Malden’s First Community Garden Built Along the Trail

Volunteers pose for a photo on one of the planting beds in the community garden.
Ward 5 City Councilor Barbara Murphy (center, with blue shirt) worked with teens from the Malden Teen Enrichment Center on the community garden.

An old abandoned railroad line cutting an industrial swath through Malden is starting to blossom into a vibrant greenway now that the Northern Strand Trail (aka: Bike to the Sea trail) is built and the first offshoot of that – a community garden – has been established.

A student paints one of the planting beds in the garden.
Malden High School senior Suheily Aquino was one of several teens from the Malden Teen Enrichment Center who helped build the community garden.

The idea for the community garden came from Ward 5 City Councilor Barbara Murphy and was built by the city in conjunction with Bike to the Sea Inc. and Groundwork Somerville,  a non-profit dedicated to working with youth to help improve the environment and at the same time the social well-being of the community.

The garden at the intersection of the newly paved trail and Railroad Avenue will have 25 planting beds that Malden residents can adopt for just $20 per year. Community gardeners buy their own plants or seeds but water is provided by the city and some hand tools are kept on site.
More information about renting a garden bed can be obtained by emailing: bikepathcommunitygarden@gmail.com.
A group watches some of the work being done to build the garden.
Groundwork Somerville project manager Clay Larsen pointed to some of the work being done.