Workshops & Events
BNC Food Forest Winter Work Day
Come volunteer with the Boston Nature Center Food Forest this winter!
Join the stewardship team for a workday where we'll keep up with food forest care - winter edition! Common winter workday tasks include mulching, invasive species removal, and enjoying warm beverages together.
All supplies including gloves will be provided. Please bring water, dress in layers, and some clothes you don't mind getting dirty. All skill levels are welcome.
No registration necessary!
Winter Tree Identification Workshop
Celebrate the winter solstice with a guided walk led by herbalist and arborist Alex Klein in the Leland St Cooperative Garden. This workshop is a joint project with Trustees Boston Community Gardens.
Even after fall winds have stripped them of their leaves, trees provide clues to their identification by way of their bark, leaf scars, and other individual characteristics. We will learn to point out key characteristics that will provide you the skills to identify any tree, even in the winter months. Warm wild herbal tea will be offered during the walk.
Later in the afternoon, at 5pm, Leland Garden will host its Return of the Light celebration which is free to all.
The Leland St Cooperative Garden is located at 4 Leland St in Jamaica Plain, a short walk from the Forest Hills Orange Line Station. Street parking is available. The guided walk will be 100-200 meters around the grounds of the garden, with seating options available nearby.
Return of the Light Community Event
Join the Leland Garden's annual winter solstice celebration! Welcome the Return of the Light by placing luminaras all around the garden.
At 4:00 there will be a brief circle, with an inclusive program of poems, songs, thoughts, and more! Hot cider will be served and bring some finger food (your favorite cookies) to share if you want.
At 5:00pm, the Return of the Light celebration will begin. The event is free and welcome to all. Place luminaras around the garden, honor the year you've had, and celebrate the year to come in community with your neighbors. No registration or RSVP necessary.
The Leland St Cooperative Garden is located at 4 Leland St in Jamaica Plain, a short walk from the Forest Hills Orange Line Station. Street parking is available.
Virtual Session: Year in Review
2025 was an eventful year for BFFC! Join program staff for a virtual session where we share photos and program highlights from 2025.
To RSVP, email Alice at alice@bostonfoodforest.org.
Google Meet link will be sent after you’ve RSVP’d!
Virtual Session: Intro to the Food Forests of BFFC
BFFC's 13 food forests are all so unique! Join program staff for a virtual conversation where we explore the distinct ecology and neighborhood context of our food forests. The focus of this session will be on the eight sites in the BFFC land trust.
To RSVP, email Alice at alice@bostonfoodforest.org.
Google Meet link will be sent after you’ve RSVP’d!
Community Meal & Gathering at Hope Garden
Join the Hope Garden, Boston Nature Center, and Egleston Community Orchard stewardship teams this Saturday at Hope Garden for a warm turkey chili lunch gathering!
From 12pm - 3pm on Saturday, December 6, there will be free turkey chili served at Hope Garden, a winter clothing swap, and collection of non-perishable foods for donation to local mutual aid organizations. Stop by to be in community with your friends and neighbors, donate if you can, or lend a helping hand.
This event is a collaboration between the Hope Garden, Boston Nature Center, and Egleston Community Orchard stewardship teams.
No RSVP necessary — just come as you are, when you can!
Hope Garden Weekly Work Day
Join the stewards of the Hope Garden Food Forest for their FINAL weekly work day of 2025!
Projects may include tree care, weeding, and putting the food forest and raised beds to rest for the winter.
No registration or experience required — just show up ready to get your hands in the soil and help us celebrate another fantastic season!
Email Cassidy at cassidy@bostonfoodforest.org with any questions.
Leland Cooperative Garden Work Party/Picnic
Join the Leland Garden stewardship team for their monthly work/picnic days on the third Saturday of each month throughout the growing season.
Work/picnic days 10:30AM-4PM with the potluck-style lunch around 1 or 1:30PM.
Projects for this November work day include putting all the garden beds to rest for the winter and planting garlic and spring flower bulbs.
