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Garden Group

The LSA garden group is a collaborative effort by women in the East Harlem neighborhood to grow fresh organic produce for their families. The 10-15 members of the group work together in all phases of the vegetable gardening process, producing tomatoes, tomatillos, peppers, squash, cucumbers, melons, carrots, radishes, cilantro, other herbs and much more.

The group was founded in 1998 when LSA staff noticed an interest in gardening among many of their immigrant clients, especially those with farming experience in their native countries so that they can share their knowledge with other neighborhood residents, friends and family, giving them a glimpse of where they come from.

Although the main focus of the group is vegetable production, it has also become a support network for its members and has created garden by-laws, planned museum exhibitions at Museo del Barrio, held educational workshops and put on youth art projects in the garden, and has created a cooperative buying club which makes periodic purchases at the Bronx Terminal Market. The group interacts with other neighborhood gardeners, school groups, and garden visitors during open hours.

The group is based in the Pleasant Park Community Garden at 450 E. 115th Street between 1st and Pleasant Avenues. Pleasant Park as purchased by New York Restoration Project in 1999 and will be preserved as public open space as part of their New York Garden Trust program.

Please come visit our garden anytime. You can usually find the group working together on Friday afternoons, April through October.

Program Name: The Garden Group
Contacts: Hannah Riseley-White
Phone: (212) 987-4422
Location: 450 E. 115th Street between 1st and Pleasant Avenues
Schedule: Friday afternoons, April to October

Click for more Garden Group pictures.

Click for a story about volunteer Sr. Reyna Gonzalez's experience with the Garden Group.