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Bed-Stuy’s Community Gardens
By The Changeling | June 4, 2007
A few months ago Lesterhead of the Clinton Hill Blog had a really great idea to cover the community gardens in her neighborhood, and she suggested that I do the same for the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood. She also came up with the idea that we should coordinate our posts so that readers could find out about the gardens in both neighborhoods on the same day (this is especially helpful for people who live on the border of the two neighborhoods). So today we present you with images and information on the beautiful and numerous community gardens in our area. I hope you find this post helpful, and remember to visit the Clinton Hill Blog to find out about Clinton Hill’s community gardens.
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My best friend from back home has become an avid gardener. He never really seemed interested in it when we were young, but in our post-college years we would talk and he would begin to wax poetic about a Blue Spruce he planted in his yard. He would talk about plants and trees that I knew nothing about and at times he made gardening seem like the most relaxing activity in the world. So thanks to my childhood buddy, I’ve come to understand how therapeutic gardening can be, and while I don’t have a green thumb, I like to watch other people garden and I do find it interesting.Â
I enjoyed walking and biking around Bed-Stuy to find each of the community gardens. Sometimes I got a chance to chat with garden members and usually if they saw me staring through the fence they invited me in. Below you’ll find some information and images from each of the gardens I visited.
General Information About Community GardensÂ
Most gardens welcome new members and once you become a member you can enjoy the garden whenever you want. Many require new members to complete some garden work over a few days during the garden’s open hours, and some gardens require members to pay a yearly fee. The gardens that do require their members to pay usually ask for a nominal amount. It varies from garden to garden (e.g., one garden I visited charges around $35 per year while another one only charged $10 per year).
Wherever possible, I included the garden’s contact information for people who are interested in becoming members. Some gardens do not post their contact person’s information on their garden gate and they may not have a website or email address, so to find out how to get involved you can call GreenThumb NYC at (212) 788-8070 and they can give you a contact number for any of the gardens in which you’re interested.
CLIFTON PLACE MEMORIAL GARDEN & PARK
Bedford Avenue and Clifton Place
Hours: Monday - Friday 6:00 - 8:00 pm, Saturday 3:00 - 8:00 pm, flexible hours on Sundays
For information email cliftonplacebloc@aol.com
The folks over at the Clifton Place Garden are quite friendly. I had the chance to visit this garden a couple of times over the past several weeks. Several of the members have nice plots with everything from flowers and corn to collards and tomatoes.
The garden is available for private events for a donation, and since it is so close to the Bedford/Nostrand G station, it would be a great place to have a summer party.
Clifton Place Koi
I really like the koi pond that they’ve set up in this garden. It’s located near the fence so I usually stop briefly to look at the fish whenever I’m walking down Bedford.Â
BEDFORD AVENUE BLOCK ASSOCIATION COMMUNITY GARDEN
Bedford Avenue south of Willoughby Avenue
Hours: Monday 7:00 - 9:00 pm, Wednesday 8:00 - 9:00 pm, Saturday noon - 4:00 pm, Sunday noon - 2:00 pm
Contact Email: Johnw@nyrp.org
Phone: (212) 333-2552
The Bedford Avenue Garden is kinda small and it looks like the members are just starting to get it ready for the planting season. It looks like some work has been done in this space.
 Roses bloom near a bench in the Bedford Avenue Block Association Community Garden
T & T VERNON BLOCK ASSOCIATION COMMUNITYÂ GARDENÂ
Vernon Avenue between Tompkins and Throop Avenues
Hours: Not posted
Contact: GreenThumb NYC at (212) 788-8070
This was a nice large garden with a wide path and shade trees, but I couldn’t tell if it had any plant beds set up for the season. It looked like a nice place to hold a BBQ though.
VERNON/THROOP AVENUE BLOCK ASSOCIATION COMMUNITY GARDENÂ
Vernon and Throop Avenues
Hours: Monday - Wednesday 9:00 am - noon, Saturday 10:00 am - 11:00 am
Contact: GreenThumb NYC at (212) 788-8070
This tiny garden on the corner of Vernon and Throop is requesting members. It’s been in existence since 1989 and it looks like a a great space for planting. Already the roses are in bloom and some members have planted watermelon in a plot on the far side.
