Birdhouse Community Garden (BCG) is an educational demonstration space that produces food for the surrounding community. The garden is truly by community, for community! Because of the community run model, we are always on the lookout for volunteers to help with the day-to-day operations. Below you will have the opportunity to learn about a variety of ways to get involved at Birdhouse Community Garden and evaluate which type of volunteering might be best for you.

For direct volunteer communications, BCG uses Whatsapp. If you plan to join a volunteer group, please be sure that you have a Whatsapp account so that you can join in on the volunteer conversation!

Garden Address: 1507 Grayland Ave. Richmond, VA 23220

Look for the Big Blue Shed beside the Randolph Community Pool!

Ways to Get Involved on your own:

• Join the BCG Email List! Separate from the bi-weekly Birdhouse Newsletter, this list only receives information about the garden and I promise - we only email if we have something important to tell you. Sign up here!

• Weed! Whenever you find yourself in the garden, feel free to pull a weed or two… or one hundred! Dump anything you pull in the Garden Compost Bins (the wood ones amongst the trees - not the plastic commercial composting bins!)

• Harvest! See something you want to take home that’s ready for the picking? Do it! This food is for YOU! Take it home to enjoy, share it with a friend, donate it to a community fridge - wherever it lands, we’re just glad you’re harvesting!

• Take a Breather! Just rest for a moment and enjoy your surroundings. We love having you in the garden and we hope you’ll enjoy it to the fullest extent! Whether you want to get your hands dirty or not, we’re glad you’re here.

volunteer opportunities with community:

• Join the Peach Protector Crew: BCG has a 2nd year peach tree that needs a little help surviving the harsh Winter weather here in zone 7b. A team of volunteers self-schedules themselves every two weeks to uncover/cover the peach tree with frost cloth around a volunteer-built cage on a daily basis. If you are interested in learning more and getting involved, email Tegan at birdhousefm.assistant@gmail.com.

• Shed Clean Out: Help BCG Staff and Volunteers clean out and organize the garden shed ahead of the 2026 gardening season. Date and time TBD. Join our email list to receive information about this opportunity!

• Attend a Garden Work Day: Happening every Saturday, March - November, join us in the Birdhouse Community Garden for a weekly volunteer work day! 9am - 11am. Tasks vary depending on garden need and volunteer interests. Wear closed toed shoes and clothes you can get dirty. Bring a water bottle. All tools, gloves, etc. provided by BCG. No sign up required, come and go as you please! No previous gardening skills/knowledge is required - we are all learning together!

• Join us for a Community Potluck: On the first Saturday of each month, March - November, join us at BCG for a community potluck at 12pm. Bring food or drinks (non-alcoholic) to share if you’re able, but don’t worry about it if you can’t! This is a great opportunity to learn about the garden, meet your neighbors and fellow gardening community, and to share a tasty meal in a fun space! No one turned away for lack of food to share. Please list all ingredients on a sheet of paper to place with your dish if you bring something homemade!

Have a question about volunteering or about the Birdhouse Community Garden in general?

Email Tegan at birdhousefm.assistant@gmail.com with all garden inquiries.