master Gardener’s Demonstration Garden, community gathering spaces, a composting station, orchard trees, a seed library and ADA accessibility. Additionally, there will be many opportunities for learning through programs like OSU Extension Service’s Seed to Supper course.
The Pendleton Community Garden Project is a community-based public partnership and is funded by philanthropic grants. To date, Eastern Oregon Coordinated Care Organization (EOCCO) and Amazon Eastern Oregon have supported phase one of the garden’s development with their community grant dollars. The garden project continues to seek additional funding support, community partnerships, donations and volunteers to help with projects. The founding team is excited to begin enlisting the community’s participation in the building and operations of the new garden.
“The Pendleton Garden project was inspired by our desire to share our passion for access to healthy food and to bring as many folks to the table around what that does for a better quality of life,” says Amy Jermain, a Umatilla Master Gardener and garden project planner. “The garden really is a symbol for community connection and our collective well-being. We encourage residents to make it their own, to bring what they have to offer to it. It will be a beautiful space, by the community for the community.”
A community-led “Garden Council,” responsible for advising and “growing” the garden will be seeking community leadership soon. Interested residents wanting to stay tuned can sign up to receive a monthly newsletter at this link or stay plugged into City and County media channels to learn more as details are released. Workshops and events, including a grand opening ceremony and initial planting day, will be announced in early 2026.
For more information or to volunteer your support, please contact:
- Umatilla County Public Health, Analyah Cruz
Phone: 541-278-6380 Email: analyah.cruz [at] umatillacounty.gov (analyah[dot]cruz[at]umatillacounty[dot]gov) - Community Garden Project Manager and UCMGA Advisor, Amy Jermain
Email: pendletoncommunitygarden [at] gmail.com (pendletoncommunitygarden[at]gmail[dot]com)
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The Pendleton Community Garden is a public partnership led by Umatilla County Public Health, supported by OSU Extension Umatilla Master Gardeners. The community garden is located in Pendleton, Oregon serving Umatilla County residents.