Our Gardens
Cookman Avenue
Special Note:
Visit our Facebook page for the most current updates!
Read about our winter activities while the garden is in hibernation.
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Asbury Park's not-for -profit Garden of Joy opened its Garden Marketplace in a warm and eclectic co-operative of vendors featuring unique gifts of distinction for the home and garden...vintage vases & planters, garden statues, exotic plants and fruit trees, original & creative jewelry, art and pottery works, antique treasures, candles and soaps, etc. Portions of sale proceeds directly benefit the Garden of Joy projects for inner city children of Asbury Park. Please stop by and say hello!
Spring 2011 Begins a New Garden Season
We would like to thank our incredibly generous landlords, Sean and Don, for again letting us operate The Garden of Joy on their property at 715 Cookman Avenue this year. We love the space and are grateful for the continuity! We look forward to a wonderful season with a terrific harvest and more community involvement.
Our new season will officially begin the first week in April when we start preparing the property, and plant crops that can stand inclement weather. We look forward to enthusiastic volunteer help this year.
Come Tour the Garden
We have welcomed hundreds of visitors to the garden, coming from many different areas, including as far away as France and Hong Kong. Our Garden of Joy kids have learned so much that they now routinely lead tours of the garden. Please come by and visit, our kids would love to show you around!
715 Cookman Avenue, Asbury Park, NJ.
Our Gardens of Joy are aimed to counter the perceived negative stereotypes directed at inner city schools and their educational problems. Problems such as lack of discipline, motivation, lack of respect towards teachers, the educational system, and the "gangsta" mentality. These problems leave some children unfocused, uninspired and unwilling/unable to learn. Asbury Park schools in particular, have a horrific drop-out rate! We believe our Garden could add an inspiring and creative educational tool, reaching out to some children, and allowing shy flowers to blossom and flourish!
Our Garden program is unique in that it is a "cottage" or "kitchen" Garden with nutritious plants including plants used in the cuisines of Native and Tropical ethnic cultures. Including the wisdom of grandmothers and shaman/medicine woman into our learning tools can help bring the Project alive for the children. We also employ unusual organic techniques, such as cat and dog fur, human hair clippings, herbal tea leaves and coffee grinds, soapy water with essential oils, much to the amazement and delight of the children!