Bissel Gardens is a collaborative effort to provide the community with gardens serving many purposes — bringing people together, beautifying the neighborhood, creating safe outdoor space, offering community gardening space, growing food for donation to emergency food programs, and providing environmental and educational programs.
The two acres of gardens and four-block public path extending from Barnes to Baychester Avenues, located in the Wakefield section of the Bronx, had been abandoned, but in 1994 were reclaimed by residents for community gardening activities. The property includes a children’s garden devoted to young gardeners and environmental and educational programs, an area for propagating native plants and trees for Bissel’s Spring plant giveaway, community gardening plots, an area designated for growing food to support local hunger-relief organizations, and at Baychester Avenue, the Bissel farmers’ market can be found from July 1 through mid-November. Last year, Bissel’s community garden produced nearly 1,500 pounds of fresh produce donating it to city hunger-relief organizations. Bissel gave away 4,000 plants and trees to other community gardens, schools and organizations for beautifying open spaces. Bissel members also guided a group of high school students to start a student farmers’ market in the Castle Hill area of the Bronx.
Interested in becoming a member of Bissel Gardens? (click here).