GreenThumb

Established in 1978, GreenThumb is the nation's largest urban gardening program, assisting over 600 gardens and thousands of gardeners in NYC. 

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GreenThumb Urban Gardener Profile #7:

 Sara Jones has been a gardener at the LaGuardia Corner Community Garden for over 20 years. She brings her community together by organizing at the grassroots level, and is committed to providing a safe open space for all to enjoy.  She also loves the fresh peach cobbler and roasted kale chips that the gardeners prepare from their harvest each year.  Here is Sara’s story!

  GreenThumb (GT):

Why did you start urban gardening and how did you learn to garden successfully?

Sara Jones

(SJ):

I watched the LaGuardia Corner Gardens spring up from an empty lot in my neighborhood. It's been in Greenwich Village more than 35 years now. We have developed from a green guerrilla urban vegetable garden into a perennial park. We keep the gate open daylight hours, like a park, from April through October. We believe green spaces are important public amenities for all neighborhoods.

GT:

How has GreenThumb helped your garden?

SJ:

GreenThumb has been an amazing partner over the years. GreenThumb has been instrumental in getting our 8-foot chain link fence installed and the boards that map out the plots of our garden. GreenThumb has been supportive through the years, we grew up together. GreenThumb has such interesting programs, I continue to learn at the annual GrowTogether event and workshops throughout the year.

GT:

What are your favorite memories in the garden?

SJ:

I love all the special events we have in the garden. My favorite is Make Music New York’s free music programs on June 21 each year. We have a wide variety of interesting programs like the annual rose walk, identifying over 100 rose species we have in the garden.

GT:

What has gardening taught you about community and your connection to neighbors and other gardeners?

SJ:

We are lucky enough to have a beehive and that has been an interesting experiment. It's a great educational tool. We have partnered with our local schools and have kids come and learn in our open garden. They enjoy the worm composter and look forward to the apple picking. Keeping the garden open daily has gained the respect and admiration of a whole variety of people who work in the neighborhood who now come with their lunch to spend some relaxing outdoor time. Fighting to save the garden over many years has made our neighborhood much closer knit.

GT

: What is the most challenging thing about gardening in New York City?

SJ:

 It’s sometimes hard to keep the garden looking clean. We do a lot of education events and fun events for the community, but not everyone wants to come and clean up the garden. Gardens can be a lot to take care of, so that can be challenging.

GT:

What are your favorite vegetables to grow in the garden?

SJ:

Everyone loves warm, ripe tomatoes right off the vine. My favorite is when the peaches are ripe and we pick them and distribute them to gardeners and neighbors. Then Karin makes peach cobbler & brings it to the garden. There is nothing quite like eating fresh peas while you're gardening. There's always the decadent dinosaur kale leaves dipped in salted olive oil & lemon and then broiled to make kale chips.

GT:

Who inspires you?

SJ:

Kids eating peas off the vine inspire me. Little kids who insist on helping me and have the need to dig inspire me. The young scientists who are studying hydroponics and aquaculture inspire me and give me hope.

GT

: Do you have any advice for the next generation of gardeners?

SJ:

Please let your kids get dirty. Teach young kids where their food comes from & how to grow & prepare it.

Thank you for your inspiring words Sara

. If you’d like to have your story profiled please fill out our Urban Gardener Profile form and we will be in touch with you –

Urban Gardener Profile

. We look forward to highlighting the stories of our 20,000 volunteer community gardeners participating in the GreenThumb program! For more information about GreenThumb visit

www.greenthumbnyc.org

.

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GreenThumb Urban Gardener Profile #6: Janice Flood

Janice Flood has been a member of Bainbridge Avenue Community Garden for 22 years. During this time, Janice has been a catalyst for helping the garden raise funds and grow. Over the years the garden has almost doubled in size and Janice has helped new members join in the growing fun!  Janice deeply believes in the democratic process of community building. In our profile, find out how she develops an environment where everyone has a say about garden initiatives.

GreenThumb (GT): Why did you start urban gardening and how did you learn to garden successfully?

Janice Flood (JF): The Bainbridge Avenue Community Garden was established in 1978 but I joined in 1993. A co-worker kept inviting me to visit and offered me a space in the garden. When I first started gardening there, the garden was quite small, only five beds, but now it has 12 beds and we have a back space for meetings. I’ve been there now for 22 years so I’ve learned a lot from my season’s successes and failures. My first growing seasons were challenging but they’ve improved and now we let community members take our excess vegetables.

