Growing a New Digital Home for Fenway Victory Gardens
If you’ve been visiting our website over the years, you might notice that things look and feel a little different these days. Like our garden plots, our online space has been quietly nurtured, and recently, some big, fresh changes have taken root. Just as in the garden, nurturing growth often means making space for new ideas.
As the VP of Communication & Development, it’s been both a joy and a privilege to help reimagine our digital home. My hope was to build on the strong roots of our past while providing our ever-growing community with the tools and resources to flourish for seasons to come. I’m excited to finally share the story behind this transformation, and why it matters to all of us.
Why a New Website?
Just as our garden community has grown and diversified, so have the needs of everyone connected to Fenway Victory Gardens. Over the years, our website became a home for important updates, cherished history, and many ways to get involved. But it also became clear that we needed more than a repository. We wanted a website as welcoming, intuitive, and accessible as the gardens themselves.
Our reimagined site was designed with two audiences in mind:
Our gardeners, who need timely, detailed information and helpful resources to care for their plots and stay active in the community.
The public, including neighbors, visitors, park lovers, and fellow city dwellers who want to learn about what's growing here, support our mission, attend an event, or simply enjoy this oasis in the heart of Boston.
Because Fenway Victory Gardens is a proud part of the local neighborhood, we felt it was important to share who we are and what we do with the community in a clear, engaging way. By making information easier to find and opening more opportunities to connect, we're inviting both gardeners and our neighbors to get involved and stay informed.
Ultimately, we hope the Fenway Victory Gardens can flourish in the public imagination as much as in the soil, and continue serving as a vibrant, inclusive gathering place for all Bostonians.
Planting the Seeds: How the Redesign Took Shape
At first, the plan was simple: improve the website as it was, making things clearer and a bit easier to navigate. The idea was to refresh and update, but not to completely uproot the familiar site we already had. But as we dug deeper into the content and structure, it became clear that the roots of our website had grown tangled over the years. What started as minor tidying grew into a full-scale redesign. We realized the best way to serve both our loyal gardeners, and the wider community was to create something entirely new without.
One thing we were determined not to lose was the core information and bits of history already living on our site. As part of the redesign, we also uncovered some old photos many of which have now found a home on the new website and help highlight our vibrant past. This process gave us the idea to preserve the stories through this blog section as a way of documenting the ongoing stories that make our gardens unique.
Throughout it all, our guiding principle has been to blend tradition with innovation. We have carried forward the best of our past, pruned away what no longer fit, and introduced fresh, engaging ways for everyone to connect.
What’s New & Why It Matters
Simplified Navigation: Information is now organized and easy to find. Whether you’re checking the latest events, seeking gardening tips, or curious about our legacy, everything’s just a click (or tap) away.
A Growing Library of Resources: We’ve expanded our resources for all skill levels. From practical gardening how-to guides and FGS-specific updates to educational articles and instructional videos, there’s something for everyone. We’re especially excited to offer much of our essential information in multiple languages, making our resources more accessible for our diverse community.
Ways to Connect & Contribute: Our streamlined Get Involved section makes it easier than ever to volunteer, participate in events, or support the gardens.
Events Calendar: Our new events calendar is your one-stop spot for staying up to date on everything happening at the gardens, from community participation days to various workshops and our garden meetings. It’s never been easier to stay in the loop and join the fun!
By introducing these new features and improvements, we hope to make Fenway Victory Gardens more welcoming, more informative, and more accessible, so everyone feels at home, both in the gardens and online.
Behind the Scenes: A Labor of Love
Redesigning the website was a team effort, with ideas, knowledge, and feedback . Every detail was shaped with our gardeners and community in mind. Like any worthwhile project, it took patience, teamwork, and a bit of trial and error, and watching it come to life has been incredibly rewarding.
Our Invitation to You
We hope you’ll take a few minutes to explore the new website, whether you’re a longtime gardener, a neighbor out for a walk, an aspiring volunteer, or simply curious about this corner of our city. As you browse around, we hope you’ll find our refreshed website useful, inspiring, and easy to navigate. Please explore, connect with us, and share your thoughts we’re always growing, both online and in the gardens themselves.
Here’s to cultivating our community, together!
Happy gardening,
Jelena
VP of Communication & Development
Fenway Garden Society