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August Monthly Newsletter
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Save the Date for our annual Harvest Fair!
Mark your calendars for the 46th Annual GreenThumb Harvest Fair on Saturday, October 3, 2026 at Herbert Von King Park and Hattie Carthan Community Garden. Join GreenThumb and community gardeners for this free public event in Bed-Stuy and celebrate the start of fall with workshops, live entertainment, healthy cooking demonstrations, the annual GreenThumb Fresh Chef Contest, and one day photography exhibition of this year's winning submissions from our Harvest Fair Competition, and more! More information to come soon!
New Deadline! Submit your Harvest by August 3rd!
Gardeners, there's still time to send us photos of what's growing in your garden for the 2026 Harvest Fair Competition! For guidelines and to submit your harvest, please fill out the Harvest Fair Competition Submission Form by Monday, August 3, 2026 to be considered for this year's competition. Photos of what you grew earlier in the season are eligible to be entered into the competition as well! Any entries submitted after August 3rd will be considered for next year's Harvest Fair Competition.
Photo courtesy of Ham El-Waylly
2026 GreenThumb Fresh Chef Contest
We are excited to announce Ham El-Waylly as this year's guest chef! Ham El-Waylly was raised in Doha, Qatar. He is a chef, recipe developer, and video creator based in New York City, where he is one half of a culinary power couple with his wife, Sohla El-Waylly. His New Orleans–style seafood restaurant Strange Delight is a Brooklyn favorite, and his first cookbook Hello, Home Cooking: Do-Able Dishes for Every Day is a National Bestseller.
Our Fresh Chef Contest will challenge participants to replicate their most delicious and nutritious version of a surprise dish demonstrated by Chef Ham! Registration opens soon, stay tuned to our website and @GreenThumbNYC on Instagram and Facebook!
Volunteer at a Community Garden
If you are new to community gardening, volunteering is a great opportunity to get to know community gardeners and learn how to become a garden member at these gardens. Beginners and experienced volunteers are welcome!
- Volunteer Workdays at Bay 84th Street Community Garden3-22 Beach 84th St., Rockaway Beach, NY 11693Learn more and register:
- 349 Schenck Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11207Saturday, August 29, 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
To sign up for a group of 10 or more, please contact Volunteer Program Coordinator at gt.volunteer@parks.nyc.gov.
Join GreenThumb at Summer Streets
Summer Streets is an annual celebration by the New York City Department of Transportation that replaces our city's usual noisy streets into open streets filled with programming, performances, and more!
GreenThumb will be tabling during select Summer Streets this month. Stop by to make your own native seed mix and receive a GreenThumb-themed temporary tattoo! Learn about our upcoming programming, volunteer workdays, and how to join a community garden.
Manhattan
- Find us on August 1, 8, and 15 from 7:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. at:
- Astor Place, between Broadway and 8th St. (August 1st only)
- East Harlem, 109th St. and Park Avenue
- Harlem, Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard between West 110 St. and West 113 St. (August 1st only)
- Find us on August 22 from 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. at:
- Eastern Parkway and Classon Ave.
- Eastern Parkway and Lincoln Terrace
We Want Your Feedback!
- Share your feedback to help us better understand the educational content, technical skills, and resources that you would like to see us offer. Learn more and complete the survey (available in English and Spanish) here.
- Public Space Partners Survey is open for groups that care for, manage, activate, or advocate for public spaces across the New York City Region. Learn more and complete the survey (available in Bengali, Chinese, English, Haitian Creole, Russian, and Spanish) here.
Highlight of the Month:
Bird Friendly Garden Management Workshop
This bilingual English/Spanish walking workshop with the National Audubon Society uses The Ramble in Central Park as an outdoor classroom for learning how community gardens can better support birds and urban wildlife. Participants will explore bird habitat through guided observation, sound-based activities, and three ecological themes: water, food, and shelter.
GreenThumb Workshops
- August 15, Queens: Crochet for the Garden
- August 18, Manhattan: Building Looms for Community Weaving
- September 1, Webinar: Rat Academy for Community Gardeners
- September 3, Manhattan: Street Tree Care
- September 8, Bronx: Planning an Event in Your Garden
- September 12, Manhattan: Creating and Connecting Habitat for Monarch Butterflies
- September 16, Brooklyn: Planning an Event in Your Garden
Stay tuned for our Fall Program Guide on our website!
More Workshops & Events
Monthly Webinars: Connect & Learn with The Urban Garden Project, a capacity-building organization for the global community garden movement.
- August 13: Building Scalable Community Composting Systems
- September 16: Conversation with Carlos Martinez, Chief of NYC Parks GreenThumb
- August 15, Manhattan: NYRP and Cornell University's The Lab of Urban Ecology East Harlem Pollinator Walking Tour with Dr. Aaron Sexton
- Thursday's, Manhattan: The Hort's Art and Agriculture Series
- City Park Foundation and Partnership for Parks NYC Green Fund Grassroots Grant provides funding support from $1,000 to $40,000 per year for up to two years if eligible. Learn more and apply at an August Info Session. Application Deadline: Friday, August 14, 2026, 11:59 p.m.
- New Yorkers for Parks' The Daffodil Project's registration opens Monday, August 17. Learn more
- Wild Ones' Lorrie Otto Seeds for Education Program provides native plant grants to help establish outdoor learning spaces that support both education and biodiversity. Learn more and apply by Wednesday, November 18
- NYC Parks is seeking volunteers for the 2026 Trees Count to measure the size, location, and condition of the city's trees. Volunteers can sign up for upcoming events happening across the city at the Trees Count Hub website.
- Green Guerillas provides access to tools that community gardeners need through their Tool Lending Library and seeds for community gardeners in NYC through their Seed Library.
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