The Importance of Community-Run Green Spaces at Our Co-Opby Lauren Gill

Gardening with friends and neighbors offers innumerable benefits. It promotes physical activity, offers delicious and nutritious food, and fosters social connections. Many studies show how being in nature is good for your health including reducing stress and enhancing overall well-being. Gardens also boost satisfaction in apartment communities and increase apartment values. Likewise, community spaces offer ways for residents to decompress from city life while still being in their own backyards

As our Co-op engages in various development plans, changes of leadership and changes in management, those of us who grow food at the Seward Park Co-op Garden aim to continue influencing our Co-op’s outdoor plans, and the garden’s specifications and priorities.

At the Seward Park Co-op, we have an exceptional community-run garden behind Building One where vegetables, fruits, herbs and flowers are grown by a large group of Co-op residents. Since 2009, we have evolved into a vibrant community of over 100 gardeners of all ages who grow everything from basil to mini jack-o-lantern pumpkins! Our gardening begins in March when a large number of residents respond to our invitation for a “Spring Clean-up Day” where kids, parents, old and young get dirty to turn over the garden beds from winter and get them ready for planting. It’s sweaty, dirty work and Co-op residents love it – many of them come back for the second and third garden work days in the following weeks. In the spring of 2026, 24 new gardeners signed onto our mailing list – people who participated in a garden volunteer day committed to future work in the garden.

Although the garden group numbers over 100 people, the core group consists of 15-20 experienced gardeners. It is this core group that mostly organizes the volunteers, supplies, layout, and “curating” of the garden.

We begin by planting our Spring seeds – spinach, lettuce, chard, peas and kale – in nice neat rows. Residents who have previously gardened introduce themselves to new Co-op residents and work in informal groups together, shaping the earth, composting spent plant material and marveling at robins digging up earthworms alongside them.

Vegetable Gardening is different from Landscape Gardening as it requires hands-on, frequent care.

Vegetable/Herb/Fruit Gardening: Requires a process of cultivation and plant care which demands lots of hours with hand tools and precision.
Landscape Gardening: In other parts of the Co-op, we have “landscaping” where perennials or annuals are purchased as bedding plants – full plants rooted and ready to go. They are then planted in the ground by landscape workers, surrounded by mulch, given nutrients and perhaps pest management, and then tended, twice a year or so. They also receive periodic watering through an automated sprinkler system. Generally, these plants are left to grow, bloom, and decorate the lawn edges and flower borders of the property.

In our Vegetable Garden, we sow most plants from seed, which is an inexpensive way to grow a variety of heirloom, open-pollinated and native plant varieties. The seedlings require frequent watering and pest/weed monitoring as they grow. The soil for the Co-op garden beds comes from compost which is very important because the rich soil encourages strong plant growth. Our cut flower garden includes many native plants, important because they attract beneficial insects.

We plan our garden by season, and by what we like to eat. Different spring, summer and fall vegetables reflect our cultural and geographic backgrounds. We grow some plants with kids in mind and others are more for the selective taste preferences of the home cook.

No pesticides, herbicides or fungicides are used in our garden. Instead of chemical inputs, our approach maintains a healthy eco-system. This is evidenced by the insect pollinators and birds that enjoy the greenspace. The garden has hosted cardinals and hummingbirds and other birds not often observed on the Lower East Side. All sorts of butterflies and bees pollinate and feed on nectar from our flowers.

It isn’t only wildlife that appreciates the garden. Many of our neighbors stroll through the garden, some on a frequent basis, to admire its beauty and bounty, and to socialize with the gardeners. Children especially benefit from working in the garden with their parents, observing insects and learning about how things grow. And beyond just our community, realtors regularly lead prospective buyers to admire this remarkable urban farm in the middle of our Co-op!

The garden demands ongoing care. Our group uses various tools to manage it. Activities such as planting, weeding, and watering are coordinated by a calendar, email group, lists and meetings. Gardeners do their part and communicate with each other in order to cooperate over what to plant where, and all the other details of gardening life. The result of this is that we have also cultivated a strong community of Seward Park gardeners who share their time and energy together.

The Seward Park Co-op Garden is an important part of our neighborhood and community that needs to be cared for and protected. The gardeners have a unique and vital perspective on the Co-op’s greenspace. With that in mind, we look forward to ongoing collaboration with the Board to shape plans for our garden and other outdoor spaces in the years to come.

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