GT: How has GreenThumb helped your garden?

JF: GreenThumb has helped us by providing us with many of the supplies our garden needs like soil and lumber for raised beds, sand, and also plant starts. It also hosts the annual GrowTogether Conference which is a great chance to participate in workshops, network with other gardeners and learn new skills.

GT: What are your favorite memories in the garden?

JF: My favorite memories begin with our early registration and meetings. Over the years we have grown in garden membership and have gradually included more community members in the garden and at garden events, especially those from the younger generation.

GT: What has gardening taught you about community and your connection to neighbors and other gardeners?

JF: The process of creating a garden space is incredibly important, it must be democratic, and everyone must be involved in the decision making process. We have members who range in age from 30 to 82 so opinions can differ. Some people manage their own plots, others share plots and we also have support gardeners or have younger family members who assist their parents or grandparents. We hold four garden meetings a year and we hope that everyone will attend so we can make decisions that benefit our community.

GT: What is the most challenging thing about gardening in New York City?

JF: Although we try to get everyone to attend our meetings, it can be very hard to get everyone to attend and also to participate equally. This can be quite challenging but we use our bylaws and garden structures to keep things moving along. We use the process of consensus as much as possible but we must have two-thirds majority agreement to make any changes in the garden.

GT: What are your favorite vegetables to grow in the garden?

JF: I really like zucchini, especially when they are big! I’ve harvested ones that are 5 ½ lbs before.

GT: Who inspires you?

JF: I’m inspired by Karen Washington, a GreenThumb gardener in the Bronx and co-founder of Rise and Root Farm, as well as the first lady Michelle Obama who initiated the Let’s Move Campaign and the White House lawn garden!

GT: Do you have any advice for the next generation of gardeners?

JT: If you want to do something in your community it’s important to get involvement from everyone within the community. People may play different roles, but without cooperation things won’t get done. You should have regular meetings to get everyone’s input, but keep them quick and straightforward.

Thank you for your inspiring words, Janice. If you’d like to have your story profiled please fill out our Urban Gardener Profile form and we will be in touch with you – Urban Gardener Profile. We look forward to highlighting the stories of our 20,000 volunteer community gardeners participating in the GreenThumb program! For more information about GreenThumb visit www.greenthumbnyc.org.

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Operation GreenThumb sign at East 4th Street Garden Association. Courtesy of Isak Mendes.

GreenThumb Blog: An Introduction to GreenThumb’s  Community Garden History

GreenThumb’s rich legacy of community gardens is built upon the hard work of communities and garden advocacy groups that have been active in New York City in the early 1970’s. Originally called Operation GreenThumb, the organization has turned thousands of acres of vacant lots into community and school gardens for the community to enjoy. Read the story below to learn more about community gardens and the history of GreenThumb.

Community gardens can encompass anything from open scenic space, vegetable plots, or community farms. They can provide green space for their community, provide education and access to fresh food, or work with immigrant, disabled, or homeless communities. In a response to the overabundance of abandoned and decaying lots throughout New York City in the 1970s, the first community garden in New York City was founded by local activist Liz Christy in 1973 at the northeast corner of Bowery and Houston Street in Manhattan. Throughout the 70’s dedicated residents began to turn abandon lots into gardens to beautify the neighborhood, grow food, and negate crime. New organizations such as Green Guerillas (founded by Christy in 1973) and Council on the Environment (known today as GrowNYC) encouraged the city to create a municipal gardening program. Operation GreenThumb was officially established in 1978 under the Departments of General Services.

1975 image of Liz Christy in one of her Lower East Side gardens. Courtesy of Donald Loggins.

Initially, neighborhood groups gained land through token leases, and in the 1980’s very few gardens had permanency. Still, many garden groups continued to survive without official leasing. Gardens developed throughout the five boroughs of the city and many community gardens became neighborhood institutions that added value to a neighborhood that otherwise faced blight. In the early 90’s, when the city began to grow and develop, community gardens began to face issues of land access and garden displacement. The Trust for Public Land along with the New York Restoration Project purchased 114 gardens from the city for 4.2 million dollars. In 1995 GreenThumb joined NYC Parks and began a more formal system of licensing agreements in order to protect garden spaces. Greening and gardening advocacy groups also began collaborating on garden preservation strategies and garden coalitions formed to fight against garden development. Agreements were also made on the city level that would require relocation to any gardens displaced due to development. These discussions are still taking place today, and GreenThumb helps ensure that gardens have the best long-term preservation plan possible.