CITIZENS FOR A BETTER COMMUNITY
Patchen between Monroe and Madison
Hours: Not posted
Contact: GreenThumb NYC at (212) 788-8070
This was one of the largest gardens I visited. It looks like the members are just starting to prepare the garden for the season.
RED GATE GARDEN
Marcy Avenue at Willoughby Avenue
Hours: Saturday and Sunday 11:00 am - 4:00 pm
Contact: GreenThumb NYC at (212) 788-8070
A tire planter in Red Gate Garden
Although the Red Gate Garden is situated on a medium-sized lot, it offers many good things to its members. One Saturday I saw a group of members having a cookout in the garden’s shade. In the far corner there are a few garden plots.
The willow tree shades an area of mosaic tile. I believe that last year this was a pool.
GREENE ACRES COMMUNITY GARDEN
Greene and Franklin Avenues
Hours: Monday 6:30 - 8:30 pm, Saturday and Sunday 1:00 - 4:00 pm
Website: http://greeneacres.interactivist.net
Contact Email: Johnw@nyrp.org
Phone: (212) 333-2552
Greene Acres Welcomes You
Greene Acres looks like it is one of the busier gardens. They have their own website and different types of garden memberships. The lot is very large and they have a koi pond as well.
They harvest rainwater for their plants.
All of the garden paths are filled with signs that heavy-duty gardening is taking place.
Greene Acres Mural
HATTIE CARTHAN COMMUNITY GARDEN
Lafayette and Marcy Avenues across from Herbert Von King Park
Hours: Call GreenThumb NYC for hours
Contact: GreenThumb NYC at (212) 788-8070
The Hattie Carthan Community Garden has definitely been lovingly tended to by its members. They have a grape arbor, a gazebo with seating and tons of shade trees that make this place an oasis in the city.
There’s some serious gardening going on here. A member told me that they have about 28 gardening plots and over 60 members, so there’s a waiting list for a plot! I’m not sure how long the waiting list is, but I’m sure that you can get a chance to enjoy gardening by befriending the members who have plots. I’m sure they would let you help out.
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The Hattie Carthan Garden has a lot of seating. It’s so easy to stroll into this garden and stretch out on one of the benches and relax.
There was a beautiful sculpture of a woman in the garden. There was no indication who the artist was.
Rabbit thinks you’ve come to feed him.
One of the things that I really liked about this garden is that it has its own rabbit. This wee beastie lived in a large pen in a corner of the garden. When I asked the garden members what his name was they said “His name is Rabbit.” I thought they were joking but they weren’t. Rabbit was really friendly and he reminded me of the Cadbury Easter Bunny.
HART TO HART COMMUNITY GARDEN
Hart Street between Marcy and Tompkins
Hours: Saturday and Sunday 9:00 -11:00 am (April to October)
Contact: GreenThumb NYC at (212) 788-8070
Hart to Hart Community Garden
The Hart to Hart Garden is located a stone’s throw away from the American Heart Community Garden. Both look like they cater to diehard gardeners.
AMERICAN HEART COMMUNITY GARDEN
Hart Street between Marcy and TompkinsÂ
Hours: Saturday and Sunday 9:00 -11:00 am (April to October)
Contact: GreenThumb NYC at (212) 788-8070
 American Heart Community Garden
This garden was all plots! They took up all of the space here. Clearly the members of this garden don’t have the time for frilly extras like ponds and artwork, but that’s okay. Here, the gardening is the art and they are the temperamental artists, so get out of their way, they’ve got some planting to do!
