This large, multi-lot garden is a valuable green space in a largely industrial area. In 1999, New York Restoration Project (NYRP) made the site accessible by performing environmental remediation to remove toxins. Since then, the garden has flourished with active community involvement – now serving as a fully-functioning green space for the enjoyment and benefit of the surrounding neighborhood. As part of the 10th anniversary celebration of its Community TeamWorks Program, Goldman Sachs provided NYRP with a grant to restore and endow McLeod’s Community Garden in 2006.

Re-opened in 2007, the garden is busy with neighborhood gardeners who produce a bounty of herbs and vegetables, including cabbages, tomatoes and collard greens. In 2019, thanks to New York State’s Vital Brooklyn initiative, NYRP added a water supply and new infrastructure, including sidewalks and pathways, and new garden beds. Design features include gravel paths, vegetable and ornamental planting beds, a wisteria-covered gazebo in the garden’s center and an area in the back for grills and tables for food preparation and family-style dining. NYRP also planted trees and shrubs, including a grove of graceful river birch that accentuate the garden’s frontage. Further, the garden features a pear and apricot tree, blackberry bushes, lavender beds and a variety of grasses and rose bushes.

McLeod’s Community Garden’s large gathering space also makes it an ideal location for neighborhood school groups to use the site for nature explorations and other educational activities.