The Pittsburgh Pirates, Pirates Charites and Rivendale Farms have partnered with Grow Pittsburgh, Levy Restaurants, and the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy to launch PNC Park's first-ever ballpark garden, the Rivendale Patio Garden. The Rivendale Patio Garden will utilize sustainable practices and provide healthy food, grown on-site, to be used in guests' favorite dishes in the ballpark this season. The Patio Garden officially opens today, Tuesday, May 15, on the Rivendale Suite Level of PNC Park. 
The Rivendale Patio Garden will produce a variety of herbs and vegetables hand-selected by Levy Restaurants' PNC Park Executive Chef Adam Holt, and Rivendale Farms' Crop Production Manager Susanna Meyer. Guests will experience the growth and harvest of fresh produce such as zucchini, arugula, cucumbers and beets. Additionally, Rivendale Farms will be featuring a special garden bed dedicated specifically to produce grown at the farm in Bulger, PA as well as new varieties developed through the farm's partnership with Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture in New York. 
"The Patio Garden is the embodiment of everything that makes our city and our professional sports teams so special," said Rivendale Farms General Manager Christine Grady. "It's really all about teamwork. The best talent coming together to provide something innovative and interactive for the whole city to enjoy. We like to say that we are bringing the farm to the ballfield, but it's much more than that. This is also about building community and providing accessibility to good food." 
The Rivendale Patio Garden is the latest demonstration of the Pirates commitment to sustainability through the Club's nationally recognized "Let's Go Bucs. Let's Go Green." initiative. The garden percent sustainable resource as it uses Park food waste compost, courtesy of AgRecycle; also, the garden uses recyclables collected by the Pirates to line the raised grow beds; and rainwater collected on the patio as the garden's primary watering source. 
"The Rivendale Patio Garden is the product of shared vision and commitment to living and promoting a sustainable lifestyle," said Pittsburgh Pirates and Pirates Charities Chairman, Bob Nutting. "We are thrilled to partner with like-minded organizations such as Rivendale Farms, Grow Pittsburgh and the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy to bring this garden to life at PNC Park. In addition to the practical uses of the garden, we are excited to utilize our unique public position to help promote the importance of sustainable practices in order to make an even greater impact on our environment."  
The Pirates and Rivendale Farms selected Grow Pittsburgh as its gardening and education partner for the development and maintenance of the garden. In addition to caring for the garden, Grow Pittsburgh and Rivendale farmers have worked together to create an extensive garden care manual and will host tours and educational events throughout the season. 
"This partnership really shines a light on what we do best at Grow Pittsburgh." said Executive Director Jake Seltman. "We have a commitment and passion for teaching people how to grow food and promoting the benefits that gardens bring to our neighborhoods. From our work in bringing garden-based education to local schools, to supporting community gardens throughout the city, to advocating for access to healthy food for everyone via urban farming, this partnership gives us another avenue to reach our mission in Pittsburgh. The Rivendale Patio Garden is a meaningful introduction to the idea that people of all ages can grow their own food. It's important to make growing food approachable and fun and what could be more fun than pairing gardening and fresh food with baseball at a Pirates game?" 
The Pirates longtime charitable partner, The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, is providing educational and wayfinding signage that will be displayed throughout the garden and Rivendale Suite Level so that guests can explore the garden at their own pace during home games.   
Additional contributors to the project include WallacePancher Group, Brenckle's Greenhouse and AgRecycle Compost Center.  
The Rivendale Patio Garden officially opens today, Tuesday, May 15, 2018. Educational programming, special events and tours will be announced throughout the season via the Pittsburgh Pirates and Rivendale Farms websites and social media networks.