SPENCER STREET BLOCK ASSOCIATION COMMUNITY GARDEN
Spencer Street between Willoughby and Dekalb Avenues
Hours: Not posted
Contact: GreenThumb NYC at (212) 788-8070
Spencer Street Garden in April
I took this photo of the Spencer Street Garden a couple of months ago in April, before spring planting got underway. When I decided to revisit this garden a couple of days ago, I almost missed it.  It looked a lot different–the plots were gone and the sign for this community garden was no longer there. Maybe they’re just rearranging the garden for a new planting season.Â
Additional Community Gardens Located Within Bedford-Stuyvesant:
We have a lot of community gardens in our neighborhood and unfortunately I didn’t get to photograph all of them, but I’ve listed the names and locations of the gardens that I didn’t visit so you can find out which garden is closest to your home. For more information about about any of these gardens, remember that you can call Green Thumb at (212) 788-8070.
Angel’s Garden located on Greene Avenue between Malcolm X Boulevard and Patchen Avenue
BKCB3 NYCHA Garden located on Monroe between Marcy and Tompkins
Halsey/Lewis/Stuyvesant Civic Association Community Garden located at the corner of Halsey Street and Marcus Garvey Boulevard
Hancock Neighborhood Block Association Garden of Hope located on Hancock Street between Throop and Marcus Garvey Boulevard
John the Baptist Community Center Garden located on the corner of Vernon and Stuyvesant Avenues
Kosciuszko Garden Learning Center is supposed to be located at 385-389 Kosciuszko which would place it between Throop Avenue and Marcus Garvey Boulevard. When I visited this area to see the garden in person, I couldn’t locate it. Â
Madison Street Block Association Community Garden located on Madison Street between Franklin and Bedford Avenues Â
Mt. Lebanon Baptist Church Garden located on MacDonough Street at Stuyvesant AvenueÂ
New Harvest Garden located on Vernon between Marcy and TompkinsÂ
P.S. 3 Community Garden located on Franklin Avenue between Jefferson Avenue and Hancock Street
P.S. 35 Decatur Clearpool Beacon Garden located on MacDonough between Marcus Garvey Boulevard and Lewis Avenue
Patrick Van Doren Pocket Park located on the corner of Malcolm X Boulevard and Quincy Street
Progressive Adventure Playland Garden located at the corner of Marcus Garvey Boulevard and Lexington Avenue
Shiloh Garden Inc. located on Monroe between Marcy and Tompkins
Spencer’s Little Heaven located on Hancock Street between Franklin Avenue and Spencer Place
Stars of Hope Community Garden located on Madison Street near Nostrand Avenue
Don’t forget to visit the Clinton Hill Blog to find out about the community gardens in Clinton Hill.
June 5th, 2007 at 9:38 pm
Thanks For Doing This
Green Guerillas is a Non-Profit that is doing a lot of work with the Community Gardens in Bed-Stuy. They are directly involved with over 20 gardens in Bed-Stuy. They have an office at 677 Lafayette Avenue (Between Marcy & Tompkins) and can be reached at 718.906.1000. They have a map of gardens in Bed Stuy and frequently organize work days, barbeques, murals and other events. This summer the Green Guerillas staff will be starting a new community garden, supporting the harvest for neighborhoods campaing that aims to increase activity in community gardens through food production and distibution.
Please Check out the green guerillas website or call the office for more information and to find out how to get involved.
http://www.greenguerillas.org
June 6th, 2007 at 8:22 am
Thanks for posting this information, Adam. I’m really impressed with the work Green Guerillas is doing in the community.
June 25th, 2007 at 9:47 am
Excellent information. Thanks so much!
June 25th, 2007 at 9:23 pm
Changeling, thank you for the beautiful photos, but I think you should come back to the Clifton Place Memorial Garden and Park and take better pictures as the garden is very lush now. Also, we too harvest rain water in our 1000 tank.
The fish pond will be restocked with more goldfish and when we do I’ll put the gold and orange fish in with the other.
The site looks great and is a great guide for those wanting to know more about community gardens and the wonderful joy they add to the community.
Melvin
June 26th, 2007 at 5:50 am
Thanks for visiting the blog! And for saving the fish! Yesterday I saw the corn that had been planted in Clifton Place Memorial Garden and I was amazed that it had gotten so tall. The flowers in the garden are gorgeous. I took the pictures above at the start of the planting season, so I’ll be sure to come by again and get updated photos.