URBAN GARDEN PROFILE: GROWNYC'S Tom Twente

This year the weather has been tough in New York City. NYC has suffered tornados and drought as well as a poor financial forecast. Tom Twente's been gardening in the weather of NYC for years. Before the planned auction of 114 community gardens in 1999 for commercial development Tom was there planning a land trust for garden conservation. His work is devoted to community gardens and their sustainability. He's seen folks come and go and managed to quietly do the business of making sure these spaces survive beyond momentary personal visions, pop ideas and cold weather. Tom's recent work has been to establish facilities in  Bronx and Brooklyn gardens through a capitol parks project. He invited me to stop by while he was putting up some holiday decorations at his own local community garden in the heart of Park Slope Brooklyn. I found him on a ladder stringing up pine boughs. It was a chilly day and my hands were turning red when I brought out my pocket moleskin notebook and pen.

Tom explained  that  GrowNYC is a initiative with the touch of the current city administration - a hybrid organization that partners city interests as a sort of non-profit but with private sponsorship as well. GrowNYC does it's work from capitol parks project funding as well as getting support and help from the likes of  Disney and Timberland. Tom remarked that GrowNYC had been renamed to step back from a heavy government aura and provide services for local community restoration and education. While GrowNYC oversees such succesful enterprises as the Farmer's Market in Union Square - Tom's work appears focused on making sure the facilities beyond the Park's Department Green Thumb gardens receive attention. It's honestly a bit much to follow. But Tom evenly explained that in NYC there's basically three entities controlling the land for community gardens. Many deeds remain in the hands of a land trust (Trust for Public Land) that is neither under the domain of the city (Green Thumb) nor maintained by a non-profit (NYRP). Tom's larger initiatives in 2010 were in the form of constructing rainwater harvesting, shade structures and composting commodes in a couple of the bigger community gardens that are a part of this. The plans of the spring remain along these lines as well as he finishes up projects from 2010.


Tom explained some of the complexity of the community garden landscape in New York. He had the tone of an elder brother who cared for the community garden family in all the boroughs. He's been there for NYC through rain and blue skys. He matter of factly stated funding had been reduced - without hint of any affect. He explained the good times and bad times in the even manner of a man who had ridden out tornados and storms. Which he said, by the way, this year tornadoes had torn the crowns off the elms of the garden we were in. As I looked up Tom pointed out the green roof demo he constructed over the tool shed at his community garden. He pointed  with a warm pride. It was a tight build that was bushy and full of still green plants - one of the greenest patches of plants I'd seen this time of year. He hoisted a ladder over to it so I could climb up and take a look and get a picture of the top. Tom Twente is a gardener who builds things that last, and teaches others to contribute to permaculture despite the climate, wind storms or cold weather.

Rainwater collection structure in the JDD garden in the Bronx

shade structure in progress 
at the Wanaqua garden on E136th
Palette Architects did the pro-bono design