Yesterday we completed an epic bike journey to pick up and bring back two 40-lb. bags of free compost from a give-back pop-up event at Jackie Robinson Park. The Department of Sanitation makes these free for all due to the now more-than-fledgling NYC composting program. For more info, see https://www.nyc.gov/site/dsny/what-we-do/programs/compost-givebacks.page. You can register and see the full list of give-back events at the different sites across the city at https://www.nyc.gov/site/dsny/what-we-do/programs/compost-givebacks.page#giveback-events. The soil in the bags is amazingly rich. We got a fun surprise when, on the way to spreading it around in the beds, we met up with Michael, who is taking care of a tree bed on Nagle, also spreading his own compost haul, which he brought back from Jackie Robinson. New York is literally a small town.
Shout out to Mary of Hillside, Michael on Nagle, and the neighborhood friends hanging out in front of Nascy Flowers on Broadway below 193rd, who were enjoying the new plants, especially the little mandarin bush (tree?), the juniper, and the basil and mint. One neighbor was commenting very knowledgeably on rue and its medicinal and tea uses; I hope the rue plants survive to be used in those wonderful ways!
Up next: beautiful purple coneflowers are on the way, as well as possibly bee balm, which Martha Stewart among others recommends as a tonic for poor soils.