Council of Gardeners
Growing Collective Power Across NYC Gardens
The Council of Gardeners is a cross-borough network of community gardeners and open-space allies working together to strengthen and sustain New York City’s community gardens. Convened by Green Guerillas, the Council creates a dedicated space for gardeners to connect, share knowledge, identify collective priorities, and take coordinated action.
For more than 50 years, Green Guerillas has supported and protected community gardens across the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens, advancing environmental justice, food sovereignty, and neighborhood-led leadership. The Council builds on this legacy by centering the voices of gardeners themselves. It ensures that those who steward these spaces have a platform to collaborate, advocate, and shape the future of community gardening in NYC.
Together, we grow more than gardens, we grow community power.
Sign On: Open Letter to Mayor Zohran Mamdani
The Council of Gardeners invites you to sign on to an open letter to Mayor Zohran Mamdani calling for meaningful, ongoing collaboration between community gardeners and the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation.
For more than 50 years, community gardeners have transformed vacant lots into vibrant green spaces that nourish neighborhoods across the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan.
These gardens serve as hubs for youth leadership, food access, cultural connection, and environmental stewardship, often in communities that have experienced long-standing disinvestment.
As the city enters a new chapter of leadership, we are urging the administration to establish clear and transparent pathways for gardener engagement in parks policy and decision-making.
Add your name to stand with gardeners across NYC and support inclusive, community-led stewardship of our shared green spaces.
Your Voice Belongs Here
The Council is open to all community gardeners and open-space allies, from long-time garden leaders to emerging stewards.
Whether you manage a plot, organize events, or support your local garden in any way, your experience and insight are valuable. The Council exists to amplify grassroots leadership and ensure every borough is represented.
Sign On: NYC Urban Agriculture Policy Platform
The Council of Gardeners invites you to add your name to our Open Letter to NYC Council in support of a stronger, more equitable future for community gardens across the city.
The NYC Urban Agriculture Policy Platform outlines key priorities to protect and expand community gardens, strengthen youth development programs, and ensure long-term investment in neighborhood green spaces. This platform reflects the voices and lived experiences of gardeners across the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens.
By signing on, you stand in solidarity with hundreds of gardeners and community members advocating for policies that center environmental justice, food sovereignty, and grassroots leadership.
Together, we can ensure that community gardens remain protected, funded, and community-led for generations to come.
View the full platform here.
What the Council Does
The Council provides a collaborative space to:
Share knowledge, resources, and best practices
Address common challenges across boroughs
Build leadership within garden communities
Advocate for policies that protect and expand community gardens
Strengthen connections between gardeners citywide
Council meetings are designed to be participatory, inclusive, and solution-focused. Each gathering centers the lived experience of gardeners and creates space for meaningful collaboration across boroughs.
Our Council Meeting Structure
Wisdom Sharing & Updates
Meetings begin with gardeners sharing updates from their communities, successes, seasonal challenges, policy concerns, and emerging issues. This space allows members to learn from one another’s experiences and surface common themes affecting gardens citywide.
Open Discussion & Collective Problem-Solving
Through guided dialogue, participants explore shared challenges, exchange practical strategies, and offer peer support. Whether addressing land security, resource gaps, leadership transitions, or city agency coordination, the Council prioritizes collaborative solutions grounded in community knowledge.
Action Planning & Advocacy Alignment
Each meeting concludes with identifying next steps and collective priorities. Members discuss advocacy opportunities, upcoming events, and ways to strengthen coordination across boroughs. Action items are community-driven and focused on advancing policies and practices that protect and expand NYC’s community gardens.
Our Committee Chairs
Meet the community leaders who help guide the Council of Gardeners across New York City. Representing gardens in every borough, our Committee Chairs bring lived experience, grassroots leadership, and a deep commitment to collaboration, ensuring that gardeners’ voices remain at the center of advocacy, decision-making, and collective action.
BROOKLYN
Fiodhna O'Grady
T&T Vernon Block Community Garden
Jess Frost
Maple Street Community Garden
BRONX
Chantal Phaire
Bronx River Community Garden
Ixchel Austin
Grant Shade Garden
MANHATTAN
Barbara Caporale
Sixth & B Garden
Lina E. Krakue
New Beginnings Community Garden
QUEENS
Sonia Ferraro
Paradise Community Garden
Elizabeth O’connor
Moore Jackson Cemetery and Community Garden
Preserve Our Gardens, Protect Our Future
On August 21, Mayor Adam’s released Executive Order 43 that requires city agencies to review their city owned and controlled land for potential housing development sites. The Department of Parks and Recreation was identified as one of the agencies along with others.
Community gardens are vital public resources that provide food access, environmental benefits, youth development opportunities, and neighborhood resilience. As conversations about land use continue, it is essential that community gardens are recognized, protected, and valued as permanent green infrastructure within our city.
Join us in affirming the protection of community gardens and supporting policies that ensure any land review process fully acknowledges the irreplaceable role these spaces play in strengthening New York City communities.