Community Gardens In Astoria, LIC Open To The Public On Saturday

ASTORIA-LONG ISLAND CITY, QUEENS — After limiting public hours amid the pandemic, dozens of community gardens across New York City will open their gates to the public this weekend, including two green spaces in northwestern Queens.

Two Coves Community Garden in Astoria and Smiling Hogshead Ranch, an urban farm collective in Long Island City, are both participating in this year’s fourth annual Open Garden Day NYC — an event on Saturday, where community gardens citywide will welcome visitors from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. for a day of free programming.

The city’s 500-plus community gardens are tended to by volunteer members, but typically every garden is required to have regular public hours. That changed during the pandemic, when many gardens closed to the general public, citing space restrictions and safety concerns.

But, as coronavirus numbers across the city plunge, and the gardens begin to blossom, many communities are opening the gates to these citywide green spaces once again.

Open Garden Day NYC showcases the full breadth of community garden programming, including workshops on composting and beekeeping, informational tours, and music, arts, and crafts.

Both Two Coves Community Garden and Smiling Hogshead Ranch will open their gates for people to explore.

Smiling Hogshead Ranch, which has maintained a compost dropoff site and led community events throughout the pandemic, will also offer an observation activity.

This map shows all of the community gardens that are participating in Open Garden Day:

Two Coves Community Garden is located at 11-01 30th Avenue, and Smiling Hogshead Ranch is located at 25-30 Skillman Avenue.