3. 6BC Botanical Garden

As its name suggests, the 6BC Botanical Garden is located on 6th Avenue between Avenues B and C in the East Village. But according to its website, the B stands for “botanical,” where people come to learn, while the C stands for “community” since it also functions as a community garden. The garden is “designed, planted and maintained by local volunteers in association with GreenThumb,” a community gardening program run by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. According to its website, 6BC was founded in 1981, and has grown from a simple community garden to an organization dedicated to “horticultural education” and promoting biodiversity.