QUEENS SUMMER SEEDS 2020

Borough President Lee and the Queens Botanical Garden, together with key partners, has launched the “Queens Summer Seeds 2020” program — a cross-borough initiative to promote wellness and provide a healthy, stress-releasing activity for Queens youth and adults alike through gardening.

Funded by Borough President Lee and secured by the Queens Botanical Garden, a total of 2,020 seed planter sets — symbolizing rebirth and recovery following the unprecedented challenges our borough has faced thus far in 2020, while providing Queens residents with an activity to enjoy in a summer where options for leisure are limited — will be distributed to Queens Community Boards, as well as community-based organizations and New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) communities with either active community gardens or similar wellness initiatives throughout Queens.

Each planter set includes two pre-potted seeds that can be grown either in the provided pot or transferred to an outdoor garden. Approximately half of the 2,020 sets feature a mix of common herbs — basil, parsley, thyme or chives — while the remaining sets feature a floral mix of impatiens and poppy seeds. The seedlings should sprout from the soil in approximately three weeks, bringing with them a sense of optimism and endurance ahead of an unprecedented school year and fall season.

Queens residents may also request a planter by contacting their local Queens Community Board. Contact information for all 14 Queens Community Boards can be found at www.queensbp.org/community-boards.

Organizations receiving the sets, to be used in existing programming or distributed amongst Queens residents, include:


To all who received seeds, let us know how your plants are growing! Tag @QueensBP2020 on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram or use the hashtag #QueensSummerSeeds when posting pictures of your sprouts on social media.