5 Harlem Community Gardens Open To The Public On Saturday

HARLEM, NY — After limiting public hours amid the pandemic, dozens of community gardens across New York City will open their gates to the public this weekend, including five green spaces in Central and East Harlem.

The Harlem gardens are participating in this year’s fourth annual Open Garden Day NYC — an event on Saturday, where community gardens citywide will welcome visitors from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. for a day of free programming.

Those five Harlem gardens are:

• Pleasant Village Community Garden (342-353 Pleasant Ave.): programming includes a garden tour and an official launch of the garden's community fridge.
• Joseph Daniel Wilson Memorial Gardens (219 West 122nd St.): visitors are invited to identify edible and inedible flora, visit the garden "vegtrugs," and meet hens, feral cats and bees
• William B. Washington Memorial Garden (321 West 126th St.): attendees can learn about the garden's successful composting project.
• St. Nicholas Miracle Garden (330 St. Nicholas Ave.): "Come and visit St. Nicholas Miracle Garden reopening for sustainable community," the description reads.
• Edgecombe Avenue Garden Park Sanctuary (339 Edgecombe Ave.): "Come see why we are a sanctuary and have a little fun!"

The city’s 500-plus community gardens are tended to by volunteer members, but typically every garden is required to have regular public hours. That changed during the pandemic, when many gardens closed to the general public, citing space restrictions and safety concerns.

But, as coronavirus numbers across the city plunge, and the gardens begin to blossom, many communities are opening the gates to these citywide green spaces once again.

Open Garden Day NYC showcases the full breadth of community garden programming, including workshops on composting and beekeeping, informational tours, and music, arts, and crafts.

This map shows all of the community gardens that are participating in Open Garden Day:

Patch reporter Kayla Levy contributed.