An exploration of the vegetation in the New York City neighborhood LIC

scouting for guerrilla gardening sites

Vegetation is more than just lovely: it’s our most important ally on earth. Yes! Even before robots. Vegetation sometimes provides us with nutrition, and almost always provides us with oxygen. Therefore we should cherish it, coexist with it, and help it thrive, globally and also locally. That’s only one reason to engage in guerrilla gardening. A concept new to me, discussed in an elective NYU class I’m participating in “Developing Technologies For Urban Gardens” with professor Vanessa Harden. Guerrilla gardening is basically using vacant lots to grow vegetation. Possibly food. Ron Finley refers to gardening as his art, with vegetation as a medium.

Researching for the next class, I went out to explore my neighborhood with my new point of view, as a potential guerrilla gardenerd.

The neighborhood I live in, LIC, a corner of Queens ​snagged between Brooklyn and Manhattan is pretty good in terms of vegetation. Despite the skyscrapers and concrete industrial blocks, there are a few lush green little residential streets and the nicest most modern waterfront park. There are some rooftop gardens and some adorable school plots.

Huge vacant waterfront lot grew into a sweet little jungle.

How about this extremely fertile corner of ground? Worth reaching out to the owner and see if he’d like to make the most of this real estate before it’s sold.

How about this area between those new condos, on the side of the LIRR tracks?

Nevermind! Not the best idea.

Oh wait! What is that? Two little adorable garden beds that the city forgot, right behind the MoMa PS1 museum? Eureka!

To be continued.