Operation Stone in Plots

Over the years, the growing plots in our community garden have become shallow due to soil erosion and our block borders continue to sink deeper into the ground. With this grant, we would rebuild and raise our beds with Belgian blocks and winterize them so that we can increase food crop yield. We chose blocks as a border for its sturdiness and non-leaching properties, but they are heavy so we will rally all hands on deck for this project. Our community garden is located on Pacific Street, between Flatbush and Fourth Avenue, and our membership is a mix of young families, longtime Brooklyn residents, veteran and new gardeners alike. We reflect the beautiful diversity that is Brooklyn, that is NYC.  

Our proposed timeline for this project;

March- April: Begin cleaning out our plots.
April: Set borders and build up our growing plots with blocks/rally current garden and community members to help. 
April - May - June: Begin transplanting plants/sowing seeds.  Finish up building up growing plots.
June - August: Check/harvest over winter crops and fix any loose borders.                                                                                                                        August - September: Get soil ready for new growing season and continue border maintenance.
October - December: Get ready for winterization of growing plots/continue border maintenance. 

As our garden is located in a very hectic neighborhood near Downtown Brooklyn and across from the Barclays’ Arena, we are bombarded with amplified sound from the arena and the avenue, game night crowds disrespecting the garden, local fast food places e.g. Chik-fil-A allowing garbage overflow, rat activity, traffic mayhem (just to name a few big ticket issues), we are active in advocating for the posterity of our open, non-monetized green space for the good of the families and neighbors who value the garden as an oasis in a very busy part of town.

Our mission to create an ongoing place for our Brooklyn and NYC neighbors to take a breath, find solace, and get close to nature as many days as possible can be tricky to achieve as our volunteers all have work/life commitments to juggle, but it is a mission that we take very seriously, acknowledging that the Bears garden is one of the few green spaces available to the community on busy Flatbush Avenue.

Another aspect of working to be a positive open space is the partnerships we have created with
nearby schools and non profit organizations: designing compost and gardening programs for kindergartners, hosting holistic pest management workshops with the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, and participating in art and music events with the North Flatbush BID.