Karen Guzman

Urban Gardens Specialist

cell 929-468-5179
email Karen

Areas of Interest
community gardens, IPM, native plants, sustainable growing methods

A native New Yorker, Karen attended CUNY Hunter College, studying in Environmental Science, and received her Horticulture certificate from the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. For the 6 years prior to joining the CCE Harvest NY team, Karen worked all over NYC on urban farms, most recently as the Farm Manager at the Queens Botanical Garden. She also worked with a few other notable organizations such as Brooklyn Grange, the Queens County Farm Museum, and GrowNYC.

In her new role as an Urban Garden Specialist, Karen will be supporting gardens in the Bronx, Staten Island, and Queens, providing technical assistance and educational resources aimed at increasing community building, nutrition awareness, and sustainable growing methods. 

Gardening Workshop

July 11, 2026
11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Bronx, NY

Join Kingsbridge Heights Community Center and Urban Garden Specialist, Karen Guzman, to learn beginner gardening tips from planting to basic plant ID. We will learn which crops do well together and how to get good yields in raised bed gardens.  

Urban Agroforestry Summit

July 14, 2026
9:30 AM - 3:30 PM
New York, NY

Learn and network with urban agroforestry practitioners, service providers and city government partners on ways to scale agroforestry in NYC

Join the Cornell Small Farms Program and Harvest New York for the first annual NYC Urban Agroforestry Summit. Begin the day by learning from invited speakers who will explore the evolution, current landscape, and future potential of agroforestry within New York City's food systems and urban forestry initiatives.

Urban Tree Health: New Pest and Disease Challenges

July 24, 2026
8:30 am - 4:00 pm

Trees in urban environments can face unexpected challenges, including new insects and diseases. Join Cornell Integrated Pest Management, in collaboration with Brooklyn Botanic Garden and Cornell Cooperative Extension, to learn how to recognize and manage some of the most pressing IPM challenges in urban forests.