2016 Photo of Liz Christy Community Garden. Photo Courtesy of Clare Hyre.

   While the growth of new community gardens has slowed, there are still new GreenThumb gardens blossoming throughout the city, such as Windmill Community Garden in Queens and Positive Seeds of Life in Brooklyn. GreenThumb also works with older gardens to re-vitalize their spaces, such as at La Casita Verde Garden and Keap Fourth Community Garden. Today GreenThumb works with more than 20,000 garden members throughout the city to care for over 600 community gardens and 500 school gardens. GreenThumb’s Land Restoration Project (LRP) manages most of the deliveries; handling service requests, lot cleaning, and sidewalk repair. LRP also creates beneficial landscapes and turns vacant lots into open meadows for pollinators. Grow to Learn, a program that is a partnership between GrowNYC, GreenThumb, and the Department of Education’s Office of School-Food, runs workshops, provides mini-grants, and offers supplies to school gardens throughout the city. GreenThumb works closely with our school garden coordinators who are building the next generation of green leaders. Visit Grow to Learn NYC’s website to learn more.

2016 GreenThumb and Grow To Learn Vertical Growing Workshop. Photo courtesy of Abeda Khanam.

GreenThumb provides tools and supplies to eligible community gardens as well as technical assistance and educational workshops year round. Every year GreenThumb hosts two major events for gardeners, the GrowTogether Conference and the Harvest Fair. These events are opportunities for gardeners and the community to come together and celebrate urban agriculture and city greening. Currently the largest community gardening program in the nation, GreenThumb has spent the last forty years working with gardeners and greening partners to build sustainable communities and preserve open spaces. If you’d like to learn more about gardens in your neighborhood, join a garden, or learn about workshops and events hosted by GreenThumb visit our website. To read more blog posts about current community garden members and other garden information, follow our blog and our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts. 

References:

Libizzi, Lenny. NYC Community Garden Roots: A Brief History. GreenThumb Gardener’s Handbook.

New York City Department of Parks & Recreation. (2016). History of Community Garden Movement. https://www.nycgovparks.org/about/history/community-gardens/movement. 

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GreenThumb Urban Gardener Profile #5: Emy Acevedo

Emy Acevedo joined Halsey Ralph Howard Community Garden in Brooklyn four years ago. As one of the first members of the garden, Emy has always emphasized sharing knowledge, and has been a catalyst for many of the garden’s community-based events. Last year the garden formed a partnership with P.S. 5 and through this partnership, Emy has had the opportunity to share her experiences about growing up on a farm in Puerto Rico with many of the school’s children. Here is Emy’s story!

GreenThumb (GT): Why did you start urban gardening and how did you learn to garden successfully?

Emy Acevedo (EA): I grew up in Puerto Rico on a farm and I love to have fresh herbs and vegetables. I eat well to stay healthy. When I first moved to Brooklyn I was walking around and saw that my neighborhood was starting a garden. I knew I wanted to join immediately and so I was one of the first to join. I have learned a lot from the other members and shared a lot of what I know with them as well.

GT: How has GreenThumb helped your garden?

EA: GreenThumb has helped us by providing workshops and tools, as well as supplies. It has also taught me and other members what we know about seeding and planting, allowing us to grow fresh vegetables.

GT: What are your favorite memories in the garden?

EA: We are a very community based garden and we want as many people who want to be in the space to get involved. This year we started to partner with P.S. 5 and several times a week they come over and work in the garden. We’ve reserved two plots for them and let them just look around and have fun in the garden. I have lots of fond experiences working with the children and teaching them what I know about gardening.

GT: What has gardening taught you about community and your connection to neighbors and other gardeners?

EA: Gardening allows you to share with your community. During the season when we have lots of fresh veggies, we leave the extra out on tables in front of the garden for community members to take. People can take whatever they like, it is always good for people to have more fresh vegetables.

GT: What is the most challenging thing about gardening in New York City?

EA: It’s sometimes hard to keep the gardening looking clean. We do a lot of education events and fun events for the community, but not everyone wants to come and clean up the garden. Gardens can be a lot to take care of so that can be challenging.

GT: What are your favorite vegetables to grow in the garden?

