To find a healthy, pesticide free and affordable food options in lower economic areas, has…read morestatically been a challenge. Thankfully near the world renowned Hunts Point area, it is not only possible, it exists!!!! Found right off of 163rd St near a new construction and between two buildings lies this little community garden where they grown their own produce and raise their chickens. You can purchase these produce and eggs by selecting to buy each week you would like to pick up your groceries (various prices based on your dietary needs, ie:Vegan or not), or select to pay monthly and pick up your groceries weekly. This would enable families to have healthier food options at various income levels. You can pay online with your credit card and they also accept EBT/TANF. This community garden is an absolute gem!

SWS Oasis was hosting a Back To School Drive and a BBQ Bash today! I came here with my good friend…read moreto donate our school supplies for the community kids. It was raining cats and dogs on and off but finally, the sun came out for the rest of the afternoon. This was such an adorable community garden in the heart of The Bronx where people are growing fresh herbs and vegetables. There was a chicken just wandering around the garden from her coop. I touched one of the eggs that she lay and it was still warm. I never have eaten really fresh eggs before maybe one day hehe I feel like a kid again swinging from that giant swing. Note: Rub fresh basil on your skin to keep the mosquitoes away! SWS Oasis were barbecuing delicious hamburgers, sausages, hotdogs, and etc on the grill. If you're around the area, pop your head in and check it out!

Love this little oasis in the heart of the Bronx. I've been there numerous times and always enjoyed…read moremyself. The two lovely people in charge of this garden Ramon and Rosie are always welcoming. There was an open bbq a couple weeks back to begin the new season. There is a little area for children with a couple of slides and chairs. Bikes and scooters also. There is also a tree swing which is a nice touch. This garden is open to the public but also available to rent for private events.

The Padre Plaza Success Garden is a local jewel, indeed, of what community is and what working…read moretogether can produce results for a better world. Green jobs as a cohesive unity of a community fully immerse in involvement for the green movement sets a formidable model of virtue of good deeds. It has pegged me adrift lost in a mini Frederick Law Olmsted design complete with a bridge, functional water fountain, artificial pond carrying fishes held down by stones, and green house nursery in the rear. It invites garden visitors to stay longer to intake the calming green environment. Green workshops are available for the avid planter, albeit the non-green thumb within me, as a admirer it mystifies my appreciate for plants more. The entry signage is created by local school children whose passion and vision in conjunction with the community make this garden sprung to reality, ergo no longer just a mere dream. A covered tent bails inclement weather which garden patrons can continue to enjoy the evergreens, and shrubs that graceful atmosphere to seek solace from life's daily grind stress. What stress? What loom and doom abject pain? It all dispelled while drifting the red brick walkway. The shrubs, bridge, pond, and water fountain embodies me to achieve inner peace and a mental revival. The garden carries a stage to host events and is available for garden workshops, private parties, or special events. I came here to collaborate a work-in-progress all day cookout/ open-mic which will be held here. Laughter, music, children playing, and voices fill the air for gatherings to embrace the community spirit. Mobile facilities are available which are relatively clean with hand sanitizer and toilet tissue. A side entrance is available on Saint Ann's Avenue but requires a garden staff to unlock. N.B. Garden patrons ensure protection from the harmful sun with SPF 60+ sunscreen. The Padre Plaza Success Garden is no secret garden as it is a community garden serving beyond to all Bronx. Conveniently, the garden is accessible via 6 train at Brooks Avenue with a short walk to a quaint oasis.

The Padre Plaza Success Garden is a shining example of what community is, what vision is and what…read morelove is. Green jobs, and community gardens are on the rise in New York City, and this garden will make you beleive in the green movement. Why you should visit: The garden features a stage that hosts events and is also available for garden workshops, party rentals, and special events. There are evergreens, and shrubs that grace the entry, and almost wave at you. There is red brick walkway throughout the garden that gives you a nice transition from the gum-spotted sidewalk. Learn to plant a tree, or cut shrubs... The community loves this garden. It is in the heart of the barrio, and there are always people inside learning, laughing, and growing. There is a pond towards the middle of the garden that is bridged, and features fish, and is lined by stones. Leave "stress" behind, because you can't touch, smell or taste "stress". But you can touch fresh lilacs, and smell roses while you still can, or tatse freshly squeezed carrot juice.... I forgot I was in the city when I saw lines of raised beds with tomatoes, and cabbage growing in them, and I felt at peace. The artwork at the back done by local school children makes me reminisce on finger paintings I used to do as a little booger. There is even a little green house by the beds:). Shakespeare once said "Honor, riches, marriage-blessing long continuance, and increasing, hourly joys be still upon you!" A pebbled walkway hugs the right side of the pond, and looks like the perfect sight for a wedding. The Padre Plaza Success Garden is a matrimony of hard work, and faith, love, health, and serves as the people's security blanket. Whether it be the brick grill, or red wooden picnic tables that catch your fancy, this garden will leave you in love with the endless potential people and ideas have. It all started from a seed. A vision, an empty lot, a lease, a dispute, and a need brought this garden to fruition. Simply beautiful.

