NYCHA Farms & Gardens: Growing Community, Food, & Engagement in 2025

Across NYCHA developments, 2025 was a year of steady growth, deepened collaboration, and renewed investment in resident-led green spaces. Supported by NYCHA’s Farms and Gardens program, residents, community partners, and staff came together to transform open spaces, strengthen health and well-being across generations, and advance environmental sustainability — one garden bed, resident gathering, and harvest festival at a time.

At the heart of the program’s continuing success are the urban oases where these efforts take root, grow, and bloom and the dedicated folks whose hard work and tender care make it all happen. In 2025, NYCHA Farms and Gardens supported over 200 registered resident gardens across NYCHA campuses, offering technical assistance to 113 gardens and their gardeners and helping to build or substantially renovate 24 gardens. With support from 10 external partner organizations — including GreenThumb, GrowNYC, The Bee Conservancy, and others — NYCHA gardeners continued the vital work of transforming underused spaces into vibrant centers of social connection, access to fresh produce, and learning.

Plant-bed building happened early this year at Farragut Houses, in plenty of time for planting season.

Just one example of Farms and Gardens’ work this year was the revitalization of the Marlboro Houses’ community garden. Through the Rebuilding Together New York City’s “She Builds” project, more than 200 volunteers joined residents and NYCHA staff to replace planter walls, replenish soil, and improve pathways — preserving the garden as a vital “third space” for that community. (i.e., a gathering place beyond residents’ homes and workplaces/schools.) Established in the 1960s, the Marlboro Houses gardens have doubled in size over the years and are now tended by more than 20 resident gardeners.

“Marlboro residents have kept that space thriving for decades now,” said NYCHA Garden Partnership Manager Zach Williams. “During our two summer 2025 events, residents, volunteers, and Marlboro Houses staff joined forces to remove debris – over 3 truckloads of it! – and install fresh lumber. That garden is going to continue as a hub of food justice and loving community for years to come.”

NYCHA gardeners worked with 10 external partner organizations — including GreenThumb, GrowNYC and The Bee Conservancy — to transform underused spaces into vibrant green centers.

Efforts like these also took place at Farms at NYCHA sites across New York City in 2025, and their scale was more than equaled by their impact. At nine farms active during the growing season — including Red Hook Houses, Howard Houses, Bay View Houses, Wagner Houses, Forest Houses, Mariner’s Harbor, Astoria Houses, Pink Houses, and Castle Hill Houses — more than 34,600 pounds of fresh produce were distributed to residents in 2025. Nearly 155,000 pounds of food scraps were collected for compost, underscoring the program’s commitment to environmental sustainability and waste reduction. And with three new urban agriculture sites at Ravenswood Houses, South Beach Houses, and Marlboro Houses coming in 2026, that reach will continue to expand.

The Farms and Gardens program also continued its work to strengthen community life through educational programming and opportunities. In 2025, NYCHA and its three Farms partners — Green City Force, New York Botanical Garden Bronx Green-Up, and Red Hook Initiative Red Hook Farms — led and managed nearly 500 community activities across New York’s five boroughs. These events included farm stands and produce distributions, garden club celebrations, educational workshops, and hands-on gardening and harvesting events that brought together residents of all ages.

Harvest Festivals took place all across the city in Fall ’25, including at Bayview Houses (top left), Howard Houses (top middle), Wagner Houses (top right), and Mariner’s Harbor (kids and pumpkins, just above).

Volunteers played an important role in all those efforts. Over 270 NYCHA residents volunteered their time and energy to support farm operations across the nine farm sites, reinforcing the farms’ role as resident-centered spaces for connection with friends and neighbors, for learning, and for leadership development. Since the first NYCHA farm operations began in 2013, Farms at NYCHA sites have developed into genuine community hubs, combining fresh food access, youth workforce development, and environmental education for the communities they serve.

One outstanding example of the program’s impact in 2025 was visible at Karol’s Farm at Castle Hill Houses in the Bronx, which is operated by farm partner New York Botanical Garden Bronx Green-Up. Volunteer participation at Karol’s Farm this past year increased by 42 percent over 2024, a clear reflection of residents’ increasing engagement and sense of community ownership.

Volunteer participation at Karol’s Farm increased by 42 percent in 2025!

“Throughout the summer and fall of ‘25, we focused on maintaining the farm, running volunteer workdays, and making sure everything was moving steadily and intentionally,” said Melinda Figueroa, who oversees site coordination and community engagement at Karol’s Farm. “We worked closely and constantly with volunteers and community members during those months – really through the whole year.” Bronx Green-Up installed a new gazebo at the site this year, which will be used to host workshops, classes, and additional community activities, further expanding the farm’s role as a neighborhood resource.

In April, more than 300 attendees convened for the Annual Farms and Gardens Summit, which featured 10 workshops and 19 partner organizations who came together to celebrate this expansive community and share expertise, favorite tools, and best practices. The 2025 Summit was a great kickoff to the season and one more demonstration of the Authority’s commitment to supporting and promoting collaboration and peer learning across developments.

More than 300 attendees convened for the Annual Farms and Gardens Summit in April,
the kickoff event for what became a truly outstanding 2025 season.

With the 2026 growing season approaching, now is the perfect time to begin preparing for another banner year. And please keep in mind that NYCHA gardeners must renew their Garden Registry Application every two years. For more information and to access support, email gardens@nycha.nyc.gov or call (212) 306-8282 and leave a message