Henderson Community Garden

Project Dates: 
2009 to 2021

Project Leads

Funding Organizations: 
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
First 5 Better Together Grassroots Grant Program
Cooperating Agencies: 
City of Eureka
Food for People
Veterans Affairs

The Henderson Community Garden is Eureka’s longest running community garden. It was started in the 1980s by Food for People, and throughout its duration has been primarily utilized by Hmong families, many of whom are refugees. The garden is located behind the Eureka Mall on Henderson Street. RCAA partners with the City of Eureka, who owns the land, to manage the space as a community garden. The garden serves as an important cultural space for the Hmong families, allowing them to grow traditional foods and medicines. Many have brought seeds over from their native countries and some have created hybridized varieties suited to our North Coast climate. These traditional foods and medicines would otherwise not be available to local Hmong families. The gardeners created a video encapsulating the importance of the space to the gardeners, which can be viewed on the home page of www.northcoastgardens.org.

 The Natural Resources Services division began managing the garden in 2009 and since that time has helped expand the size of the garden. American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds were used to remove a crumbling asphalt road from the garden and create eight additional plots. There are now a total of 23 plots of approximately 600 square feet each. Staff members of the Natural Resources Services division continue to support the gardeners including serving as a liaison to the City of Eureka and assisting with general maintenance and repairs of the space. 

Contact Garden Manager Matt Drummond for more information, matt@nrsrcaa.org or (707) 269-2071.