Founded in 1982, this garden was originally named after Brooklyn Dodgers baseball great Gil Hodges. Currently, the garden is used by several community groups, families and local businesses, such as the Root Hill Café, which partners with gardeners to enhance the site’s composting projects. In addition, senior citizens frequent the Carroll Street Community Garden to eat lunch and play cards.

In spring of 2009, New York Restoration Project (NYRP) installed new planting beds not only for the community’s use, but also for the students of P.S. 372 – where after-school programs use the garden to plant a wide variety of vegetables and herbs, including peppers, tomatoes, basil and parsley.

To help ensure the garden continues to serve as an active green space and engages local residents for years to come, NYRP staff and horticulture crews work with community members to remove trash and provide ongoing maintenance, building assistance and plant material for the garden – including wood for raised planting beds, gardening tools, compost and vegetable seedlings.

The 3,000-square-foot garden is situated in a diverse, mixed-use neighborhood in the Gowanus section of Brooklyn that includes single- and two-family homes, industrial zones, commercial buildings and transportation and parking areas.