The Farmacy Garden in Christiansburg, Virginia is a collaborative project which serves as a hub for healthy produce and programming to meet the needs of low income residents of Montgomery County.  

General Information about the Organization/Mission

The Farmacy Garden offers a unique way for low income residents in the Montgomery County area to think about wellness and nutrition. At the Farmacy Garden, eligible participants can experience the benefits of helping to grow, maintain and harvest fresh vegetables in a convenient location.  WIC participants are able to take home fresh produce and learn how to cook and prepare the items they harvest.  Local doctors are utilizing the Farmacy as well by writing prescriptions for fresh produce which patients can “fill” at the garden through the Garden Prescription Program. 

Residents that qualify, can participate in several different ways such as the GardenShare program, Cooking Classes, a Weekly Walking Club, and an email newsletter.  Participants do not have to have any gardening experience,  they can simply come and learn and grow in a welcoming space.  By making fresh vegetables available and sharing how easy they can be to use at home, the Farmacy Garden hopes to positively impact community health issues such as diabetes and obesity.  The goal of the Garden Prescription Program is to emphasize the importance of diet and moderate physical activity as vital components in a patient’s wellness plan.   

Basic Info

Issues of Focus

The Farmacy Garden focuses on helping those in the community least likely to be able to afford healthy food, learn how to grow, harvest and use fresh vegetables through hands on work in the garden and classes on easy to prepare recipes and cooking techniques.

The Farmacy Garden team also works hard to increase and strengthen the Garden Prescription Program by networking with physicians to increase the number referring clients to the garden.

History of Organization

Programs and Projects 

Participants in the Farmacy’s Garden Prescription Program are introduced to the program through an orientation in the garden and a free sample of fresh vegetables to take home.  Participants will work with a volunteer or coordinator to choose one of four levels of involvement in the garden:

• GardenShare: Where garden labor earns participants fresh weekly vegetables
• Cooking classes:  Demonstrating how to cook with fresh veggies from the garden
• Weekly Walking Club which starts their walk at the garden.
• Weekly e-newsletter on healthy eating and living. 

Each option runs for six weeks and participants are welcome to sign up again at the conclusion of their series.

Partners and Frequent Collaborators

• Virginia Cooperative Extension

• New River Health District

• Community Health Center of the NRV

• Carillion Family Practice.

Future Developments for This Wiki

History