The California Native Garden Foundation (CNGF) is a nonprofit public benefit corporation. We are undergoing a transformation to the Lab for Nature-Based Urban Living, with at least 25 regenerative organic farms and native hedgerows in Santa Clara County – to inspire a new model of land use, one that restructures our cities to work in harmony with nature.
The CNGF garden, located at 76 Race Street in San Jose, has been building community for 22 years around regenerative land use practices, food access, and native ecology. The garden itself contains the local California native plant communities of San Jose and hosts many types of wildlife, including birds, pollinators, and insects.
We are skilled at taking an asphalt parking lot, an empty vacant lot or a flat piece of compacted land covered with weeds, and transforming each of them into highly productive native California gardens with thriving urban regenerative organic farms. Each of our projects is used as teaching laboratories where professional mentors train student interns the skills necessary to transform a city. We are a partner with San Jose Evergreen Community College District’s Workforce Institute, which provides certificates in fossil fuel-free jobs.