Went during their tulip festival! There is a bit of a line…read moreto enter as they limit the number of visitors allowed inside the garden. I really appreciated that as it didn't become too crowded and you could fully take your time and look at every single flower. It was free which is rare in NYC. Their website says it is fully funded by grants and donations and operated by volunteers! They have other events and opportunities to volunteer in their website as well! It's a really beautiful garden and a nice break from the city. Snap a few pretty photos of the flowers and then put your phone away. Take the time to really be present and relax!!!

It's a small garden on the Upper West Side with some the most beautiful flowers. Located on 89th…read morebetween Amsterdam and Columbus and open daily from dawn to dusk. The West Side Community Garden is committed to providing a beautiful, peaceful, green space in which everybody can relax. It's funded by grants and run by volunteers. I was lucky enough to be up here for the Tulip Festival. The garden is lovely and so colorful. There were over 13000 tulips! It was absolutely gorgeous. Weekends are crowded but the festival is on until Mid-May. Check out their website for upcoming events. In the spring and summer they have concerts, opera, a Shakespeare festival, and other events.

This garden provides for a nice little walk along the western coast of the island. I was en route…read moreto buy groceries, and I was pleased to find this place by chance. There gardens are currently going through renovation. But even still, this did not take away the peace and beauty of the place. One walking path runs on an incline, connecting Riverside Drive and 12th Avenue. Another path runs parallel to 12th Ave and the Hudson River Greenway. The photos speak for themselves. If you're looking for a nice walk in NYC, this is definitely one of many places to check out.

A trip uptown usually involves running down 137th to a gargantuan apartment building, making my way…read moreupstairs and entering a comfortable home where I'll watch Jeopardy and eat AMAZING Puerto Rican cooking. Heavenly pasteles, chicken, ribs, tostones, the most flavorful rice and beans you'll ever taste. Crisp salads with creamy avocado, eggplant parmigian... I think for a little while, man, this lady (my boyfriend's grandmother) knows how to cook! My face tingles with warmth after every bite. And then I remember. ALL OF THESE VEGETABLES COME FROM THE COMMUNITY GARDEN. This review MAY seem a little biased, but let's just look at the facts. Jenny Benitez is a sprightly, vivacious and mischievous woman who along with volunteers and her husband, has done a HUGE amount of work on the Northern side of Riverside Park. You can watch a video all about her and her efforts here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHGQxkdhf5Q Anyway. She has devoted SO much time to this park and garden. Her huge, huge heart has been poured into it...it's amazing how much of a difference one person can make, let alone all the volunteers! The garden is the image of perfection. It's nestled in the park, right next to the train tracks. Any vegetable you could imagine probably rests here, lying on the soil or beneath the ground, ready to be plucked up and utilized either in the home or for a summer cookout! There's a peach tree, grape vines, flowers everywhere. It's a sight to see, really. And tucked away enough that it feels almost like a secret. Being a part of the community garden (having a plot) is not as easy as you might think. Because there is still so much work to be done for Riverside Park, and there is a constant need for upkeep, you may have a plot of your own ONLY if you volunteer for a year. It's a system that helps keep the park beautiful, and gives you an opportunity to forget, for a little while, the limiting factors of living in a skyscraper on a grid. Please, please, please...if you are in the area you absolutely MUST visit this spot! It's incredibly special and fantastically inspiring.

My second time volunteering to help out the Harlem Grown community. It has become a beautiful…read moreoasis. A serene area for the community with thriving vegetable and plant gardens.

The gang here is a group of amazing people from the neighborhood as well as folks who took an…read moreinterest in working here. I found a wonderful community of folks while living a block away. The neighborhood supports the garden. The coolest part is that Harlem Grown is open to all who come to visit and volunteer. Harlem Grown's produce are harvested and shared with the community via their community fridge and pantry. Local groups also share in this space. The inspiration are the children of Harlem!

Per the site in the listing, the Setting is 'Suburban' so they clearly have a high bar for their…read more'Urban' spots. That said, it isn't much, but is welcome in the area.