7 Go-To NYC Spots To Get Your Family’s Gardening Fix This Spring

Embark on an exciting adventure discovering the world of plants. This spring, the Children’s Gardening Program at the New York Botanical Garden allows your children to get outside and get their hands dirty. With instructors, they will be able to plant, tend and harvest vegetables and herbs, and learn about a variety of nature topics, such as pollination and composting. Whether you have Garden Sprouts (ages 3-5) or Crafters (6-12), the New York Botanical Garden has a variety of opportunities for you and your family this season. Open 10am-6pm Tuesday-Sunday, 2900 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, nybg.org

Located in Greenwich Village, the Jefferson Market Garden offers families an escape from the hustle and bustle of city life. Open to the public starting in the spring, here you can take in the wonderful blooms of the season. Also, each year the Jefferson Market Garden holds their annual Children’s Music and Flower Festival. This year, the event is May 19 from 11am until 2pm. There will be planting opportunities, music, face painting, and more. Open 10am-Dusk, Tuesday-Sunday beginning in April, 70 A Greenwich Avenue, jeffersonmarketgarden.org

For families looking to dive into the gardening community, GreenThumb provides programming and support to over 500 gardens throughout Manhattan. From garden basics to more advanced farming, GreenThumb has it all. You can also get your children involved in their variety of youth programs. The GreenThumb Youth Leadership Council (ages 14-21) will give your children the opportunity to learn from community gardeners and also gain volunteer management, leadership, and professional skills. Or you can go with Grow to Learn, the citywide school gardens initiative that hopes to get learning gardens in every school in NYC. Finally, GreenThumb offers a Summer Youth Employment program, where your children (ages 14-24) will get the chance to have paid summer employment for up to six weeks working a variety of entry-level jobs. greenthumbnyc.org

Bring your family along and visit Brooklyn Grange, the world’s largest rooftop soil farm, located on two roofs in New York City. Each year, they grow over 50,000 pounds of organically-cultivated produce in addition to operating a successful apiary. They offer a variety of workshops and classes to attend, from planning your own urban garden to an introduction to green roofing; they even offer an introduction to beekeeping, and more. Brooklyn Navy Yard, 63 Flushing Ave, Box 116, Brooklyn, brooklyngrangefarm.com

At Twig, everything is green–plus, you get the chance to make your own terrarium, a little miniscape of your own. Offering workshops all year long, Twig is the perfect place to get your gardening fix. Learn to create a moss terrarium with all ingredients provided, including the glass, moss, and little folk. Also, no experience is required, offering families of all ages to indulge in this whimsical workshop. They even have Do-It-Yourself Terrarium Kits so the fun can be brought back home as well. Open 12pm – 7pm to the Public on Saturdays, 287 3rd Avenue, Brooklyn, twigterrariums.com

Rose Red and Lavender is a floral and event studio in Brooklyn offering group classes (with a minimum of five people, ages 6+) in floral design, Kokedama, indoor gardening, and more. They also can come to you, which is perfect for parties and events. Classes offered offsite include Kokedama, indoor herb gardening, flower crowns, and more. Open 10am-5pm Tuesday-Saturday, 51 35th Street, Building 5, Brooklyn, roseredandlavender.com

With GrowNYC, your children will be able to foster environmental and community awareness through their school and learning environment. Every year, the foundation offers programming to more than 30,000 youths, whether it is through recycling programs or nutrition education or even environmental education. Their focus is on high poverty, low-consumption areas where there is limited access to fresh fruits and vegetables as well as green space. Everyone is encouraged to get involved. They offer field trips for all ages, help with building a school garden, and more. grownyc.org