Once a junkyard and site for illegal drug activity, this 7,700-square-foot space was restored by NYRP in 2006, thanks to a grant from the Rhodebeck Charitable Trust, which funds non-profit organizations that serve the homeless, elderly, children and other disadvantaged New Yorkers. This generous grant provided for major capital improvements and a complete new garden plan designed by veteran GreenThumb designer Edie Kean.

A large portion of the garden is dedicated to vegetable growing, while another area quipped with a barbecue, brick patio and casita – a structure common to Puerto Rican gardens that includes storage space and a small porch for community activities – is set aside for social gatherings. Additional improvements include a steel picket fence, planting beds and a rainwater harvesting system.

A welcome oasis of green in a neighborhood starved for public parks, the Mildred T. Rhodebeck Garden is well-used by students from P.S. 75, located across the street. In addition, an active group of neighborhood residents grow a variety of vegetables – including tomatoes, peppers, corn and collard greens – and hold community gatherings in the space.

Since the garden’s re-opening in 2007, members have completed a composting certification program with Bronx Green-Up, an outreach initiative of the New York Botanical Garden that provides horticultural advice, technical assistance and training to residents, community gardeners, school groups and other organizations interested in improving urban neighborhoods through greening projects. Also in 2007 – in partnership with New York Restoration Project (NYRP) – the Mildred T. Rhodebeck Garden hosted Garden Music and Flavors, a community-based concert series introduced by NYRP that exposes garden members and neighbors to many styles of ethnic music and foods in a festive, outdoor setting.

In a rapidly developing Hunts Point section of the Bronx, this large, lovely garden sits on a corner bordering the congested Bruckner Expressway. The surrounding neighborhood is diversely composed of commercial, industrial, transportation and parking properties, and one-, two- and multi-family residences. The community is diverse, with residents primarily of Hispanic, African-American and Caribbean descent.