Seasons Bed Stuy started with dirt under the fingernails and a stubborn belief that even a small patch of Brooklyn could bloom.
It all started in a quiet corner of Bed-Stuy, where Seasons was once a small garden center known more for its conversations than its price tags.
You could smell the fresh soil before you even stepped inside. The kind of place with pots stacked in mismatched rows, buckets full of cuttings waiting to root, and handwritten signs that told you more than any label ever could. But what really made it work? The people who walked in curious and walked out a little more confident in their ability to grow something.
At the heart of it all was Sheryl Ackerman, a Bed-Stuy native who didn’t just run the shop she lived it. She knew your soil type before you did, remembered your daughter’s science fair lima beans, and never rushed a question, no matter how simple. Whether it was someone asking if mint could grow indoors or how deep to plant garlic, Sheryl had a way of turning uncertainty into excitement.
When the lot that held Seasons was eventually put up for sale, the shelves came down. But something else took root.
The questions didn’t stop. They just showed up in different ways texts, voicemails, casual sidewalk chats. Questions that hadn’t changed much over the years. Should I mulch in spring or fall? Can I grow peppers in a five-gallon bucket? How much compost is too much? And more often than not, people felt shy asking. As if there were rules they were supposed to know already.
That’s when the idea took root again, just in a new way. Seasons didn’t disappear. It shifted.
Now, instead of selling you a shovel, we help you figure out what to do with it. Instead of guessing whether that yellowing leaf means too much sun or too little water, you’ll find the answer right here. From compost to containers, from planting depth to harvest timing Seasons still shows up with the calm voice and clear advice Sheryl once offered behind the counter.
It’s not a store anymore. But it’s still a place to return to when the garden feels uncertain and the stakes feel higher than they look. Whether you’re starting your first window box or wrestling with a stubborn squash plant in your yard this space was made for you.
Still Seasons. Still growing. Just in a new way.
Meet Sheryl Ackerman
Sheryl Ackerman is the founder of Seasons Bed Stuy, a neighborhood gardening store that became a trusted stop for everyday growers looking for more than just plants. Known for her approachable knowledge and calm presence, Sheryl ran the shop with the kind of honesty and care that turned first-time visitors into familiar faces.
Before opening the store, Sheryl worked in environmental education, helping schools and community programs build hands-on gardening experiences in small urban spaces. That background shaped how she ran Seasons Bed Stuy as a place where people didn’t just pick up mulch or seedlings, but also learned what to do with them.
Over the years, she noticed something: many people had the same questions, but often hesitated to ask. Simple things like when to mulch, how far apart to space plants, or whether kitchen compost was safe. Those small questions mattered, and Sheryl never dismissed them.
Though the physical shop eventually closed, the purpose stayed rooted. Today, Seasons Bed Stuy continues as a space where people can still find the same kind of clear, thoughtful guidance that Sheryl offered behind the counter.