Gardening

Help grow a greener city! Join gardening workshops at parks and our GreenThumb community gardens across New York City to learn from our expert gardeners.
Gardening Events
Wednesday, December 3, 2025
Team RIVER Volunteers
at Randall's Island Park, Manhattan 
9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Volunteer with Team RIVER (Randall’s Island Volunteer Ecological Restorers) and help keep Randall’s Island Park beautiful!
Free!
Team RIVER Volunteers
at Randall's Island Park, Manhattan 
9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Volunteer with Team RIVER (Randall’s Island Volunteer Ecological Restorers) and help keep Randall’s Island Park beautiful!
Free!
Team RIVER Volunteers
at 10 Central Road (in Randall's Island Park), Manhattan
9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Volunteer with Team RIVER (Randall’s Island Volunteer Ecological Restorers) and help keep Randall’s Island Park beautiful!
Free!
Celebrating City Nature: Insights from NYC Greenspaces
at The High Line, Manhattan
6:00 p.m.–7:30 p.m.
NYT garden columnist Margaret Roach guides a virtual panel of NYC's green space visionaries from the High Line, Brooklyn Bridge Park, and Green-Wood Cemetery
Free!
Thursday, December 4, 2025
Practical Knot Tying for Urban Gardeners
at GreenThumb Office, Manhattan
6:00 p.m.–7:30 p.m.
Learn how to tie reliable knots that can help you with everyday garden tasks—from staking plants and building trellises to tying down tarps and reinforcing fencing.
Free!
Friday, December 5, 2025
12/5 Restoration Fridays at Highland Park
at Vermont Place Parking Lot (in Highland Park), Queens 
10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Join NYC Parks and The Forest Park Trust for Forest Restoration Fridays this fall to engage in hands-on forest restoration work!
Free!
Saturday, December 6, 2025
Team RIVER Saturdays
at 10 Central Road (in Randall's Island Park), Manhattan
9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Volunteers will work in different areas of the park to clean and beautify this important community resource.
Free!
12/6 Forest Park Natural Areas Restoration
at Mural Bridge (in Forest Park), Queens
10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Join NYC Parks and The Forest Park Trust this autumn to engage in hands-on restoration work in our natural areas!
Free!
Volunteers Needed: Fort Totten Playground
at Fort Totten Front Gate (in Fort Totten Park), Queens, Fort Totten Playground (in Fort Totten Park), Queens
10:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
We’re looking for volunteers who would be interested in helping us move & rake mulch-like safety surface around the playground.
Free!
Kids
Winter Composting with Big Reuse
at Urban Farm (in Randall's Island Park), Manhattan 
10:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
Join the NYC Compost Project with Big Reuse as we manage the 5-bin compost system at Randall’s Island Urban Farm!
Free!
Wednesday, December 10, 2025
Team RIVER Volunteers
at Randall's Island Park, Manhattan 
9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Volunteer with Team RIVER (Randall’s Island Volunteer Ecological Restorers) and help keep Randall’s Island Park beautiful!
Free!
Team RIVER Volunteers
at Randall's Island Park, Manhattan 
9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Volunteer with Team RIVER (Randall’s Island Volunteer Ecological Restorers) and help keep Randall’s Island Park beautiful!
Free!
Team RIVER Volunteers
at 10 Central Road (in Randall's Island Park), Manhattan
9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Volunteer with Team RIVER (Randall’s Island Volunteer Ecological Restorers) and help keep Randall’s Island Park beautiful!
Free!
Friday, December 12, 2025
12/12 Restoration Fridays at Forest Park
at Buddy Monument (in Forest Park), Queens 
10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Join NYC Parks and The Forest Park Trust for Forest Restoration Fridays this fall to engage in hands-on forest restoration work!
Free!
Saturday, December 13, 2025
Team RIVER Saturdays
at 10 Central Road (in Randall's Island Park), Manhattan
9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Volunteers will work in different areas of the park to clean and beautify this important community resource.
Free!
12/13 Highland Park Bulb Planting
at Upper Highland Park, Brooklyn 
10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Join NYC Parks and The Forest Park Trust for a bulb planting event at Highland Park!
Free!
Winter Composting with Big Reuse
at Urban Farm (in Randall's Island Park), Manhattan 
10:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
Join the NYC Compost Project with Big Reuse as we manage the 5-bin compost system at Randall’s Island Urban Farm!
Free!
Winter Wreath Workshop
at Icahn Stadium (in Randall's Island Park), Manhattan
12:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m.
Guided by our Horticulture team, you’ll create your own one-of-a-kind wreath using seasonal greenery, dried flowers, and natural materials foraged from the Park’s landscape.
Free!
Wednesday, December 17, 2025
Crotona Park Work Together Wednesday
at Crotona Tennis House (in Crotona Park), Bronx 
10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Help the Crotona Park Gardener to remove weeds, litter and trash from the park entrance gardens and planted areas.
Free!
Saturday, January 31, 2026
Preparándonos Para el Mes de la Tierra
11:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.
- Organizar actividades simples para el Mes de la Tierra
- Crear una lista básica de contactos para mantener a las personas comprometidas durante todo el año
Free!
Tuesday, February 3, 2026
Garden Conflict Transformation Circle— A 2-Month Journey for Community Gardeners | Session 2
at Virtual/Online Workshop
6:00 p.m.–7:30 p.m.
Join mediators Skye Roper-Moses and Michelle Jackson for an intimate, two-month learning cohort designed specifically for community gardeners who are ready to transform the way they navigate conflict.
Free!
Wednesday, February 4, 2026
Preparing for EarthMonth
at Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Brooklyn
6:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m.
We’ll cover how to:
1.Organize mini Earth Month activities
2.Do effective outreach to attract volunteers and attendees
Free!
Thursday, February 12, 2026
Community Ecology Reading Group
at Solar One Environmental Education Center at Stuyvesant Cove Park
6:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m.
Bring a book, article, podcast, or film related to this season’s theme—Death—and share a favorite quote or snippet! Join Solar One to reflect, explore ideas with others, and contribute to our evolving Ecological Reading List.
Free!
Saturday, February 14, 2026
Winter Tree ID
11:00 a.m.–1:30 p.m.
Discover your inner tree detective at this winter workshop! Delve into the art of identifying trees through their distinctive branching patterns, unique bud styles, and bark textures. Learn about notable trees like Acer (maple) and Quercus (oak) in the heart of New York City, even when they're leafless. This workshop is ideal for gardeners and nature enthusiasts alike, with no prior tree identification experience required.
Free!
Wednesday, February 18, 2026
Facing Climate Change as Urban Gardeners: Climate Impacting Pollinators
6:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m.
Join us for a monthly series of peer-to-peer conversations presented by GreenThumb and NYRP, focusing on the urgent issue of climate change. Together, we’ll explore how climate change is affecting New York City and beyond through engaging, educational dialogues with experts and local leaders.
Free!


