Kathy’s Urban Garden

Turning an unused space into food for the family and local insects

Today we ’re feature an urban garden in New York City .

My hubby , Ian , and I ( Kathy ) survive in a small house on a 100 - foot by 25 - ft lot in Queens , New York . Although we ’d composted for years , we never gardened until 2020 when I left my corporate job . Ian ’s female parent and grandmother get up in our theatre , and we still have the crabapple tree(Malushybrid , Zones 4–8),bigleaf hydrangea(Hydrangea macrophylla , Zones 5–9 ) , and rose that cracking - grandfather Endsor planted .

Over the year , Adam ’s needle(Yuccafilamentosa , Zones 5–10 ) , daylilies(Hemerocallissp . geographical zone 3–9 ) , deadnettle(Lamiumpurpureum , Zones 3–9 ) , dandelions(Taraxaxum officinale , Zones 3–9 ) , English ivy(Hederahelix , Zones 5–9 ) , cleavers(Galium aparine , one-year ) , pokeweed(Phytolacca americana , zone 4–8 ) , hay - sweet-scented fern(Dennstaedtiapunctilobula , Zones 3–8),oak trees(Quercus species),and even the erranttomatoandsquash plant(from seed in the compost ) made themselves at menage in our miss yard .

Some class the yard was a gaga jam that our friends now admit used to scare them ! Infrequently , Ian would mow and it would look like this .

With more time on our hand , Ian and I resolve to finally do something with the sequoia planks we ’d purchased twelvemonth ago forraised bedsand never used . This is the yard in former 2020 , when Ian started to think about where to put the beds . We hoped that all thecompostwe’d made over the years would help mitigate the excess confidential information in our grime . ( Soil testingis extremely recommend for NYC garden , especially one that test for heavy metals . )

at the same time , Ian dismantled an obsolete lamp chimney and made abrick pathbetween the beds . He ’s thehardscapeperson , and I ’m the gardener .

by and by that year he also made apatiofarther back , near the crabapple tree . Being inexperient gardeners , we unwisely paid no tending tosun and tone atmospheric condition . We just put the terrace and bed where we think they would look good . If we were doing this today , we ’d rescind the patio and the beds ; the back north part of our 1000 gets the most sun .

I was belated inseed sowing , but a friend give us some tomato starts , and I bought somepepperstarts . Lettuceandradishare fast growers , and the squash seeds quickly took off once the atmospheric condition was warmer ( crush is my favorite ) . We bring down down the “ Tennessean ” pin oak Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree so as to give the vegetable more admission to the Sunday .

And then I embark on taking class at the New York Botanical Garden , which led me toDoug Tallamy ’s books(Bringing Nature Home , etc . ) and the importance of indigenous plants , specially oak tree diagram . It was too late for our backyard oak , but we do have another pin oak in the smallfront thou , which we will happily provide in piazza . I decide that the perimeter ( along the fence ) and the back west ( under the crabapple ) and the back east ( where you’re able to see the stone path ) would be home to futurenative plantings .

taste homegrown nutrient is marvelous , and it made us gardeners for life . Ian became determined to append more growing blank space , so in 2021 , he reconfigured the beds ( and added more beds in the way back ) , which we filled with a mixture of vermiculite , peat , and five kinds of compost so we would n’t have to worry about lead . ( It was n’t until later that I read about the unsustainability of peat . ) This exposure shows the layout we had in 2021 ( the jugs are wintertime - sown native plant seed ) .

And here is the 2021 garden in August . We farm slew of kale and admire the silvery leave behind well into autumn . I scan aboutcompanion plantingand mixed in marigolds(Tagetessp . , annual ) , zinnia(Zinniaelegans , annual ) , anise plant hyssop(Agastachefoeniculum , Zones 4–8 ) , and alyssum(Lobularia maritima , yearly ) with thevegetables .

Annuals likecoleuswith colorful foliage help fill in the infinite that would afterwards be fill withnative plants . Here ’s rattlesnake master(Eryngiumyuccifolium , Zones 3–8 ) on the far leftover , slender sight mint(Pycnanthemum tenuifolium , Zones 4–9 ) , stone stack mint(Pycnanthemum curvipes , Zones 4–9 ) , ‘ Little Joe ’ Joe Pye weed(Eupatoriumdubium‘Little Joe ’ , Zones 4–8 ) , and a nanus mint laurel(Kalmialatifolia , Zones 4–9 ) called ‘ cracker ’ , with coleus(Coleus scutellarioides , Zones 10–11 or as an one-year ) replete in . The bees sleep with coleus blossom , but not as much as mountain mint and Joe Pye weed .

Then I learn about the grandness of rotate crop . Here ’s the garden in 2022 . you could see that Ian total a tomato trellis ( which can be wobble to other areas in later years).Later , he made anarborusing only found materials . And next class , he ’s go to supply support for what we now hump is aclimbing rose .

And here are some of the harvests we ’ve had . We eat a lot of vegetables every day , and most of them came from our own curtilage last summertime .

And just as satisfying were thenative perennialsand the class - round sweetheart and insects they brought to the railyard . It ’s surprising how little space you call for to start a native - plant garden . Here ’s a tinyshade areain the way back , under the crabapple tree diagram .

And here ’s a subtlety garden close to the house , in early outflow , with violets(Violasororia , Zones 3–7 ) , woodland phlox(Phloxdivaricata , Zones 3–8 ) , Virginia bluebells(Mertensiavirginica , Zones 3–8 ) , and coolwart ( Tiarellacordifolia , Zones 4–9 ) .

Black cohosh(Actea racemosa , Zones 3–8 ) is set nearby , and the seed take care almost golden in the summertime after the flowers fade .

The aromaticaster(Symphyotrichum oblongifolium , Zones 3–8 ) has been one of our great joys , so much so that I added some to the front yard and more in the means back to develop near the ‘ Fireworks ’ goldenrod(Solidagorugosa‘Fireworks ’ , Zones 4–8 ) .

All told , we ’ve added over 70 native plants to the backyard and small front yard . After taking class at theNew York Botanical Garden(shout out toKim Eirman / Ecobeneficial.com ) , reading Doug Tallamy , Mary Reynolds(The Garden Awakening),Robin Wall Kimmerer(Braiding Sweetgrass),Sara Stein(Noah ’s Garden),joining native - plant life Facebook chemical group , attending many native - plant talks , offer on theHigh production line , and inspect theMt . Cuba Center , I ’m more determined than ever to increase the percentage of native plant on our property .

need to see more from Kathy ? Check out her Instagram : woodside_growing

Have photo to share ? We ’d love to see your garden , a peculiar collection of plants you have it away , or a wonderful garden you had the luck to call !

To present , air 5 - 10 photos to[email protected]along with some info about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos . We ’d know to hear where you are located , how long you ’ve been gardening , success you are proud of , nonstarter you learned from , hopes for the future tense , favorite plants , or funny stories from your garden .

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urban garden with reconfiguration of beds

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