Atlanta Buckhead Midtown and More - Community Gardens Around Town - 2

Atlanta Buckhead Midtown and More -
Community Gardens Around Town - 2

Atlanta, Buckhead, Midtown and many more sections of the City of Atlanta offer surprising glimpses of small town enterprises. Who would think that so many Community Gardens exist inside the urban area!

In DeKalb County, the Wylde Center is in its 20th year of "providing educational programs, events and greenspaces that actively engage youth, families and individuals in their environment, health and community, and that develop skills in environmental science, sustainable urban living, organic gardening, health, and nutrition."

Wylde Center mission statement: "to support resilient communities by connecting people to nature through environmental education and public greenspace."

"Thanks to the community’s involvement and commitment, Wylde now operates five greenspaces in four different Decatur and Atlanta neighborhoods, open year-round for the community, for events and for educational programs.

"Wylde Center also provides one of the largest youth environmental and science education programs in metro-Atlanta, including the Decatur Farm to School program, Atlanta Farm to School, Healthy Living by Healthy Growing at the Decatur Housing Authority, and science program and field trips linked to Common Core standards."

One area of the Wylde Center is the Oakhurst Garden. Oakhurst serves the greater Atlanta community as a beautiful space to learn and enjoy, offering community plots, a greenhouse, a mini-farm, herb garden, chickens and pocket ecosystems throughout the site. 

The Wylde Woods is another feature of the Wylde Center. Wylde Woods is located at the Oakhurst Garden location at 435 Oakview Road, at the corner of South McDonough Street and Oakview Road in Decatur, just southwest of Agnes Scott College.  It is open to the public from sunup to sundown. Visitors are welcome to take a self-guided tour of the woods.

You will see many beautiful sights including the Fish Pond in memory of Liz Chandler, a volunteer instrumental to the growth of the garden. 

Restoration of the Streambank of Oak Creek, a tributary to the West Shoal Creek which runs through the garden property is an upcoming project at the Wylde Center. "The garden plans to restore the streambank using native trees, shrubs, and perennials to stabilize the bank.  The Shoal Creek Watershed Alliance is a volunteer group that regularly monitors the water in the creek.  In a recent survey of stream life, the group found small fish, salamanders, crayfish, flies, beetle larvae, and damselfly larvae."

The Edgewood Community Learning Garden offers educational experiences for young school-aged residents in the community. Begun on the site of an old apartment building, the garden was rebuilt in 2014/2015 to serve as a demonstration garden. Now there are fruit trees, veggie beds, compost bins, pollinator plants, ornamentals, a rain garden, and a play area with a treehouse.

The space also includes a modern community center for events, classes, cooking demos, summer camps, afterschool programs and meetings. 

In 2020, the Edgewood Community Learning Garden was faced with the issue of unhoused visitors taking over parts of the project which impacted the educational goals. Serious and respectful concern from those in governance sought to meet the educational needs and to assist the with their needs. With deliberation, a solution for the situation was reached. 

The Wylde Center is yet another example of the amazing spirit of volunteers in Atlanta who provide benefits to all residents throughout the Atlanta Metro Area. Photographs courtesy of  Wylde Center.