An NYC Community Garden That Grew from an Oil Spill: McCarren Demo Garden

Tucked inside McCarren Park, the Demo Garden is more than just a patch of green — it’s a community-powered plot for growing food, sharing knowledge, and making Brooklyn a little bit wilder. Born out of environmental justice history and run by North Brooklyn Mutual Aid, the garden is equal parts classroom, pantry, and party.

So… who planted the first seed? How did this little green haven sprout up in the middle of the city?

Greenpoint is home to one of the largest oil spills in US history. In the 70s, Sister Francis Kress — in a hazmat suit — dove in to gather evidence and testified before Congress. The eventual $20M settlement from ExxonMobil helped fund local projects, and in 2015, the McCarren Demonstration Garden was one of them. It found new life in 2022 when North Brooklyn Mutual Aid developed a programming strategy, and the garden officially sprouted into what it is today.

(Side note: we grow in raised beds with clean, non-contaminated soil)

What’s a typical day in the garden?

On shift days, volunteers water, harvest, weigh, log, and deliver produce to local community fridges. Events, on the other hand, cover anything from breathwork to pickles to bats — usually an hour long, and always packed. Both are worth checking out (just be sure to follow along, because events fill up fast)!

What's one of the most memorable events or moments you've experienced at the garden so far?

There have been a couple of potlucks that have been really fun and silly because everyone has brought a variation on the same dish -- cucumber salads, gallettes, etc... And it's always really nice to sit and share a meal with everyone. But my favorite event every year is the pumpkin carving. Iain Burke is a super talented pumpkin carver (that's a thing!) and its always fun to learn a new technique and see how everyone's creations turn out.

How do newcomers get involved?

Easy! Come to open hours. The full volunteer calendar is at mccarren.garden.

If the Garden were a vegetable…

Ooof I'm gonna cheat and say that we're cucumbers since they're our bumper crop most years! (A bumper crop refers to an exceptionally large harvest of crops.)

Your hottest gardening tip?

Don’t water the leaves — get that hose down to the roots. Watering leaves can actually cause disease!

I saw the collaboration with Paloma coffee on the lavender pastry, who’s on your dream collab wish list next?

Every fall, we host Harvest Dinners with local restaurants who turn our produce into garden-themed dishes. Past partners include Fornino’s, Paulie Gee’s, Edy’s, and Leroy’s.

As a dinner party enjoyer, I wouldn’t be mad about a future collab with Nura…

Any garden crushes? Do you ever “garden hop” for inspiration?

Shout out to Lentol Garden for the composter they gave us this year! And we're garden crazy, we love them all in the neighborhood. We take a couple field trips a year together to peep what everyone else is doing. This year we went to Stone Barns which was super cute and fun. Can't wait to go back!

Weirdest thing you’ve grown?

We grow all sorts of tomato varieties, but my favorite is the one called “Girl’s Girl Weird Thing.” Best name ever.

How does the Demo Garden connect with the community?

We’re here to grow food for community fridges and host a classroom for learning about gardening and climate action. But really, it’s also a way to meet neighbors and plug into North Brooklyn Mutual Aid. Whether or not you’re into plants, it’s about building community together.

Never miss an event: follow McCarren Demo Garden on Partiful