Smith Street Garden

Our Smith Street Garden is located at 144 Smith Street and is open dawn to dusk. The garden contains over 30 raised beds of various sizes and is maintained by the Greater Newark Conservancy.   

• Model: Assigned Beds  
• Site Access: 7 days a week  

Giving One Tenth Community Garden  

Established in 2017, Giving One Tenth Community Garden (GOT) envisions a green oasis in Newark's South Ward, providing access to organically grown, fresh, local, and seasonal crops. We believe that nutritious food is fundamental to community well-being.  

GOT's mission is to enhance individual and community health through education and collaborative partnerships, fostering lasting healthy changes. During the growing season, we offer a diverse range of activities to achieve this:  

• Gardening Workshops and Planting Sessions  
• Healthy Cooking Demonstrations  
• Food Distribution  
• Yoga and Meditation  
• Partnership-based Piano Classes  
• Various Art Classes and Workshops  

We cultivate a strong sense of community, considering everyone who participates in our space as part of the GOT family.  

• Model: Communal Gardening in exchange for weekly produce  
• Site Access: 7 days a week  

Garden of Life

The Garden of Life was created during the spring of 2000. It was created in order to celebrate and honor the elders in our community who supported the facilitation of the South 17th and 18th Streets Neighborhood Association. In addition, we wanted to beautify our community and supply our residents with fresh fruit and vegetables. We also use the garden for community events such as jazz in the garden, community BBQs, holiday events and association meetings. The Garden of Life evokes a sense of pride in our community and demonstrates to our neighbors that together we can create the type of neighborhood we want to live in.  

• Model: Assigned Beds  
• Site Access: 7 days a week  

Healthy Havens – 18th Ave 

1068 18th Avenue, Newark, New Jersey (b/w Sanford Avenue and Stuyvesant Avenue) The Eighteenth Haven is a resident-led community garden in Newark’s West Ward. Established in 2015 through the City of Newark’s Adopt-a-Lot Program, volunteers of the HOV Garden Committee transform once-vacant land into a productive green space where neighbors grow food, cultivate wellness, and deepen their connection to nature. Operated by the Heart of Vailsburg Garden Committee, this garden is a vital companion to Norwood Haven, collectively known as the “Healthy Havens.”  

Eighteenth Haven came to life in 2015 through residents' and community partners' combined effort, grit, and generosity. One of its defining features is the custom-built outdoor stage—constructed by Just Hines Master craftsmen, who donated their time and talent to build a lasting structure that remains the heart of the garden today. This stage hosts Growtainment performances, Growshops, community cookouts, and Green Thumb Trainings, offering a platform where neighbors learn, share, and shine.  

The launch of the garden was made possible by Be the Change, a student-led service group from Kean University. On an extremely hot day, over twenty volunteers mobilized. They brought not just hands but hearts, donating food, refreshments, tools, and materials, along with a table that had weathered over five years of community use.  

Both HOV gardens—Norwood and Eighteenth Haven—were organized with foundational support from Unified Vailsburg Services Organization (UVSO) and have been sustained ever since by #VolunteerPower: donated labor, personal resources, organizing skills, and local people's production hustle. This model is a powerful testament to what’s possible when anchor institutions offer technical assistance, and communities lead the way.  

• Model: Assigned Beds  
• Site Access: 7 days a week  

Healthy Havens – Norwood

The HOV Healthy Haven at Norwood is a vibrant, community-driven garden in Newark’s Vailsburg neighborhood. It promotes food security, neighborhood engagement, and permaculture by teaching residents how to grow their food. Operated by the Heart of Vailsburg Garden Committee, the space is rooted in the belief that healthy food and green spaces build stronger communities.  

Established in 2014, Norwood is the first of two gardens managed by the HOV Garden Committee. Its sister site, Eighteenth Haven (1068 18th Avenue), followed in 2015. These “Healthy Havens” have served as trusted spaces for growing food, building relationships, and hosting seasonal celebrations. Both sites have actively participated in Newark’s Adopt-a-Lot Program for over a decade.  

Our goal is to create a thriving green space where residents can connect with nature, grow their own food, and learn sustainable gardening. Our ethos is simple: “Grow what you eat. Share with neighbors. Repeat.” We also honor a core value that guides our harvests: “Take what you need, not what you can carry.”  

Together, these principles nurture generosity, reduce waste, and ensure that the garden’s bounty is shared equitably among all who visit. This mission builds community, fosters environmental stewardship, and promotes healthy living through hands-on, experiential learning.  

• Model: Assigned Beds  
• Site Access: 7 days a week  

STEAM Urban

A Healing Sanctuary is a ¼-acre urban farm located in Newark, NJ, stewarded by STEAM URBAN. Rooted in the traditions of land, liberation, and community, it serves as a living classroom, cultural hub, and wellness space for Black and Brown communities. We grow more than food—we cultivate healing, leadership, and self-determination. This sacred land-based space honors ancestral agricultural knowledge while advancing environmental justice, food sovereignty, and youth empowerment. A Healing Sanctuary invites community members to reconnect with the earth, reclaim wellness, and co-create sustainable futures rooted in tradition and radical love.   

Our mission at A Healing Sanctuary is to grow healing-centered, community-led solutions through urban agriculture, land stewardship, and cultural education. We cultivate a space where Black and Brown youth, families, and educators can access fresh food, reconnect with ancestral practices, and build regenerative relationships with land, self, and community.  

At A Healing Sanctuary, the following programs and services take place throughout the year: Urban Farm and Food Justice, Radical Land Stewardship Training, REAP @ the Farm: Land-Based Learning for Youth, Artist ad Healer Residencies, Community Events and Workshops.   

• Type: Communal Gardening in exchange for weekly produce   
• Site Access: 7 days a week  

The Culture Spot  

The Culture Spot focuses on robust community engagement through beautification projects, gardening workshops, wellness activities, and arts celebrations. Initiatives include urban gardens, public art installations, youth programs, cultural events, and enhanced safety measures by fostering social cohesion, sustainability, and neighborhood pride.  

• Model: Assigned Beds  
• Site Access: 7 days a week