Harlem Word: Donte Taylor tells us where to find some of the New York Restoration Project’s best Northern Manhattan gardens

Donte Taylor is the Manhattan Regional Manager for the New York Restoration Project (NYRP). In this article, Donte talks about NYRP’s the different Manhattan gardens that NYRP oversees in Northern Manhattan.

Q: What is a community garden and how did NYRP get involved in taking care of these gardens?

A: A community garden is a place for people who live in a community to enjoy nature, and grow vegetables. The NYRP has also helped community groups develop their own gardens by providing materials like lumber to build raised vegetable beds. Over time, NYRP took over the management of some of these small community gardens.

Q: Where are some of the NYRP community gardens in Northern Manhattan?

A: The two biggest NYRP community gardens in Harlem are the “Friendship Garden”  and right around the corner we have “Maggie’s Garden.  The Maggie’s Garden was one of the first NYRP gardens to open in Northern Manhattan. The majority of the smaller NYRP community gardens are in East Harlem,

The Rodale Garden is one of NYRP’s largest gardens in East Harlem. It has nearly 20 raised vegetable beds, and has a lot of community involvement because community members started it.