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Hoeing it up in New York
- by aliciak
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- July 10, 2009
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Perhaps I am an anomaly in this city, a 26-year-old avid gardener who is joyous at the sight of her home-grown tomatoes and flowering geraniums. (Not the other kind of hoeing, sillies!) Hell, I have pondered canceling vacations if I know my orchid is going to bloom while I'm away! New York is a strange place for gardening since, you know, we live in apartment buildings with the exterior steps as the only "outdoor space" at times. But, it can be done. And I will show you how!
My favorite community garden is at Avenue C and 9th Street in the East Village. Look at the flowers made from recycled stuff! There’s also a gazebo, pond, weeping willow and a big round seating area.
How Does Your Garden Grow?
First off: do you have ANY garden space? That front stoop? Throw some giant pots on it. That patch of grass? Rip it out and plant flowers. You have neither of those? Well, you must have windows, at least one of them, and if you do, you are all set to garden! Well, sort of.
Okay, it’s entirely possible you don’t have a window because this is New York. If you really have no options, the last resort (and a really good one!) is to join a community garden and help with the tending.
Pocket book flowers…that’s right, get your money out!
The Makeshift Home Garden in Brooklyn
A small planter, a little window-box, you’ll take what you can get. If you live in Brooklyn, you may have a better chance at having something remotely resembling a garden that doesn’t exist on your fire escape. Okay, but how to proceed from there? Here are the best gardening meccas in the borough.
Home Depot the
585 Dekalb Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11205
By far, the cheapest options for gardening supplies and plants in New York are at the big, bad chain. There’s something oddly satisfying about hanging out at Home Depot on a weeknight. Perhaps it’s one of the few times New York can feel suburban and cookie cutter?
By far, the cheapest options for gardening supplies and plants in New York are at the big, bad chain. There’s something oddly satisfying about hanging out at Home Depot on a weeknight. Perhaps it’s one of the few times New York can feel suburban and cookie cutter?
Lowe's Home Improvement
118 2nd Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11215
Lowe’s holds a special little place in my heart: it was here that I bought plants when I finally moved to Brooklyn, but also where I bought gallons of paint, one of which my roommate (and future best friend) dropped on the way home.
She was mortified, but it was all good. And to this day, there is still a small amount of paint left on the sidewalk from the paint can’s fatal fall.
Midtown Florist & Greenhouse
126 Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11217
Contrary to the name, Midtown Florist is a few long blocks off of the Manhattan Bridge in Brooklyn. Located on a sliver of Flatbush Avenue, the place is family-owned and has all the regular veggies and flowers at good prices.
I buy most of my window-box plants here and they have always done super well!
Contrary to the name, Midtown Florist is a few long blocks off of the Manhattan Bridge in Brooklyn. Located on a sliver of Flatbush Avenue, the place is family-owned and has all the regular veggies and flowers at good prices.
I buy most of my window-box plants here and they have always done super well!
Zuzu’s Petals on 5th Avenue
Zuzu's Petals
374 5th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11215
I’m going to go out on a limb here and say this is one of the best flowers shops in all of New York. Down-home goodness, staff members who call you “doll” and “honey”, a friendly dog and a store name that references one of the best movies.
I’m going to go out on a limb here and say this is one of the best flowers shops in all of New York. Down-home goodness, staff members who call you “doll” and “honey”, a friendly dog and a store name that references one of the best movies.
The Makeshift Home Garden in Manhattan
Garden space is harder to come by in Manhattan, but fire escapes are not! Go wild! In general, there is less direct sunlight in Manhattan because of all the buildings, so make sure you know how much light it’s possible to get and then buy the appropriate plants.
Chelsea Wholesale Flower Market
75 9th Avenue New York, NY 10011
Chelsea is THE neighborhood for your plant needs, but get there early in the morning for the best selection. I’m not talking “early” in New York speak (10am breakfast), but more like 7-8am. Otherwise, you will go home flower-less.
Don’t be confused by the word “wholesale”; the market is open to all and you dont have to buy 34 flats of petunias.
Chelsea Flower Market Loading Dock
Chelsea Garden Center
580 11th Ave, New York, NY 10036
The names makes the Chelsea Garden Center sound like a large greenhouse-y affair, but it’s a fairly small place with a basic selection. It’s also waaaay over there on 11th, approximately 3 million blocks from the subway.
The names makes the Chelsea Garden Center sound like a large greenhouse-y affair, but it’s a fairly small place with a basic selection. It’s also waaaay over there on 11th, approximately 3 million blocks from the subway.
Home Depot
40 W 23rd Street, New York, NY 10010
Some girls in high school used to have an inside joke about “Home Depot at midnight”—I was never privy to the meaning, and I think that taints my experiences here. But, it’s a pretty run-of-the-mill Home Depot right in the middle of Chelsea near a lot of other chain stores.
Some girls in high school used to have an inside joke about “Home Depot at midnight”—I was never privy to the meaning, and I think that taints my experiences here. But, it’s a pretty run-of-the-mill Home Depot right in the middle of Chelsea near a lot of other chain stores.
9th Street Community Garden
9th Street and Avenue C New York, NY 10003
Like I said above, this is a bomb garden. Diagonally across the street is yet another big community garden, making for a very green intersection.
The Community Garden
Sure, they exist outside of The Big Apple, but community gardens are quintessential New York to me. They are kept up by members in the neighborhood, and some have events, parties and barbecues. Although the emphasis is obviously on “community,” some gardens divide up the land into plots, that can be tended to by individuals. And if you harvest any crops, they are yours to keep.
Manhattan alone has 204 gardens, but Brooklyn comes in with a whopping 349! All of them fall under the Green Thumbs umbrella, which is part of the Park and Recreation Dept. Their website is dysfunctional, so I recommend just dropping by your local garden and finding out what it’s all about!
In my New York experience, petunias are the easiest flowers to tend to and the best value. They will bloom all spring and summer long outside. But! I have also grown basil, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, parsley, sage, and this year, hopefully a pumpkin!
Brooklyn Based's Garden Round-Up
Brooklyn Based is a thrice-weekly email newsletter, and this particular link is to a post on garden options and further explanation of the community gardens.
Green Guerillas Website
Green Guerillas is a grassroots organization that combines gardening, education, and programming, especially in lower-class neighborhoods. Most recently, the group is transforming an overgrown vacant lot into a farm!
Where to Buy the Green Goods
Gardening Indoors?
Your landlord shoots down the fire escape herb garden idea and the last time you planted veggies on your windowsill, the thunderstorm took them away. Have no fear! You can plant an aerogarden inside your home, regardless of how much natural light you get, and it will produce veggies and herbs year-round!
Aerogardens
*Take Green Matters Into Your Own Hands*
If you’re rebellious in nature, there is another kind of gardening: guerilla gardening! Not to be confused with the organization mentioned above, guerilla gardening is basically finding a plot of ugly and/or desolate land, small or large, and gardening it without asking permission, but with some amount of discreetness (plant at night!).
Great Gardening Guides
Isn’t alliteration great? Find out how others tackle urban gardening around the country.
My Tribeca fire escape garden (2009)
I currently have 73 grape tomatoes on one plant, 6 baby cucumbers and tons of herbs. :)
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.jpg "ethwiny")
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Love the idea of small space gardening! I have to get some pot(s) on my balcony ASAP!
.jpg "Susie")
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This guide was sooo not what I thought it was going to be. Hahah I love it though…I wish I had a garden in the city too :( But I do know of a couple community gardens!
.jpg "mswen")
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Perfection! And great timing, too, as we start our new garden.
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