Feel free to come to the picnic only, work only, or both for as little or as long as you can.
No registration or experience required!
Email lelandgardeninfo@gmail.com to join their email list/newsletter audience.
Old West Church Food Forest Weekly: Resting of the Land
Join the stewardship team of the Old West Church Food Forest for their FINAL Saturday Volunteer Workday of the 2025 season.
Projects will include putting the land to rest for winter. Gratitude and celebration for the past season will be woven throughout the morning.
All are welcome, no registration is required!
Email kspiller4@gmail.com to be added to the OWC email list.
Uphams Corner Food Forest Weekly Work Day
Join the Uphams Corner Food Forest stewards and neighbors for their FINAL community work day of 2025!
Projects may include tree care, weeding, and putting the food forest to rest for the winter.
No registration or experience required — just show up ready to get your hands in the soil and help us celebrate another fantastic season!
Email Cassidy at cassidy@bostonfoodforest.org with any questions.
Poplar Street Park Clean-Up Day
Join Keep Roslindale Beautiful and West Village Neighborhood Association for a late-autumn clean-up at the emerging Poplar Street Park!
We’ll be removing yard waste, clearing out brush piles, disposing of invasive knotweed (into trash bags!), meeting neighbors.
What to bring: work gloves (some will be available), long sleeves, sturdy shoes (that might get dirty), refillable water bottle (for you to hydrate!).
All are welcome, no registration required!
Lunchtime Bulb Planting Party
Join the stewards of the Savin Hill Wildlife Garden for a midday bulb planting party in the park! We’ll be planting tulips, daffodils and other bulb varieties.
All are welcome, no experience or registration required!
Black Walnut Processing Workshop & Halloween Party
Join the stewards of the Edgewater Food Forest for an afternoon of Halloween fun and harvesting! On October 25th, the Edgewater Food Forest is hosting their annual Halloween Parade and Black Walnut Harvesting Workshop.
Starting at 2pm, the Halloween Parade is a family-friendly neighborhood celebration. Come for fun and activities for all ages, prizes, and a spook-tacular time! Costumes are encouraged.
At 3:30, Alex Klein, a trained herbalist and longtime instructor with BFFC, will join us to lead us in harvesting and processing black walnuts. Learn about black walnut trees as a keystone species in food forest design, and explore the steps of hulling, soaking, cracking, and enjoying the walnuts themselves. We’ll also discuss health benefits, recipe ideas, and more!
This event is a collaboration between Edgewater Neighborhood Association and Boston Food Forest Coalition.
Hope Garden Weekly Work Day
Interested in getting involved with the Hope Garden Food Forest? Join their weekly work days every Saturday from 11am-1pm!
No registration or experience is required. Just show up ready to work on a variety of tasks like weeding, harvesting, tree care, and more!
Email alice@bostonfoodforest.org if you have any questions.
Uphams Corner Food Forest Weekly Work Day
Join the Uphams Corner Food Forest stewards and neighbors for their weekly community work days, which will take place every Saturday throughout July and August this summer.
Weekly projects may include tree care, weeding, planting, harvesting, and much more.
No registration or experience required — just show up ready to get your hands in the soil and meet some new friends.
Email Alice at alice@bostonfoodforest.org with any questions.
Old West Church Food Forest Weekly Work Day
Join the stewardship team of the Old West Church Food Forest for their regular Saturday Volunteer Workdays, held each Saturday from 10-12 pm (except for holiday weekends).
Projects may include tending to the annual crop beds, maintaining the pollinator garden, pruning fruits trees, planting, harvesting, and more.
All are welcome!
Email Alice at alice@bostonfoodforest.org to RSVP.
Email kspiller4@gmail.com to be added to the OWC email list.
Leland Cooperative Garden Work Party/Picnic
Join the Leland Garden stewardship team for their monthly work/picnic days on the third Saturday of each month throughout the growing season.
Work/picnic days 10:30AM-4PM with the potluck-style lunch around 1 or 1:30PM.