EA: I really love vegetables so tomatoes, lettuce, beets, carrots, collard greens, green peppers, hot peppers, herbs.

GT: Who inspires you?

EA: I’m inspired by Mr. Heyward, who was the community member who first introduced me to the garden. He knew how important I think having fresh vegetables is and helped me find a place where I could grow my own.

GT: Do you have any advice for the next generation of gardeners?

EA: Share with others what you know. Since I grew up on a farm I know a lot about growing vegetables but I still have a lot I can learn from the other gardeners. Also, I know the children visiting the garden can learn from me but I can also learn from them.

Thank you for your inspiring words Emy. If you’d like to have your story profiled please fill out our Urban Gardener Profile form and we will be in touch with you – Urban Gardener Profile. We look forward to highlighting the stories of our 20,000 volunteer community gardeners participating in the GreenThumb program! For more information about GreenThumb visit www.greenthumbnyc.org.

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GreenThumb Urban Gardener Profile #4: Gioya Desouza-Fennelly

Gioya has been gardening for over 20 years in New York City, first at Penny Harvest Garden and now in a plot at Columbia University, Manhattan. Due to Penny Harvest Garden’s proximity to I.S. 143, Gioya has been able to build a connection between youth and nature through a wide range a mentorships. The garden plays a central role in the neighborhood, bringing together different generations into a common green space. Here is Gioya’s story!

GreenThumb (GT): Why did you start urban gardening and how did you learn to garden successfully?

Gioya Desouza-Fennelly (GDF): When we first started gardening, I.S. 143’s school yard was full of garbage and dangerous. I decided to clean it all up in 1997 when a wheelchair-bound student inspired me to start an accessible garden for him and the community. That’s how the Penny Harvest Garden was born. It included a vegetable, rose and butterfly garden, a pond, and an abundance of fruit trees. The garden still harvests bushels of peaches, cherries, grapes and apples.

GT: What does it mean for a garden to be accessible?

GDF: I describe it as an ‘enabling’ garden where all people regardless of physical ability are able to take part. This means that all the beds have to be raised, the paths have to be wide, and gravel needs to be next to the beds so wheels don’t get stuck. This was one of the first enabling gardens in the city!

GT: How has GreenThumb helped your garden?

GDF: Green Thumb was instrumental with planning, funding, mentoring and supporting my students and me over the last 19 years. They believed in the importance of my mission when not many people did.

GT: What are your favorite memories in the garden?

GDF: A very special memory was having Hillary Clinton inaugurate the garden in a ribbon cutting ceremony. She cut the ribbon for the ‘wilderness garden’ that was meant for Monarch Butterflies to have a place where they can pollinate and rest their wings. I also have many good memories of teaching horticulture classes in the garden with students.

GT: What has gardening taught you about community and your connection to neighbors and other gardeners?

GDF: I was amazed how inter-generational school gardening could become. Some days I would have three generations helping out and giving me advice on gardening. Since the gates of the garden were open during the school day, grandparents would bring little ones they were babysitting to explore, engaging even the youngest generation.

GT: What is the most challenging thing about gardening in New York City?

GDF: When I first started the garden I had to convince my co-educators that there are very important things to learn in a garden- that it is in many ways just as important as math and science. With all the school gardens now, I would imagine it is quite different.

GT: What are your favorite vegetables to grow in the garden?

GDF: Heirloom beans and gourds.

GT: Who inspires you?

GDF: I was fortunate to attend COP21 in Paris and I was inspired by the teachers who empower our children to become stewards of mother earth.

GT: Do you have any advice for the next generation of gardeners?

GDF: Remember that gardening is an equalizer. No matter what your profession or economic status is, the love of gardening will allow you to make the best friends ever.

Thank you for your inspiring words, Gioya. If you’d like to have your story profiled please fill out our Urban Gardener Profile form and we will be in touch with you. We look forward to highlighting the stories of our 20,000 volunteer community gardeners participating in the GreenThumb program! For more information about GreenThumb visit www.greenthumbnyc.org.

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GreenThumb Urban Gardener Profile #3: Carolyn McQueen & Jacquelyn Mealy

Our first joint garden profile participants, Carolyn and Jacquelyn, are sisters who founded F.A.R.R. Community Garden, which is located in Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, along with their mother seven years ago. Their original goal when transforming a vacant lot into a garden was to grow their own food but not only did they become more self-reliant, they built a community. In this profile, find out how gardening can build strong communities and bring a family together. 

