In 2001, New York Restoration Project (NYRP) partnered with local community members and Time’s Up! – a New York City-based, non-profit, direct-action environmental group that uses events and educational programs to promote a more sustainable, less toxic city – to clean out this long-abandoned garden and create planting beds where once there were only weeds and rocks. Now one of NYRP’s largest and busiest Brooklyn sites, the Greene Acres Community Garden encompasses five lots containing numerous ornamental plantings and a wide variety of vegetables – including tomatoes, cucumbers, green beans, peppers and squash – that greatly contribute to the revitalization of the surrounding area.

Enjoyed and maintained by a large, active group of local residents, Greene Acres features numerous innovations that make the garden a model of sustainability. For example, a rainwater collection system not only provides a renewable source of water that helps with overall garden maintenance, but also supports a beautiful goldfish pond surrounded by annuals. In addition, the garden’s active, multi-bin composting system is both fed by gardeners and is a compost collection/drop-off point for a local farmer’s market.

With shade provided by two mulberry trees, Greene Acres provides a lovely and serene setting for picnics and community gatherings. Planting beds feature a distinctive hexagonal design and, during the growing season, spill over with vegetables and herbs. Garden members meet monthly to discuss the garden’s future and hold frequent volunteer workdays to beautify and maintain common areas and the composting system.

Greene Acres is within walking distance of P.S. 270 and provides an ideal atmosphere to host environmental education programs for neighborhood students. In addition, every summer, NYRP partners with community gardeners and local residents to host a neighborhood barbeque and Movie Night as part of NYRP’s popular community garden event series. Community gardeners also use this thriving green space for a variety of fundraisers and community events.

Located in the Bedford-Stuyvesant of Brooklyn, this 12,500-square-foot garden serves a neighborhood comprised primarily of single- and multi-family brownstones.