Projects for these work days may include planting, pruning, mulching, harvesting, and other garden projects/tasks as they arise. Feel free to come to the picnic only, work only, or both for as little or as long as you can.
No registration or experience required!
Email lelandgardeninfo@gmail.com to join their email list/newsletter audience.
Old West Church Food Forest Weekly Work Day
Join the stewardship team of the Old West Church Food Forest for their regular Saturday Volunteer Workdays, held each Saturday from 10-12 pm (except for holiday weekends).
Projects may include tending to the annual crop beds, maintaining the pollinator garden, pruning fruits trees, planting, harvesting, and more.
All are welcome!
Email Alice at alice@bostonfoodforest.org to RSVP.
Email kspiller4@gmail.com to be added to the OWC email list.
Edgewater Food Forest Work Night
Interested in getting involved with the Edgewater Food Forest? Join their biweekly work nights on Fridays from 5:30-6:30!
No experience is required. Just show up ready to work on a variety of tasks like weeding, harvesting, tree care, and more!
Email cassidy@bostonfoodforest.org to learn more and to RSVP.
Hope Garden Weekly Work Day
Interested in getting involved with the Hope Garden Food Forest? Join their weekly work days every Saturday from 11am-1pm!
No registration or experience is required. Just show up ready to work on a variety of tasks like weeding, harvesting, tree care, and more!
Email alice@bostonfoodforest.org if you have any questions.
Uphams Corner Food Forest Weekly Work Day
Join the Uphams Corner Food Forest stewards and neighbors for their weekly community work days, which will take place every Saturday throughout July and August this summer.
Weekly projects may include tree care, weeding, planting, harvesting, and much more.
No registration or experience required — just show up ready to get your hands in the soil and meet some new friends.
Email Alice at alice@bostonfoodforest.org with any questions.
Compost Systems: A Building Workshop
We're building a compost bay at the Maple Street Food Forest from scratch — and you’re invited to help us build it!
In the process, you’ll learn why compost is so important to the health of the ecosystem. In this hands-on workshop, attendees will get to see how compost gets started and will learn every step of the composting process along the way. Light refreshments will be served!
Instructor Eru Kyeyune-Nyombi has a PhD in chemistry and a life-long passion for compost, and will lead the attendees in constructing the compost bay and how to start composting on site.
Hope Garden Weekly Work Day
Interested in getting involved with the Hope Garden Food Forest? Join their weekly work days every Saturday from 11am-1pm!
No registration or experience is required. Just show up ready to work on a variety of tasks like weeding, harvesting, tree care, and more!
Email alice@bostonfoodforest.org if you have any questions.
Old West Church Food Forest Weekly Work Day
Join the stewardship team of the Old West Church Food Forest for their regular Saturday Volunteer Workdays, held each Saturday from 10-12 pm (except for holiday weekends).
Projects may include tending to the annual crop beds, maintaining the pollinator garden, pruning fruits trees, planting, harvesting, and more.
All are welcome!
Email Alice at alice@bostonfoodforest.org to RSVP.
Email kspiller4@gmail.com to be added to the OWC email list.
Seed Saving 101 Workshop
Join the steward of the Uphams Corner Food Forest for an engaging workshop on seed saving!
With instructor Molly Stonespeer, a practiced permaculturist and gardener, we'll cover what seed saving is, how to identify and collect seeds, and participate in some hands-on activities.
After attending the workshop, participants can start their own seed saving journeys and see the whole process through: from seed to plant to seed again!
Edgewater Food Forest Work Night
Interested in getting involved with the Edgewater Food Forest? Join their biweekly work nights on Fridays from 5:30-6:30!
No experience is required. Just show up ready to work on a variety of tasks like weeding, harvesting, tree care, and more!
Email cassidy@bostonfoodforest.org to learn more and to RSVP.
Maple Street Food Forest Work Night & Cooking Demo
Get involved with the newly-opened Maple Street Food Forest at their biweekly work night and cooking demo!
