Editor's Note: This story originally appeared on LawnStarter.
With grocery prices projected to rise by 3.1% in 2026, there’s never been a better time to grow your own food. Estimates show that growing a 600-square-foot plot for fruits and vegetables can save you around $600 in a single season.
To find the best urban places for growing a bountiful harvest, LawnStarter ranked 2026’s best cities for urban gardening.
To rank the cities, we considered access to community gardens per 10,000 residents, the number of food forests, and average yard sizes. We also factored in local climates, access to gardening supplies, and support like Right to Garden laws, among 15 total metrics.
Explore our ranking of the top 15 cities for urban gardening. To get a full picture of how we ranked the cities, see our methodology at the end.
15. Homestead, FL
- Overall Score: 34.47
- Public Access Rank: 309
- Private Access Rank: 134
- Climate Rank: 24
- Supplies Rank: 53
- Support and Interest Rank: 3
14. West Palm Beach, FL
- Overall Score: 35.69
- Public Access Rank: 86
- Private Access Rank: 163
- Climate Rank: 20
- Supplies Rank: 42
- Support and Interest Rank: 16
13. New York, NY
- Overall Score: 36.41
- Public Access Rank: 124
- Private Access Rank: 90
- Climate Rank: 26
- Supplies Rank: 19
- Support and Interest Rank: 7
12. Los Angeles, CA
- Overall Score: 36.91
- Public Access Rank: 300
- Private Access Rank: 38
- Climate Rank: 15
- Supplies Rank: 77
- Support and Interest Rank: 5
11. Portland, OR
- Overall Score: 36.92
- Public Access Rank: 73
- Private Access Rank: 23
- Climate Rank: 159
- Supplies Rank: 18
- Support and Interest Rank: 72
10. Austin, TX
- Overall Score: 37.09
- Public Access Rank: 38
- Private Access Rank: 19
- Climate Rank: 13
- Supplies Rank: 30
- Support and Interest Rank: 112
9. Tampa, FL
- Overall Score: 37.78
- Public Access Rank: 33
- Private Access Rank: 31
- Climate Rank: 87
- Supplies Rank: 41
- Support and Interest Rank: 412
8. Fort Myers, FL
- Overall Score: 37.79
- Public Access Rank: 15
- Private Access Rank: 230
- Climate Rank: 47
- Supplies Rank: 39
- Support and Interest Rank: 49
7. Cincinnati, OH
- Overall Score: 37.95
- Public Access Rank: 51
- Private Access Rank: 48
- Climate Rank: 313
- Supplies Rank: 16
- Support and Interest Rank: 59
6. Orlando, FL
- Overall Score: 39.03
- Public Access Rank: 126
- Private Access Rank: 23
- Climate Rank: 36
- Supplies Rank: 25
- Support and Interest Rank: 3
5. Jacksonville, FL
- Overall Score: 39.23
- Public Access Rank: 18
- Private Access Rank: 31
- Climate Rank: 36
- Supplies Rank: 89
- Support and Interest Rank: 322
4. St. Louis, MO
- Overall Score: 40.93
- Public Access Rank: 22
- Private Access Rank: 85
- Climate Rank: 359
- Supplies Rank: 327
- Support and Interest Rank: 55
3. Houston, TX
- Overall Score: 42.33
- Public Access Rank: 115
- Private Access Rank: 390
- Climate Rank: 157
- Supplies Rank: 1
- Support and Interest Rank: 6
2. Miami, FL
- Overall Score: 42.49
- Public Access Rank: 26
- Private Access Rank: 63
- Climate Rank: 6
- Supplies Rank: 31
- Support and Interest Rank: 211
1. Atlanta, GA
- Overall Score: 61.93
- Public Access Rank: 1
- Private Access Rank: 140
- Climate Rank: 164
- Supplies Rank: 21
- Support and Interest Rank: 1
Methodology
To rank the top cities for urban gardening, we compared the 500 largest U.S. cities across 15 metrics.
Our metrics covered 5 main themes:
Public Access Rank (~26%)
- We considered the number of community gardens registered with the American Community Gardening Association adjusted by 10,000 residents. We also included the number of community food forests listed on Community Food Forests.
Private Access Rank (~13%)
- We factored in the average yard size for starting a garden at home.
Climate Rank (~26%)
- We considered the number of days in the growing season, average sunshine, average monthly precipitation, and the number of very hot days and very cold days.
Supplies Rank (~19%)
- We looked at the number of nurseries and supply stores, gardening stores, and landscaping equipment and supply stores.
Support and Interest Rank (~16%)
- We included the number of regional gardening clubs affiliated with National Garden Clubs, the number of local gardening groups on Meetup, whether the state has a “Right to Garden” law, and the local search interest for urban gardening related terms per 100,000 residents.
For each of the 500 cities with available data, we then gathered data on each metric.
Finally, we calculated scores (out of 100 points) for each city to determine its rank in each metric, each category, and overall. A city’s overall score is the average of its scores across all metrics and categories. The highest overall score ranked best (No. 1).
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