The Garden at the Nicholas and Athena Karabots Pediatric Care Center is a unique, labyrinth-style space designed to grow more than just fruits and vegetables—it nurtures health, peace and community connection. The Garden is part of a larger wellness vision to engage patients and their families about healthy food and nutrition, provide them with a hands-on experience in nature, and inspire them to grow produce and flowers at home, in whatever space they have available.
Growing Wellness, One Plant at a Time
With the support of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s City Harvest program, the Garden gets thousands of organic seedlings throughout the growing season.
The Garden grows an abundant variety of fruits and vegetables, harvested weekly and distributed for free from May through November.
What’s Growing in the Garden?
- Basil
- Beets
- Carrots
- Collard Greens
- Cucumbers
- Eggplants
- Kale
- Lettuce
- Peppers
- Squash
- Tomatoes
The Karabots property also boasts an orchard, planted in partnership with the Philadelphia Orchard Project, that includes 10 fruit trees and 250 feet of berry brambles with hardy kiwi, grapes, blackberries and raspberries.
Beyond Garden Beds: Education & Community
In addition to offering a tranquil place to relax before and after appointments, the Garden at Karabots offers fun educational activities like Books and Cooks, a program that reenforces the benefits of early childhood literacy while learning about healthy cooking and eating practices. The Garden is also a proud member of SWWAG (Southwest and West Agriculture Group), a local collaboration offering a variety of educational classes on urban farming. Check out the website to learn more!
Honoring Lives Through Nature
In 2021, a Gun Violence Victims Memorial was installed in the Garden. This peaceful area includes benches and a colorful, stained-glass sculpture, providing a thoughtful, reflective space where survivors and families impacted by gun violence can visit and reflect.
The Garden by the Numbers
- 11: Fruit trees
- 55: Different types of vegetables, fruits and herbs grown
- 250: Feet of berry brambles
- 500: Plants grown
- 1,200: Volunteers pitched in to build and maintain the labyrinth-style space
- 1,200: Square feet of growing space
- 3,500: Pounds of fresh produce distributed to the community each year
Meet Our Gardener
Carly Freedman is the Community Garden and Food Sustainability Program Coordinator at Karabots. She is responsible for the Garden as well as the educational programming designed around it. Freedman has farmed and gardened all over the world.