Hoeing it up in New York

By aliciak
updated 3 months ago

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!

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.

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?

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!

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.

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 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.

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.

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!