*** Please note: The Garden Ecology Project team has wrapped up its research in New York City, so this website is no longer being maintained.  We have left the website up so that gardeners and researchers can make use of the resources produced during the course of our research. ***

Welcome to the Garden Ecology Project (GEP) website!  The GEP is a community-research partnership based in New York City.  Our goals are:

  • To document the roles of community gardens in providing healthy food, green space, and environmental education, in order to build support for community gardening in urban policy and planning.
  • To develop environmentally friendly vegetable gardening practices like cover cropping, with and for urban gardeners.
  • To  enhance educational programs in urban gardening by incorporating collaborative, discovery-based learning methods that increases gardeners’ understanding of ecology.

Whether you are a gardener, researcher, or concerned citizen, we invite you to browse this website and consider getting involved in urban agriculture and food justice movements in your community!

Blog:  The latest in Garden Ecology Project workshops, seasonal gardening tips, and project results.

Gardeners: Get gardening fact-sheets in English and Spanish developed by Garden Ecology Project collaborators, including information on cover crops, planning your vegetable rotations, and ecologically-based insect management.

Researchers: Read a more detailed description of our projects to better understand community garden practices and challenges, develop cover cropping practices to enhance soil quality and fertility, enrich community gardening education with inquiry-based methods, and more.  Consider contributing your skills and expertise to the efforts to create more just and sustainable urban food systems.

Resources: Links to other great organizations working in sustainable agriculture, urban gardening, and food justice.