A Guide to Community Gardens in Hoboken, Jersey City, + Beyond

You need nature. Your body actually craves it. Digging your hands in rich soil and then watching things grow is food for the mind, body, and your social network. And just your luck, we’ve found that Jersey isn’t called the Garden State for nothing. In fact, there are quite a few plots of land allotted for urban dwellers to try their hand at gardening. Read on for a hand-picked bouquet of just some of the many welcoming community gardens that have taken root and sprouted up all around Hudson County, New Jersey.

About the Gardens

While community gardens are a longtime staple in Europe, there are plenty here in the Garden State. Some community gardens — like Ogden’s End in the Heights neighborhood of Jersey City — are a secret world tucked away amidst all the clatter and hustle of a totally urban environment. Others — like the raised boxes at the center of Miller Park in West New York or the gated enclosure of beds found in North Bergen’s Braddock Park — appear more functional. The well-organized grid-plotted gardens serve the practical purposes of drawing pollinators, enriching the surrounding ecosystems, and providing learning opportunities for area residents. A third type of community garden — the micro kind, like the delightful Hope Garden in Jersey City — has lovely wisps of fragrance and color nestled into small spaces between parking lots and city streets.

Many municipalities have — as Secaucus does — a free application process to access community garden plots. These gardens exist because of volunteers who often schedule plant swaps and teach-ins. Trying out a dose of free soil therapy is easy with the help of the Hudson County Chapter of the Native Plant Society of New Jersey. The NPSNJ leadership hosts in-person and virtual gardening events and can assist Hudson County residents in connecting with their nearest community garden. If no nearby neighborhood garden bed exists, they will point toward the tools to start one.

Read More: The Best New Jersey Gardens to Visit This Summer

The collective effort of these community gardens provides all sorts of dividends to those who join in. There’s nothing like eating vegetables fresh from the garden and telling friends that the herbs in their salad are homegrown. Hudson County’s community gardens are generally grown with adherence to organic methods — using no pesticides, chemical fertilizers, or sprinkler systems. The communal aspect of the gardens means newbies can learn how it’s done.

Guttenberg

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Guttengarden | 6903 Jackson Street

• IG: @guttengarden

Hoboken

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Hoboken Community Garden | 3rd + Jackson Streets

Northwest Resiliency Park | 1201 Madison Street

11th Street Island | 11th Street between Washington + Park Streets

• IG: @hobokenislands

Jersey City

Brunswick Community Garden | 170 Brunswick Street

• IG: @brunswickgarden

Canco Park | 50 Dey Street

• IG: @cancopark

Greater Neighborhood Alliance Community Garden | 81 Garfield Avenue 

Hope Garden | 135 Ogden Avenue

• IG: @hopegardenjc

Lincoln Park West Pollinator Pathway | Lincoln Park West Park Drive 

Ogden’s End | 105 Ogden Avenue

• IG: @ogdens_end

P.E.A.C.E. Community Garden | 440 Hoboken Avenue

• IG: @peacecommunitygardenjc

RCE Learning Garden | Lincoln Park near Communipaw Avenue + Route 440

Pershing Field Model Pollinator Garden | 201 Central Avenue

• IG: @pershing_field_garden_friends

Riverview Community Garden | 285 Ogden Avenue 

• IG: @riverviewgardenjc

Sergeant Anthony Park | 90 – 100 Palisades Avenue

• IG: @sgtanthonypark

Speer Cemetery | 145 Vroom Street

• IG: @speercemetery

Where’s Waldo Community Garden | Walden Avenue at Alan Terrace

• IG: @jerseycitygardeningcoalition

Harrison

 

 

 

 

 

 

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West Hudson Park Learning Garden | 60 Keasbey Street

• IG: @hudsoncounty4H

Kearny

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Kearny Community Garden | 487 Passaic Avenue

• IG: @the_kearny_community_garden

North Bergen

 

 

 

 

 

 

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James J. Braddock Community Garden | 8701 JFK Boulevard East

• IG: @nbearthtalks

Secaucus

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Fountain Park | Corner of Humboldt Street + Raydol Avenue

Xchange Garden | Laurel Hill County Park, next to the Secaucus Xchange

Maple Street Community Garden | Maple Street, next to the Crossover Walkway

Millridge Community Garden | 50 Millridge Road

Imagine Community Garden | 44 Meadowlands Parkway

• IG: @greensecaucus

Union City

 

 

 

 

 

 

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UC Community Garden | Eleanor Erikson Park on Liberty Avenue 

• IG: @unioncity_communitygarden

See More: A Guide to the Gardens of Montclair + When to See Blooms

West New York

Miller Park Community Garden | Miller Park at Jackson Street

• IG: @townofwny

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