Atlanta has found its way to the upper echelons of yet another nationwide ranking of cities, this time landing in second place in LawnStarter’s 200-city survey of the best U.S. metros for urban gardening. 

Coming in just behind New York, Atlanta beat out other sustainability-focused cities like San Francisco, Seattle and Portland, Oregon. 

Urban gardening turns underused areas like vacant lots into community gardens that allow neighbors to grow and share food. These productive green spaces bring many benefits, including reducing waste and providing fresh produce to food deserts. 

LawnStarter’s ranking was based on four metrics that are most relevant to urban gardening: access to community gardens, access to gardening supplies, climate and support, which includes local gardening clubs and “right-to-garden” laws. 

Atlanta scored No. 1 for regional garden clubs and No. 2 for the number of community gardens. The city’s “food forest” in the Browns Mill neighborhood gained particular attention. At 7.1 acres, this agricultural treasure is the largest in the U.S. and provides free, fresh fruits and vegetables to the local community, where more than a third of residents live below poverty. 

The top 10 cities are: 

1. New York
2. Atlanta
3. San Francisco
4. Portland, Oregon
5. Tampa, Florida 
6. Seattle 
7. Miami 
8. Austin, Texas 
9. Pasadena, California 
10. Orlando, Florida 

The full list of 200 cities can be found here.