Beginning April 21, Queens Botanical Garden (QBG), located at 43-50 Main Street in Flushing, is inviting local gardening enthusiasts to cultivate their own plots in its new Intergenerational Garden. The garden is open to residents of all ages and will be available throughout the spring and summer months on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon.
For experienced gardeners like local resident Delana Kaalund, it has provided a rare opportunity to grow fresh vegetables in an urban environment. “It’s calming, almost like meditation,” said Kaalund, a local resident who has had a plot in the garden for seven years and is now one of the superintendents. “It’s nice to watch the plants come up and get organic vegetables.”
Donations of fresh vegetables have been made to the Macedonia AME Church to aid families in need. Local food pantries and service organizations, such as TimeBanksNYC, have also helped recruit volunteers to the garden for its preliminary cleanup effort.
Our gardeners and volunteers are as diverse as one can get in NYC,” says Intergenerational Garden Coordinator Maureen Regan. “From Woodhaven, South Ozone Park to Flushing and Whitestone, all work together to become good stewards of the environment, raise awareness of hunger in the community and learn from each other.”
For more information about the Intergenerational Garden, please email mregan@queensbotanical.org.
