The Learning Garden Paterson, NJ
The Learning Garden was recently updated with the help of grant funding to include a new fence with underground wire to keep out persistent groundhogs, a pavilion covered in honeysuckle and grapevines to provide a cool shade for visitors, an educational fruit orchard comprised of 30 apple trees, a harvest station, a compost station and other fun features like a corn maze, three sisters garden, potato hill and a small edible forest.
The Learning Garden is proof that even the most urban places like Paterson can support beautiful open spaces for the community to enjoy. With native trees, shrubs and perennials that attract local wildlife, it has grown into a thriving natural space that has come to symbolize City Green’s commitment to the Paterson community.
The City Green Learning Garden is located at Eastside Park in Paterson. The one and a half-acre site was originally built by City Green in 2008 with the help of the Henry and Marilyn Taub Foundation and Paterson middle school students!
In addition to food production, it serves 1,000 children each year who attend field trips, summer garden camp, and the fall Harvest Festival, which attracts 500 visitors annually. It is also home to the annual “Greenest Place in Paterson” Garden Contest, which recognizes local Paterson gardeners efforts to beautify their city and produce local food.
