WELCOME | Join Our Green Community - Support the Garden

WELCOME TO THE GARDEN

We invite you to share in the beauty of New York City’s The Garden People community garden. Located at 91st Street on the Promenade level of Riverside Park, adjacent to the Hippo Playground, we are proud to have been the first community garden in a New York City park.

WHO ARE THE GARDEN PEOPLE?

We are a community garden that was founded in 1981 by community volunteers.

The Garden has two sections - the Octagon and the Rectangle. The sections are adjacent to each other and are comprised of approximately 40 plots that are assigned to individual members for tending. In addition, there are two plots in the Octagon which are tended by volunteers, along with a Memorial Plot. The Garden People assigns individual garden plots to members who want to cultivate them.

There is currently a waiting list for plots, but anyone may join as a member and participate in garden life.

OUR MISSION

To enlist labor, thought, and creative energies for community volunteers in planting and maintaining flower gardens in public places for the benefit and enjoyment of the public.

WHAT WE DO

For 45 years, The Garden People have cared for this vibrant community oasis. What began in 1981 as a grassroots effort by neighbors has blossomed into a beloved landmark.

Although located within Riverside Park, The Garden People, Inc. is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The garden is maintained and funded entirely by volunteers and donors - not Riverside Park Conservancy or the City of New York.

Visitors from near and far stop to enjoy the beauty - we are often a spot for marriage proposals and family portraits!!

WHERE DOES THE MONEY COME FROM?

Almost all of it is donated by people who enjoy the garden, either as gardeners or as passers-by.

WHERE DOES THE MONEY GO?

Throughout the year, we use resources for tools, fencing, plants, seeds, bulbs and soil enrichment materials (compost, humus, fertilizer), as well as insurance, printing and office supplies.

In the late fall of 2025, we completed a full renovation of the walkways in both the Rectangle and the Octagon!! New sod was installed in the perimeter of the Octagon. This renovation has made the paths both safer and easier to navigate for our many visitors and enhances the beauty of this unique space. The evolution of the garden has been entirely possible due to funding support from members, volunteers, neighbors and the people who enjoy the garden. We are so thankful to be part of this iconic green space in the City of New York.

See the evolution of these spaces below.