About
mother and daughter harvesting cherry tomatoes

ABOUT THE GARDEN

A unique concept for european community garden design, the gardens symbiotic plan incorporates both food forest and market garden areas. The food forest has a wide range of endemic and exotic trees, shrubs and ground foliage, creating a multilayered canopy. The trees are mostly fruit or nut-bearing, as food production is a primary driver of community well-being. The market garden is a collective effort that provides year-round harvest for disadvantaged families, distributed through local humanitarian organizations, and for garden volunteers. This area hosts a 24 m2 greenhouse, shading structures, automated watering and compost bins.

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VOLUNTEER DAYS
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VEG SEEDLINGS PLANTED
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TREES & BUSHES PLANTED
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CRATES OF FOOD DONATED

Garden Distinctives

Urbana Basta Podgorica (UBP) is a project that has been designed for the well-being of the city. It is equal parts about providing a healthy location for all citizens to have access to beauty and a healthy environment, an opportunity for people to learn gardening and other skills, a place where organic foods are grown for use by volunteers and also for assisting local humanitarian organizations to feed the disadvantaged. We invite people to join us as we work together to create something special.  

largest in-situ garden

The garden concept is big, but so is the space. At just over 10,000 m2, the UBP community garden is the largest ground-level community garden in Europe. While a larger garden exists in Paris, it is located on a rooftop making the one hectare of managed land the largest European community garden on the ground.  

PErmaculture gardening principles 

The UBP is follows permaculture principles. Designed for sustainability, the garden employs a number of old and new concepts that maximize nature, diversity and output while eliminating chemicals and inorganic processes. Some key techniques that are employed include: regenerative agriculture, "no dig" gardening, cover cropping, etc. 

COmmunity planned

A unique concept for European community garden design, the UBP is a community planned endeavor. We have allocated approximately 70% as a food forest and the balance as a working market garden area. The grounds are for walking, resting, working, and growing food. 

healthy bio-diversity 

The UBP food forest has a wide range of endemic and exotic trees, shrubs, and ground foliage. Together, these create a multi-layered canopy. The trees are mostly fruit or nut-bearing as food production is a driver for the well-being of the community. In order to provide healthy bio-diversity as well as trees and bushes that serve as wind-break, developers of biomass, and health indicators. Additionally, a wide range of vegetables and fruits exist including a range of medicinal and regenerative-aiding flora.

Market garden

The UBP market garden is a collective effort that provides diverse year-round harvest for volunteers and for disadvantaged families via distribution through local humanitarian organizations. The market garden area is still in development but includes a 24 m2  greenhouse with 10 vertical towers for high output production with 900+ plants producing year round as well as a seedling cultivation area, and outdoor covered and uncovered areas where no-dig methodology gardening is utilized.

our partners

The project launched via an agreement between the City of Podgorica and Paradigma NGO. The city provided most of the infrastructure and the non-profit provided leadership for developing & maintaining the garden and some missing resources. The greenhouse was provided through a US Embassy project. Trees, seeds, and seedlings, as well as fresh food for volunteers were provided by a number of local individuals and businesses. The work is led and carried on by local and expat volunteers.