Every other Thursday, Maple Street Food Forest stewards and neighbors come together to do some site maintenance tasks like weeding, plant identification, and harvesting. If we have time, we also bring out a portable cooking cart to make dinner as a community, prioritizing using fresh vegetables and herbs harvested from the garden.
Join us at 6pm to have some fun, eat some good food, and take care of the Maple Street Food Forest!
Email cassidy@bostonfoodforest.org if you have any questions or would like to RSVP to the event.
Seed Saving 101 Workshop
Join the steward of the Egleston Community Orchard for an engaging workshop on seed saving!
With instructor Molly Stonespeer, a practiced permaculturist and gardener, we'll cover what seed saving is, how to identify and collect seeds, and participate in some hands-on activities.
After attending the workshop, participants can start their own seed saving journeys and see the whole process through: from seed to plant to seed again!
BNC Food Forest: New Volunteer Orientation Day
Interested in volunteering at the Boston Nature Center Food Forest? Join the stewardship team for a new volunteer orientation session on the first Wednesday of every month at 6pm to sundown at the food forest.
The first 30 minutes of this session will include a tour of the site, introduction to how the stewardship team is organized, and ways to get involved. After that, we’ll get our hands dirty with some projects in the food forest. Projects may include wedding, watering, planting... and eating plants!
All supplies including gloves will be provided. Please bring water and some clothes you don't mind getting dirty.
All skill levels are welcome. No registration necessary!
Planting & Pizza Evening
Fall is a great time for planting, and so the Savin Hill Wildelife Garden Stewards are inviting you to an evening of activity at the garden on Tuesday September 30th starting at 5:15 PM (but you can show up anytime!).
Be prepared to work in teams to plant some new additions to the site, and to transplant plants to different parts of the park. We will have pizza for everyone for when the planting is done!
The garden has just finished construction on its new patio, so please stop by even if it's just to check out all of the recent changes to the garden! The stewards hope to see you there.
To RSVP or if you have questions, contact Cassidy at cassidy@bostonfoodforest.org.
Leland Garden Annual Harvest Hoopla
Join the stewards and neighbors of the Leland Cooperative Garden for their annual Harvest Hoopla! We’ll enjoy live music, delicious food, group games, local vendors, and so much more. Be in community with your neighbors as we all celebrate the harvest season and the end of the summer together!
For more information, please visit lelandgarden.wordpress.com.
Hope Garden Weekly Work Day
Interested in getting involved with the Hope Garden Food Forest? Join their weekly work days every Saturday from 11am-1pm!
No registration or experience is required. Just show up ready to work on a variety of tasks like weeding, harvesting, tree care, and more!
Email alice@bostonfoodforest.org if you have any questions.
Ellington Street Food Forest Annual BBQ
Celebrate the 2025 growing season with the Ellington garden stewardship team and neighbors! Come to their annual neighborhood barbaque to eat some delicious food, listen to some fun music, and connect with your neighbors.
All are welcome. Refreshments will be provided!
Please reach out to Cassidy at cassidy@bostonfoodforest.org with any questions and to RSVP.
Old West Church Food Forest Weekly Work Day
Join the stewardship team of the Old West Church Food Forest for their regular Saturday Volunteer Workdays, held each Saturday from 10-12 pm (except for holiday weekends).
Projects may include tending to the annual crop beds, maintaining the pollinator garden, pruning fruits trees, planting, harvesting, and more.
All are welcome!
Email Alice at alice@bostonfoodforest.org to RSVP.
Email kspiller4@gmail.com to be added to the OWC email list.
Uphams Corner Food Forest Weekly Work Day
Join the Uphams Corner Food Forest stewards and neighbors for their weekly community work days, which will take place every Saturday throughout July and August this summer.
Weekly projects may include tree care, weeding, planting, harvesting, and much more.
No registration or experience required — just show up ready to get your hands in the soil and meet some new friends.
Email Alice at alice@bostonfoodforest.org with any questions.