Duarte residents will soon have a new space to
grow fresh produce, learn about gardening, and connect with neighbors!
About Us
The goal of the Duarte Community Garden is to create a welcoming and accessible garden space for community members where they can grow, learn, and connect.
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The Garden
The City of Duarte is partnering with Food Exploration and Discovery (Food ED) to offer the Duarte Community Garden as a space for Duarte residents to grow healthy, accessible food; to learn from gardening and cooking workshops; and to connect with fellow community members in a welcoming gardening space. With 20 raised garden beds and 2 ADA beds available for low-cost yearly rental, community members will be able to grow acceptable edible plants and flowers, as well as learn about native plants, pollinators, and drought tolerant landscaping and soil health. The garden also features publicly accessible beds and fruit trees, and educational demonstration garden space of native plants.
This program is open to all, from beginners to experienced gardeners as Food ED provides help and resources where needed. The garden features drip irrigation to support ecologically sound and sustainable practices. The garden will also be accessible with ADA-best practice decomposed granite pathways and with an educational model that allows gardeners of all skill levels to be successful. Food ED will offer workshops year round to the Duarte Community which are open to all, centered around gardening, healthy food practices, and composting.
The Duarte Community Garden is a public/nonprofit partnership between the City of Duarte and Food Exploration and Discovery (Food ED), with funding generously provided by the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA).
Future garden location
Garden location map view
Our Team
KRISTIN RITZAU, PHD
Executive Director
GIANGELO "GIO" LEOS
Education & Garden Program Director
ROCHELLE KUAN HOFFMAN
Community Engagement Director
JENNIFER MING
Garden Coordinator
For 15 years, Kristin’s life has revolved around urban agriculture and education. She helped found the Monrovia Community Garden and most recently was the Director of Sustainable Edible Education at a Southern California university. She has degrees in Leadership Studies and completed her Ph.D. in Religion, Education, and Ecology where she studied female farmers around the U.S. Having spoken and presented her research at national conferences and taught for over a decade, she now finds herself partnering in her local community to bring together neighbors to collaborate and innovate in exciting ways.
“Gio” is a Master Gardener, Master Herpetologist, Master Composter, California Rare Fruit Tree member, certified California Naturalist, certified Climate Steward, and certified Pollinator Steward. His background includes creating and designing creative curriculum that meets NGSS standards and educating all ages about soil, plants, and invertebrates. His studies include published work on representations of animals throughout history and his Master of Library and Information Science degree focused on botanical libraries and organizational leadership.
Rochelle plays an integral role in building a robust community outreach program for Food ED. She coordinates volunteers, plans and facilitates small and large community outreach events, collaborates with other cities and schools regarding education and community events, and helps manage community events. Rochelle has B.A. in Cultural Anthropology and is a certified California Naturalist.
As garden coordinator, Jennifer brings together members of the community, resources, and garden support for successful programs in many community garden partnerships. As a previous Americorp fellow with the California Climate Action Corp, Jennifer is dedicated to helping San Gabriel Valley communities become more sustainable and resilient through gardens and green spaces. Continuing a career that has ranged from engineering to client advocacy, she is particularly interested in how cities partner with community members and organizations to build healthy ecosystems and sustainable infrastructure.
Garden Leadership Team
Garden Leadership Team is a volunteer leadership group dedicated to the purpose of Duarte Community Garden. They are passionate about gardening and sustainability. They help lead different initiatives and classes as well as maintain the public garden space.