Metropolitan Gardening

At high tide the waters rose to within 20 ft of my door and poured  in the entry way of my building near the third avenue bridge. We packed our bags got the rug off the floor and packed up the cat to go but it occurred to me that high tide had passed and the waters wouldn't get any higher. Though they threatened to shut off the power to the building we stayed and the waters receded... PHEW!

Inger Staggs Yancey has an undeniably cute green roof booth at the Union Square Farmers Market Grow NYC Fest. I got a little slice of the technology from her for a buck and asked her for her first person description of her business. Thank you for stopping by my booth yesterday and being interested in what I do with green roofs and other green infrastructure. I founded Brooklyn Greenroof on Earth Day in 2008. Last year I reformed as Brooklyn Greenroof, LLC . The change in legal structure reflects a shift in focus from just designing green roofs to now also installing them. I This is installation season. We are finishing up one residential green roof installation currently and have two more scheduled to install this month. Next month, we plan to install two more. We bid on many different types of green roofs. Our most unusual upcoming project will be on the new Latter Day Saints Meeting House in Englewood, NJ. Our most common type is the row house roof, whether brownstone or

N ina Wheeler Roberts provides gardening education in Harlem at the  http://www.unionsettlement.org/  Community Garden. Nina is also in Farm School.   More info on   Justfood.org .   ABC did a 90 sec piece on Farm School. You can check it out at:   http://abclocal.go.com/ wabc/video?id=8767938&pid=null   Here's some pictures of the kids she works with and some information about an interesting organization she is developing called Tree of Evolution. Tree of Evolution nurtures the relationships of human beings with each other and our world, allowing us to remember our true nature of living in harmony and love. We encourage, and provide resources for, scientific and experiential exploration, community ground action, elevated wellness, and art inspired by our world. We join with groups and individuals to create nourishing, vibrant, growing spaces, transforming environments and lives.     ~  TOE  ~ A little more info from Nina Wheeler Roberts: I have been working

J ames Ramsey and Dan Barasch have some amazing design work in where they envision an underground garden built beneath NYC. They have recently posted a kickstarter . I got a chance to ask James Ramsey some questions about the project. You can get more info at these websites. delanceyunderground.org or thelowline.org Bryan Ogden: What made you think to put a garden underground? James Ramsey: In working with light redirecting technologies, I realized that there was really no limit to the places you could actually grow plants. As an amateur urban archeologist, I thought about how cool it might be to begin to bring sunlight and greenery to some of our "lost" underground spaces. Bryan Ogden   How does this work sustainably? What sort of maintenance would it require? James Ramsey:  It requires maintenance from several perspectives, from the light tech itself, to drainage, to the care of the plantings themselves. Bryan Ogden   What purpose does the project serv

  C orbin Hill Farm offers fresh locally grown vegetables in areas of NYC that are often poorly served by traditional food distribution infrastructure. Additionally they offer a financial model of participation that brings the term "food justice" to mind. In an era of huge corporate food delivered invisibly Corbin Hill Farm offers smiling faces committed to proving a model of growing and consumption that solves many outstanding difficulties. I met with the folks delivering food at Urban Garden Center where they bring the goodness. MG: What is the main goal of a CSA in New York City? CHF: Although Corbin Hill Farm is inspired by the CSA model, we are actually a Farm Share. Unlike most CSAs, we offer flexible membership terms in order to make fresh produce accessible to the diverse communities we serve. Our primary goal is to eradicate food deserts in Harlem and the South Bronx. MG:  Is this a profitable venture? CHF: We are a for-profit social venture. This mean

Dimitri Gatanas of Urban Garden Center shows us how to plant a classic window box.

Before Curb Allure K im Johnson, is the founder of Curb Allure . I was introduced to Kim through Urban Garden Center where Curb Allure is planning a new initiative. Kim's vision was to start a business that would help protect street trees and beautify the urban landscape.   MG: What inspired you to create Curb Allure? Curb Allure: After leaving the workforce to start a family in 2003, I vowed to eventually start my own business that, in a small way, would make a difference. I got the idea for Curb Allure when I encountered the obstacles of urban landscaping and gardening firsthand. As I was caring for the street tree outside our New York City apartment, I could not find any good solutions to protecting my tree pit - dog waste was killing the flowers around my street tree.   After Curb Allure Around this time, in 2009, my mother passed away. Prior to her death, she gave me a check with clear instructions to “do something that makes you happy.” An avid gardener, Mom