Common Ground 2027 Farm + Garden Conference
Start Date: November 7, 2026 9:00 am
End Date: November 7, 2026 2:30 pm
Location: Common Ground High School, 358 Springside Ave., New Haven, CT
Cost:
Website: View Event Website
Organizer: Common Ground
Website: Visit Organizer's Website
Our Annual Farm and Garden Conference, held in November, is a joint effort of the Farm Department and Community Program’s Schoolyards Program which gathers an average of 100 attendees from across the tri-state region and all over CT.
We invite workshop leaders that uplift often marginalized voices within the agricultural community. We market the conference in Spanish and English and offer interpretation services. Through our many years of community-oriented agricultural work, we have learned that New Haven residents need spaces for knowledge sharing that uplift local experts and youth voices regarding restructuring our food system to address climate change and food apartheid. We have successfully operated this conference for more than seven years, featuring workshops such as building knowledge around seed keeping, building garden beds, composting, indigenous farming technologies, herbal medicine, ancestral foodways, farm animal care, and youth perspectives on “Food and Climate”.
Our objective is to inspire and empower attendees to grow food locally and build the city’s capacity to improve public health and increase agricultural knowledge. Access to this conference is further facilitated through pay-what-you-can tickets.
We will see you on November 7,2026!
WHAT: A Full Day of HANDS ON workshops on urban growing, cooking, outdoor education + more. Open TO ALL!
*if a workshop you are excited about is full, we may have space on the day of. Please email with questions!
WHERE: Common Ground 358 Springside Ave, New Haven, CT
WHO: YOU! Educators, urban farmers, backyard gardeners, anyone who wants to incorporate growing food and food justice into their lives or work.
WHEN: Saturday November 7th 9am-2:30pm
Schedule:
9:00-9:20 am Check in
9:20-9:30 am Welcome!
9:40-10:40 am Session 1
10:45-11:45 am Session 2
11:50-12:50 pm Vegetarian Lunch by a Hotel Marcel
12:55-2:30 pm Session 3
COST: The conference is PAY WHAT YOU CAN. After filling out this registration form, you must follow this link to pay $10-$90 in order to reserve your spot. Please email deborah@nhep.com if you have any questions or would like a scholarship. The true cost of the conference is $80 per person (this includes planning, food, paying educators, workshop supplies and overhead).
YOUTH + KIDS: Just register HERE.
The Kids Track is recommended for young people ages 6-12 accompanied by an adult who is attending the conference. There is a minimum contribution of $10 so that we can pay for staff time. This conference is NOT a drop off program. Children, youth and HS students must be accompanied by an adult at the general conference unless otherwise arranged. Just register HERE.
ATTENDANCE//LAST MINUTE CHANGES:
-When you register, you are agreeing to come to the full day of workshops.
-If you are not able to attend, please let us know ASAP so we can open up a spot to another interested person!
QUESTIONS? EMAIL farm@nhep.com