GreenThumb (GT): Why did you start urban gardening and how did you learn to garden successfully?

Carolyn McQueen (CM): Well, my sister Jackie, my mother and I started the garden together. Neither one of us had any gardening background but we saw a space and knew that we wanted to start a garden. So we went to a few GreenThumb workshops, learned from neighbors and took part in Green Guerilla classes. I wanted to start a garden because I loved the idea of growing my own vegetables.

GT: What is it like to garden with the family?

Jacquelyn Mealy (M): It’s a beautiful thing for one. We get each other motivated when we have new projects to do. We all join in together and participate in making funds to accommodate whatever activities we’re doing.

GT: Why do you think it’s important to learn how to grow your own vegetables?

CM: We wanted to be self-reliant and grow our own food that would be organic and local and healthy for us and the community to eat. We learned a lot throughout the process and different people came in and offered advice.

GT: How has GreenThumb helped your garden?

CM: GreenThumb has helped our garden by providing us with the tools and supplies we needed to grow our vegetables. The workshops also gave us the beginning knowledge we needed to actually start a garden and make it grow.

GT: What are your favorite memories in the garden?

CM: My favorite memories include having the children from the neighborhood school‘s daycare center come out and garden with us. I also remember the very fun Easter egg hunt and a Halloween event in the garden.

GT: What’s an effective way to involve children in the garden?

JM: Gardens should have at least one day every week focused on having children in the garden. Have them learn by doing and other fun art-based activities. We want to keep the community and the kids together. This space is not only for growing produce but also is a public space for all.

GT: What has gardening taught you about community and your connection to neighbors and other gardeners?

CM: While not everyone in the neighborhood wants to garden, many enjoy the gardening space. We enjoy having the neighbors come in and sit with us after we’re finished gardening and listening to their stories. Some of the older neighbors enjoy reminiscing about the days when they were gardening.

GT: What is the most challenging thing about gardening in New York City?

CM: It’s challenging to get other neighbors to help with the gardening. They sometimes just come in and watch but don’t help out with the work.

GT: What are your favorite vegetables to grow in the garden?

CM: Cucumbers and potatoes.

JM: Collard greens and cucumbers.

GT: Who inspires you?

CM: I’m very inspired by my family, especially my sister and my mother!

GT: Do you have any new ideas coming up this growing season?

JM: We want to do a Men’s cook-off. It would be a competition that would encourage more men to come into the garden and take part in the activities. We are also initiating a project in order to encourage recycling in the community.

GT: Do you have any advice for the next generation of gardeners?

CM: I have several suggestions for the next generation. First, have fun! Second, communicate why you are gardening to your neighbors and invite them early to all your events so they can make it. Third, keep an eye on your tools, especially your wrench for the Fire Hydrant.

JM: Start with the kids while they’re young and get them involved as much as possible. The youth have to know that it’s a beautiful thing to garden.

Thank you for your inspiring words, Carolyn and Jacquelyn. If you’d like to have your story profiled please fill out our Urban Gardener Profile form and we will be in touch with you – Urban Gardener Profile. Please tell us your story! We look forward to highlighting the stories of our 20,000 volunteer community gardeners participating in the GreenThumb program! For more information about GreenThumb visit www.greenthumbnyc.org.

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GreenThumb Urban Gardener Profile #2: Montclair Wilson

After the success of our first GreenThumb Urban Gardener Profile we’re excited to share another! We have over 20,000 volunteer community gardeners participating in the GreenThumb program and we want you to hear about their work! Congratulations to Montclair Wilson for being highlighted. Montclair has been gardening for over 20 years at P53 Garden in Brooklyn. Here’s an interview we had with Montclair Wilson!

GreenThumb: How did you first get into gardening and who taught you how to garden?

Montclair Wilson: It’s been about 20 years now that we’ve been in this garden. The people that were here before somewhat abandoned this garden and I wanted to help take it over. I didn’t have much experience gardening, I just had some potted plants in the classroom. So the GreenThumb workshops gave me some of the skills needed to make a garden grow. 

GT: What are your favorite memories in the garden?

MW: My favorite memories are watching the youth with special needs in the garden. I love watching their faces light up with joy. The majority of the students get very little exposure to the outdoors. The garden helps the students build relationships with the environment.

GT: How has GreenThumb helped your garden?

