Swale’s Floating Garden
Erie Canal to the Hudson River
Floating Garden in Medina, New York
Current barge and second iteration of Swale
Current location
Medina, New York
Departure
September 28, 2026
Route
Erie Canal to the Hudson River
Swale is an ongoing public artwork creating edible landscapes on the water. Floating Garden is Swale’s second barge and its current chapter.
Follow the Journey
Estimated itinerary.
Medina — Departure
Pittsford — Follow along
Baldwinsville — Follow along
Sylvan Beach — Follow along
Little Falls — Follow along
Amsterdam — Follow along
Waterford / Albany — Arrival program
Next Movement
Medina to Pittsford
Floating Garden begins its eastward journey along the Erie Canal on or around September 28. Follow its progress here as the barge moves through locks, towns, working waterfronts, and public gathering places.
Public Access
Programs will be announced here
Some stops will include public visitation and community programs. Others are evening or overnight operational stops. Confirmed details will be posted as they become available.
Floating Garden in Medina
A public edible perennial landscape on an 80-foot barge.
The first barge led to the Foodway at Concrete Plant Park in the Bronx. The second barge is seeding public agroforestry along the Erie Canal.
Swale began in 2016 as a floating food forest in New York City. From 2016 through 2019, the first barge welcomed the public to gather and harvest food together on the water.
Floating Garden extends that work with a new barge, an edible landscape planned by people in the five boroughs and in Western New York. The original Swale history, its people, plants, public programs, and impact remain accessible as part of the full project archive.
Enter the Swale archive →
Swale and our impact →
Continue into Swale’s History
Two lasting outcomes of the first barge
Visit the Foodway at Concrete Plant Park →
Explore the first Swale barge →
Major Supporters and Project Partners
Support for Swale and Floating Garden
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
Creative Time
Urban Soils Institute
Elizabeth Firestone Graham Foundation
Madeline Marine, Inc. — Verplanck, New York · Tow partner
Anonymous Was A Woman Environmental Art Grants — 2026 Recipient · Administered by NYFA
Crossed Purposes Foundation
