The Syracuse Real Food Co-Op (SRFC) is located at 618 Kensington Road. SRFC is co-operatively owned by over 3,000 members, serving as a natural food store operating for the mutual benefit of the community since its founding in 1972.

SRFC’s backyard has served as a meeting space for members and gatherings since approximately 2013.

The area was cleared of dense shrubs after lightning struck a tree that stood in the backyard which motivated debris removing and landscaping.

First Backyard Garden Planning Workshop with Alchemical Nursery

Used as a backyard meeting space, it is also intended as a permaculture garden, initiated in partnership with The Alchemical Nursery Project, Inc. (ANP) – a Syracuse-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to permaculture and serving as Syracuse’s chapter of Food Not Lawns. Design of the garden took place during a workshop hosted on site by ANP.

It is home to perennial edible plants, including berry patches, small fruit trees, vegetables and herbs. It also includes a mulched ‘patio’ for tents and gatherings, and a stone and wood bench integrated into an herb spiral for co-op customers and community members to sit and enjoy.

The garden site is different from a traditional “community vegetable garden”, usually composed of annual vegetables in raised beds, and allocated to individuals. This difference is both an asset and a challenge. This perennial garden was intended, designed, and developed with the principles of “permaculture” in mind, an innovative system of design centered around learning from and utilizing the patterns and processes of natural ecosystems.