NEW YORK — Sheila Logrono is all about growing, even if that’s just in a simple milk carton in a tiny New York apartment.

That love of gardening came into full bloom as a child.

“We had a beautiful garden in my parents home in the Philippines. We moved a lot but every time we moved I planted a garden,” Logrono remembers.

And now that love continues at Seward Park in Chinatown. But getting permission to start a garden in a city park isn’t easy.

“We have been courting Seward Park since 2017. It was just a miracle over the last year. I encountered the park lady and so they, out of the blue, gave me the key to the park. So it felt like winning the lottery,” Logrono said, unable to hide her joy.

It was just the kind of space Logrono had been looking for. With the help of some friends from the Educational Alliance’s Manny Cantor Senior Center and the permission of the city’s Parks department. She now has plenty of room to grow.

“They actually gave me permission to plant anything and anywhere in the park. Three acres of land. You know, it’s a gardener’s dream come true,” Logrono laughed.

And the space isn’t just making Logrono happy. Her fellow seniors are excited to learn everything she has to teach them, while also spending time out of the house and in nature.

“She’s very knowledgeable. She just tells us what to do and we do it,” Carol Lee, a fellow member of the SALT, commented.

Logrono hopes to begin teaching gardening classes, especially to kids. Whether you're five or 90 Logrono says you're the perfect age to start.

“No there’s no age. It’s in all of us," she said.

Prepared with helpful tips and enough gardening tools to go around, Logrono is excited to invite the community to plant with her and then sit back and watch the garden grow.

For planting community and helping it grow, Shiela Logrono is our New Yorker of the Week.