Awarding NYCHA’s Gardeners

Roselina Mestric of Pomonok Houses (center) was proud to receive one of the 2018 Master Gardener Awards at the 55th Annual NYCHA Garden & Greening Awards Ceremony. Ms. Mestric was joined by NYCHA Resident Board Member Victor Gonzalez (left) and NYCHA’s Coordinator for Special Projects Juan Santiago as they celebrated the hundreds of resident gardeners gathered at the Johnson Community Center for the event on November 9, 2018.

More than 500 NYCHA gardens, tended by over 1,000 gardeners, were judged by a panel of respected horticultural professionals. Every year, NYCHA resident gardeners compete to win the top spots in each of the three categories: best flower, theme, and vegetable garden in the city. The garden competition is one of the oldest urban gardening programs of its kind in the country. The ceremony was sponsored by Unilever and highlights the hard work and dedication of NYCHA’s resident gardeners and NYCHA’s Garden & Greening Program, a year-round beautification, environmental preservation, and education initiative that benefits residents and the greater community.

Congratulations to the Citywide Winners:

Flower Garden:

Angels Among Us, New Lane Shores

Vegetable Garden:

El Jardin Los Amigos de Moore, Moore Houses

Theme Garden:

Ebony’s Garden, Marcy Houses

 

2018 Master Gardener Awards

Saul Barrios, Gun Hill Houses

Emma Barcelli, Manhattanville Houses

Roselina Mestric, Pomonok Houses

William ‘Bill’ Morgan, Todt Hill Houses

 

2018 Outstanding Garden Winners

Flower Gardens

Beach 41st Street Houses, Queens

Vladeck Houses, Manhattan

South Jamaica Houses, Queens

New Lane Shores, Staten Island

 

Vegetable Gardens

Ingersoll Houses, Brooklyn

Pink Houses Community Farm, Brooklyn

Grant Houses Community Garden, Manhattan

Hammel Houses Community Garden, Queens

 

Flower Garden Winners

Bronx

1ST PRIZE: Million Dollar Garden – Morris Houses

2ND PRIZE: Sun Rise Garden – Patterson Houses

3RD PRIZE: Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star – Union Ave. Consolidated

Brooklyn

1ST PRIZE: Roses Are Red, Violets Are Blue – Ingersoll Houses

2ND PRIZE: Jeanette & Pansy’s Flower Garden – Brevoort Houses

3RD PRIZE: Breukelen Sight Community Garden – Breukelen Houses

Manhattan

1ST PRIZE: The Wild Garden – Isaacs Houses

2ND PRIZE: Lauretta and Skate’s Family Garden – Smith Houses

3RD PRIZE: Secret Garden – Manhattanville Houses

Queens

1ST PRIZE: Woodland Whispers – Pomonok Houses

2ND PRIZE: Hephzibah – South Jamaica Houses

3RD PRIZE: Granny’s Bloomers – Astoria Houses

Staten Island

1ST PRIZE: Raising the Stakes – New Lane Shores

2ND PRIZE: Peace & Harmony – Berry Houses

3RD PRIZE: Rose Land – New Lane Shores

 

Vegetable Garden Winners

Bronx

1ST PRIZE: Morris Project – Morris Houses

2ND PRIZE: Love Your Block – Soundview Houses

3RD PRIZE: El Bohio – Union Ave. Consolidated

Brooklyn

1ST PRIZE: Melania’s Garden – Tompkins Houses

2ND PRIZE: Green First – Boulevard Houses

3RD PRIZE: Dominique Byrant Vegetable Garden – Ingersoll Houses

Manhattan

1ST PRIZE: Grant Community Garden – Grant Houses

2ND PRIZE: Mohammed Uddin Veggies – Johnson Houses

3RD PRIZE: May May Garden – Smith Houses

Queens

1ST PRIZE: Bennett Garden – Baisely Park Houses

2ND PRIZE: Love Heart – Beach 41st Street Houses

3RD PRIZE: The Dragon Garden – Ravenswood Houses

Staten Island

1ST PRIZE: The People’s Garden – Mariner’s Harbor Houses

2ND PRIZE: Din’as Garden – Berry Houses

3RD PRIZE: Cassidy-Lafayette Community Vegetable Garden – Cassidy-Lafayette Houses

 

Theme Garden Winners

Staten Island

1ST PRIZE: Let’s Grow Together Gardening Program – South Beach Houses

2ND PRIZE: Therapeutic Garden – Richmond Terrace Houses

3RD PRIZE: South Beach Garden Court – South Beach Houses