MW: GreenThumb has helped our garden tremendously! GreenThumb has been there for the children who work in my garden. GreenThumb created a path for the children with wheelchair access to enter the garden. I’m very grateful that GreenThumb has been so generous and supportive.

GT: What has gardening taught you about community and your connection to neighbors and other gardeners?

MW: Gardening is a community effort and the neighbors are always there to look out for the garden. Also, there is a large diversity of people out there and you never know what some people may have to offer. For example, there was a lady on the block with a cat and we weren’t crazy about it, but one day we discovered that the cat was helping take care of the rats in the garden. It may seem like a small thing but it’s really a community effort to keep this garden going.

GT: What is the most challenging thing about gardening in New York City?

MW: It’s challenging when people don’t care about the garden. When people dump their junk, lumber, and garbage in or near or garden that makes it harder.

GT: What are your favorite vegetables to grow in the garden?

MW: My favorite vegetables to grow are tomatoes, peppers, and strawberries.

GT: Do you use the vegetables that you grow?

MW: Yes of course! Everyone in the garden uses it and then when we have an abundance we invite community members to come in. Sometimes teenagers come and take vegetables and herbs and bring it home to cook.

GT: Who inspires you?

MW: I’m very inspired by the children I work with. They’re youth with special needs and some of them are unable to go most places, but when they go in the garden they’re completely transformed. They help water and plant and harvest. When I see how they react they motivate me, some of them are stronger than me!

GT: Do you have any advice for the next generation of gardeners?

MW: First you have to love it. In the winter you have to be ready to go out and shovel, and in the summer when no one is there you have to be willing to follow through. The next generation needs to be motivated and able to see the bigger picture. 

Thank you for your inspiring words, Montclair! We hope you enjoyed our second GreenThumb Urban Gardener Profile – watch out for more urban garden profiles to come from other GreenThumb community gardeners. For more information about GreenThumb go here: www.greenthumbnyc.org.

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GreenThumb Urban Gardener Profile #1: Nando Rodriquez

We’re pleased to announce our first ever GreenThumb Urban Gardener Profile! We have over 20,000 volunteer community gardeners participating in the GreenThumb program and we want you to hear about their work! Congratulations to Nando Rodriquez from Frank White Memorial Garden for being our first gardener profiled. Nando has been gardening for over 11 years in the city and actively engages youth to participate in urban agriculture. Here is an interview we had with Nando! 

GreenThumb (GT): Why did you start urban gardening and how did you learn to garden successfully? 

Nando Rodriquez (NR): I started gardening to help young people from our community learn the value of community, healthy food, and understand the significance of freedom through land and hope through food.

GT: How has GreenThumb helped your garden?

NR: In many ways - through supplies, soil, workshops, networks, guidance, and support.

GT: What are your favorite memories in the garden?

NR: When I was younger, in high school, I remember the garden was expanding. But the land nearby was contaminated so they had to put a thick rubber liner over the ground. Two days later it snowed heavily and when we went to the garden we realized the liner was really slippery and it was basically like ice skating in the garden. So more of my friends came and we had a blast sliding around, playing games and laughing. We then had a snowball fight and built a snow man, it was so much fun.

GT: What are the most challenging things about gardening in NYC?

NR: Partnering with the different generations and the diverse culture of community residents has been challenging but we’ve found ways to deal with it. What has helped has been having planting days when there is food that could be cooked and eaten together and focusing on the similarities with each other. We’ve had these work days together that are celebrations for over 10 years now. We celebrate birthdays too and bring people together. We had a capoeira teacher come by, and musical and poetry performances.

GT: What are your favorite vegetables to grow?

NR: Collard greens and tomatoes. 

GT: Who inspires you?

NR: The youth inspire me.

GT: Do you have any advice for the next generation of gardeners?

NR: Create more teen friendly spaces to bring in more young people. By this I mean that teenagers should help design the space from the start so they have ownership over it. This may mean more color, more murals, and more things that speak to kids and allow them to feel at home. Also, having games in the garden that teenagers can interact with, like small rock-climbing walls and other activities things that can activate them. You want kids and teens to come to the space to sit and eat and talk and make it their own. 

Thank you for your inspiring words, Nando! We hope you enjoyed our first GreenThumb Urban Gardener Profile – watch out for more urban garden profiles to come from other GreenThumb community gardeners. For more information about GreenThumb go here: www.greenthumbnyc.org.