Riker Hill Art Park in Livingston received a $1 million facelift in 2019, which included the creation of a community garden. The improvements were the result of a partnership between the County and Township of Livingston.
The Master Gardeners began their affiliation with Riker Hill Community Garden (RHCG) during the 2021 planting season. Plots are leased by the Essex County Parks Department and assigned to Essex County residents.
Rutgers Master Gardeners of Essex County (MGEC) use Plot 14 and trough 23 as Demonstration Gardens with the goals of sharing support and educational resources about best Organic Gardening practices. The Master Gardeners are present in the garden daily for plot maintenance and on Saturday from 10-12 noon to advise and support the community garden members. Educational workshops are offered during the growing season.
To outreach to the community, we have partnered with Livingston Neighbors Helping Neighbors (LNHN) to distribute the produce grown in the MG plot and any produce that the other gardeners want to contribute.
We harvest weekly during the growing season (from April to the end of November).
