Garden of the Day: Clearing the Brush in Carroll Gardens

More garden action from, appropriately, Carroll Gardens...We moved two blocks in mid-May from Carroll Street to Henry Street here in Carroll Gardens. We had a covered garden on Carroll but due to the lack of sun we were limited in growing pursuits.

When we got here there were rose bushes of fairytale proportions. About ten of them were overgrown, thorny and half dead! We removed all but two—any mobile person would have undoubtedly impaled themselves in thorns by just taking a few steps into the garden. There were weeds as tall as I, and my husband sawed down a dead tree that threatened to fall into a neighbor's yard. We wanted to clear everything out so that we could start over again. In all we had several bushels of wood and brush to get rid of, two bundles of which we still cant get the city to come and pick up (what's with that?). Several rounds of preparing the soil.

The tree you see is Rose of Sharon. The herbs are edible marigold, two types of mind, lavender (grosso), basil, there is a grapevine that is above us and in the yard that is now raining grapes and causing a strange fermented smell which we don't mind much but the flies need to go. We have tomatoes and peppers in the containers.

Also here is a hydrangea, a lilac bush, blackberry bush and strawberries which wont happen until next summer. We brought in 30 bags of mulch to help us keep the garden moist but for the most part we do water everyday. We put a bench in and some stepping stones. And we think in the fall we will prepare for more vegetables. In the end we are pretty happy with the outcome - oh I should mention we rent and we spent thousands to get it to this point. Some might find that crazy.

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I believe that the city has some weird regs about picking up wood, due to the threat of the Asian Longhorn Beetle, which originally got in via wooden pallets. Wood debris has to be specially picked up via prior arrangement, if memory serves...pesky.

Posted by: Brenda from Flatbush at August 12, 2008 10:55 AM

you need to call the parks dept. to arrange a time to pick up the stuff. and it needs to be bundled in a very particular way.

311 is somewhat helpful, as are repeated phone calls. but the sanitation folks won't touch it. period.

Posted by: new2hood at August 12, 2008 12:37 PM

Here's the link - I have put bundles or tree trimmings out several times in the past and they are very helpful - always call to confirm pickup and the pickup always happens:

http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_your_park/trees_greenstreets/wood-debris/index.html

Posted by: mlaurice at August 12, 2008 2:00 PM

Hey Guys:

We actually had 3 appointments with the parks department for pick-up of the debris - and they were no shows. They only came the first time. We are just going to get cozy with the thicket.

-j

Posted by: Ljubitca at August 12, 2008 10:26 PM

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August 12, 2008

Garden of the Day: Clearing the Brush in Carroll Gardens

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