Crecí en Newark. No teníamos acceso a espacios verdes, pero esto no paro a mi abuela de crear su propio jardín. La reja de la escalera de incendios y todos los alfeizares de las ventanas, se convirtieron en espacios para sembrar, llenos de latas de salsa de tomate vacías, frascos, y otros recipientes que pudieran contener tierra. Ella cultivaba tomates, frijoles, hiedras, pimientones y plántulas que le regalaban sus vecinos con jardines, o que recogía de la calle. Si encontraba algún espacio libre dentro del apartamento, lo cubría con sus frascos y envases. Con los años, nos mudamos a una casa con un jardín trasero, y no hubo espacio libre para cultivar, incluyendo todos los alfeizares de las ventanas.- Millie

I remember the pride my mother would feel about her rose bushes, especially the ones with names such as “John F. Kennedy,” and “Angel Face” that I gave to her. Every day early in the morning, she will go to the garden to check on her flowers to make sure there were no leaves bitten by insects or pests. With a saltshaker in hand, she would take care of the worms that came during the night to protect her plants. This ritual, she repeated in the afternoons but instead of a saltshaker, she would carry a lit cigarette to enjoy while admiring her rose bushes. - Marcos

I arrived in the community in the year 1979 and I participated with my husband when we managed and shared with the other gardeners. It was a beautiful experience. We formed a beautiful team of people where we organized the plots and participated in a vegetable fair. El Jardín de la Amistad won an award for the biggest cabbage in the fair. We had a wonderful time. The garden was a peaceful and relaxing place then, and I am happy to see it continue to be so now. I lived in the apartments of ‘Nuestra Comunidad’ for thirty years until we were able to purchase our own house where we now live. We are very happy to come and visit and say hello. Thank you, we are very grateful! – Teresa Montanez

Cuando era pequeña, viajaba a Puerto Rico todos los veranos. Allí, mi abuelita tenia un jardín donde sembraba frijoles, pimentones y pigeon peas. No podía esperar a llegar allí. ¡Me imaginaba quitándome los zapatos y correr en el jardin para recoger toda la cosecha – en serio, toda! - Rosa

I arrived at the El Jardín de la Amistad in 1985, and I helped my neighbors grow, maintain and harvest the vegetables in the community garden. I made a lot of friends, I lived here twenty years and I enjoyed the garden. My children grew up here as well and this is it, thank you!

Tengo una memoria de haber venido al El Jardín de la Amistad a ver el jardín de Oscar y Millie. Ahora veo la bella generosidad de sus cosechas y la de los otros jardineros. Y estar aqui compartiendo esta cosecha este año y celebrando con amistades, jardineros y vecinos. Greetings!