Community gardens sprouting up

from Queens Chronicle Spring Guide 2022

by Queens Chronicle

Happy colors in women’s fashion

QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, April 14, 2022 Page 16

Someplace that’s green

Community gardens thrive in Queens

by Michael Gannon

Senior News Editor

If you have a talent for gardening, an interest in developing one or just like to steal away to a small patch of green near your home, there is a community garden somewhere in Queens that is waiting to welcome you.

The GreenThumb program, run by the city’s Department of Parks and Recreation, sponsors more than 550 gardens run by volunteer groups, including 40 in the Borough of Queens from the Rockaways to East Elmhurst, and from Long Island City to Cambria Heights.

“Community gardens are publicly accessible open space that is stewarded collectively by a group of volunteers,” a Parks and Recreation spokesman said in an email to the Chronicle. “These spaces may use shared or individual plots and may grow botanical plants, fruits, and/or vegetables. Community gardens and the gardeners who steward them contribute to the environmental sustainability, public health and community resilience of their neighborhoods and cities.”

Established in 1978, according to Parks and Rec, the GreenThumb helps more than 20,000 volunteers with gardening materials, technical assistance, educational workshops and seasonal programs.

A list of gardens in Queens and information on how to join them can be found online at on.nyc.gov/3va0s3l. The list also contains links to social media pages that some of the volunteer groups maintain. All licensed and registered GreenThumb gardens must, under normal circumstances, remain open to the public for at least 20 hours per week during the official gardening season of April 1 to Oct. 31. There are exceptions, of course, such as the Project Eden Garden in Rego Park, located at 67-02 Kessel St. at the intersection with Yellowstone Boulevard. While daffodils have bloomed from a few of the raised beds, it is not open to the public as it still is undergoing work to repair damage suffered during the remnants of Hurricane Ida last Sept. 1.

Parks and Recreation is hoping for a reopening by late April.

For those interested in starting their own garden, the website has information on that as well.

After filling out a preliminary form available on the website, interested groups must identify a plot of land that would be suitable — city-owned land is said to be preferable, and the GreenThumb web page has a link to city properties that have been identified as being possibly suited for a garden.

If a privately owned parcel is preferable, there are links for identifying the owners as the first step in obtaining permission.

Organizers must then demonstrate that they have a large enough group to adequately maintain a garden. The group then must draft a proposal and secure area support, including from the neighborhood’s community board.

Parks and Recreation also offers assistance with gaining access to water, creating healthy soil, identifying suitable plants and accessing funding.

City-supported community gardens like this one in Rego Park next to Forest Hills always are looking for more volunteers and visitors. PHOTO BY MICHAEL GANNON