This Secret Community Garden Grows Fresh Produce for Austin’s Hungry

Tucked behind the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired in north central Austin, three acres of organic vegetable plots, herb beds, and flower gardens spread across a property that feels distinctly separate from the surrounding city.

This is Sunshine Community Gardens, one of the largest and most successful community gardens in the country.

Here, there are roughly 320 gardeners who tend 230 plots, and where thousands of pounds of fresh produce are grown specifically to feed Austin residents who might not otherwise have access to healthy food.

More Than a Place to Grow

Sunshine Community Gardens sits on Sunshine Drive near the intersection of Lamar Boulevard and 45th Street—technically within the Brentwood neighborhood but serving gardeners from across Austin.

The land belongs to the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (TSBVI), which has licensed it at no cost to the garden since its founding.

This partnership shapes everything about the place, from its accessibility focus to its commitment to serving a charity connected to TSBVI.

Walking through the garden, you’ll find a remarkable variety of growing spaces. Full, half, and quarter-sized plots stretch across the property in neat rows, interspersed with specialty areas that serve different purposes.

Beyond individual plots, Sunshine maintains several communal gardens: a Contemplative Garden for quiet reflection, a Salvia Garden, a Pollinator Garden, a Pocket Prairie planted with native species, and an Herb Garden.

A Tomato Trial Garden tests varieties suited to Austin’s climate, and results are shared with the community.

The garden also hosts a Chicken Cooperative near the southwest corner, where a small group of members and non-members raise hens—visitors can hear the rooster crow in the morning.

The Famous Annual Plant Sale

Every year on the first Saturday of March, Sunshine Community Gardens transforms into one of Austin’s most anticipated spring events: the Annual Plant Sale and Benefit.

Thousands of vegetable starts and herbs grown by local organic farmers fill tents where knowledgeable gardeners help customers choose the right varieties for their home plots.

The numbers are staggering.

Recent sales have offered 87 varieties of tomatoes, 72 varieties of peppers (40 hot, 32 sweet), 19 varieties of eggplant, 6 varieties of tomatillos, and some 7,000 herb plants—over 24,000 vegetable and herb plants total.

The sale typically runs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the garden’s location on Sunshine Drive. Gates open with a musical parade.

Lines form early—Austin gardeners know this is the place to find heirloom tomatoes and peppers specifically selected for Central Texas growing conditions.

Proceeds from the plant sale keep membership fees low and fund maintenance of the garden’s facilities, tools, tractor, and compost operation. The garden receives no government funding and employs no paid staff.

Visiting the Garden

Sunshine Community Gardens welcomes visitors who want to stroll through the plots, observe the gardens, and experience this urban green space.

You can walk the paths, visit the chickens (there’s a bucket for vegetable donations by the coop door), and see what’s growing in different seasons.

The garden asks that visitors respect the plots—these are working gardens tended by individual members, not public picking grounds.

Educational tours are available for groups interested in organic gardening techniques.

The garden provides tours to schools, donations of seeds and plants to local youth groups, and meeting space for other nonprofits.

A Half-Century of Growing Community

Sunshine Community Gardens traces its origins to 1974, though it moved to its current location on Sunshine Drive in 1983.

The garden’s longevity speaks to something beyond simply growing vegetables.

Members range from 90-year-old retirees who find joy in watching plants grow to young families teaching children where food comes from.

Some gardeners have tended the same plots for decades. Others are new to Austin and seeking connection.

All share a belief that urban green space matters—for the environment, for community, and for the people who might not otherwise have access to fresh vegetables.

For more information about Sunshine Community Gardens, including membership, volunteer opportunities, and the annual plant sale, visit sunshinecommunitygardens.org.

Use the map to explore the garden layout, the surrounding Brentwood neighborhood, and nearby parks that make this area one of Austin’s most charming green pockets.

Where: 4814 Sunshine Drive, Austin, TX 78756

Sunshine Community Gardens isn’t just a place to grow food—it’s a place where neighbors share abundance, learn together, and keep Austin’s community spirit thriving, one tomato at a time.