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April 13, 2009

Despite the Rain, Wildflower Seeds Spread Across Bed Stuy

The first phase of the Bed Stuy Meadow project took place on Saturday, with almost 100 volunteers showing up to fling wildflower seeds into the deserted lots of Bed Stuy despite the inclement weather. "Flowers are great, but what really energizes me is the fact that most volunteers had their own ideas about making the world a better place!" wrote organizer Deborah Fisher on the 21st Century Plowshare website. "I had conversations with people about organized clothing swaps; litter; street trees; helping landlords make better choices about insulating and choosing good windows--the list goes on and on!" The next phase of the project is about to get underway: Anyone who donated at least $10 to the project will receive a seed bomb in the mail in the next few weeks to throw wherever they please. More photos here.
The Seeds Have Been Planted! [21st Century Plowshare]
April Showers Bring Seed-Sowing Volunteers [NY Times]
Flowers for Bed Stuy [Brownstoner]
Photo by Kate Glicksberg

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Comments

I think this is a neat idea but was struck by the absence of any men or any African Americans in those photos. Were there any of either demographic on hand?

Posted by: This Aint No Disco at April 13, 2009 9:19 AM

As someone who has followed this whole thing from a bit of a distance, I have to say that Deb publicized it in many different ways and these are the people that showed up. Rather than look at who was or wasn't there, why not look at what was done and all of the great goodwill that was generated by this project. Hopefully others will be encouraged and to do community improvement projects as well. It takes a seed......

Posted by: Schultz at April 13, 2009 9:28 AM

Thanks. I wasn't meaning to knock it. The absence just jumped off the screen at me.

Posted by: This Aint No Disco at April 13, 2009 9:38 AM

Well, I have to admit my husband made the same comment this morning.

Posted by: Schultz at April 13, 2009 9:45 AM

But the photo only shows 2% of those participating. Isn't it a bit much to expect a representative sample in that one picture?

Posted by: Bob Marvin at April 13, 2009 10:19 AM

I hope this results in some nice meadows but I'm skeptical that the majority of the seeds are not being properly sown and will not take root.

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at April 13, 2009 10:24 AM

throwing seeds on tree pits and raggedy patches of soil is more akin to littering than gardening. Sorry.

Posted by: sam at April 13, 2009 10:25 AM

How so Sam? Whatever seeds that don't grow will leave no discernible residue.

Posted by: Bob Marvin at April 13, 2009 10:42 AM

Bob, none of those seeds will grow. Unless they are sowing weeds. Hopefully birds will eat most of them and it will not be a total waste.

Posted by: sam at April 13, 2009 10:55 AM

You sound like the most unhappy person alive, Sam.

Wait to start off a Monday with your crap.

Posted by: 11217 at April 13, 2009 10:58 AM

growing ornamental plants from seed is a process. The best way to do it is in containers. You plant the seeds in containers that look a little like ice cube trays. when they come up you thin out by selecting the strongest, after a while when they are strong, you transplant them in the soil, carefully, with fertilizer and making sure they are watered every day. That is gardening. Scattering seeds on vacant lots is, if not littering, at best providing lunch for birds.

Posted by: sam at April 13, 2009 11:01 AM

These are not ornamental plants...they are wildflowers. If you actually read the article, you'd know that.

Having grown them before, all you do is scatter the seeds and they grow easily.

It is a wonderful project, and your negativity about it is rather appalling actually. Not surprising, however.

They aren't trying to grow hybrid roses here, they are trying to fill the abandoned lots in Bed Stuy with greenery.

A terrific project!

Posted by: 11217 at April 13, 2009 11:06 AM

I agree with sam on this. I've tried many times to get wildflower seeds to grow under more ideal conditions than tossing them into a lot and the results are that about 10% of them take.

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at April 13, 2009 11:08 AM

I heard this morning on NPR that some people in the neighborhood were upset that longtime residents weren't invited. The program's founder countered that she received so many volunteers through her initial advertisements that it didn't make sense to expand her reach. When confronted about the response of the longtime locals, she said she would be more thoughtful going forward.

Posted by: jessibaby at April 13, 2009 11:17 AM

if bedstuy 'locals' were interested in making bedstuy appealing they wouldn't use it as a trash bin/toilet as often as they do.

Posted by: Billiamsburg at April 13, 2009 11:28 AM

Whether the seeds grow or not, I applaud the effort! Someone got an idea about how to make a simple, natural, and positive change in the community and decided to test it in practice. Maybe the idea will work, maybe it won't. But at least it's a try! How cool is that? IMO, it's a very creative attempt to cultivate, organize and unleash some collective energy towards community good. Better yet, it's a way in which folk can move to be the change they wish to see instead of just sitting online complaining about what they don't like about the community in which they have chosen to live. I hardly ever agree with 11217 on anything but on this. . . I agree. What a terrific project!

As for the locals not being "invited," I can definitely see how this project might be taken negatively by the "locals" at first blush (although I would definitely challenge my brother and sisters to lighten up a bit on this one). My guess is that there would be less local knee-jerk objection if the intial organizers had also taken the step to include some of the oldtimer locals in the initial planning process. Instead, they appear to have relied primarily on internet organizing as a means of getting the word out. Well, the unfortunate truth about that approach is that there really does still exist an age, race and class-based digital divide. Community organizing and engagement via internet-based platforms tend to be a very efficient tool among a younger, whiter, more middle-class demographic. This is not to say that older, working class people of color don't have and use internet access. Of course they do! But when it comes to organizing in the color communties, the most effective strategies still happen in a very personal, make eye contact, live engagement kind of way -- on the street, on the stoops, in the bodegas, at the churches, leaflets under doors, etc. This style of communication between the most well-intentioned/change-energetic newbies and the most fearful/skeptical oldtimers will always work a whole lot better than a blog discussion or evite.

Posted by: Brooklynista at April 13, 2009 12:05 PM

I agree it was a good effort. I even donated money to them.

It was all done online and BedStuyBlog was all over it. No, there wasn't any leafletting or door-to-door effort but I don't think that was necessary.

Not sure which locals were upset about it!!!!

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at April 13, 2009 12:13 PM

Amen, Brooklynista, amen. I agree with every word, and hopefully the organizers will reach out to the community in the old fashioned way, in person, in the future. They should especially get in touch with the local churches.

Bed Stuy has some of the largest, most socially active congregations in the city. To ignore their potential power in any community activity is to leave out legions of people who are eager to help. These are the people who have kept Bed Stuy together since the 1940's, and their children and grandchildren do so today with the same dedication they did.

It is a great project. I hope next time more "locals" will be a part of it.

Posted by: Montrose Morris at April 13, 2009 12:19 PM

I think this is a great project. I think this weekend being a holy weekend for many African Americans in the community many people were spending time with family, church etc... Also many people who live in the southern Bedford Stuyvesant have no idea that this is going on. I am not sure if she went in front of CB3 to get her message out. Anyway if she dose it again I will be out working and supporting.

Posted by: Amzi Hill at April 13, 2009 12:23 PM

I understand the comments about involving the community board, but isn't this supposed to basically be a graffiti-like action?

Wouldn't getting the community board involved take away from the quickness of the gesture?

Posted by: vanburenproud at April 13, 2009 3:32 PM

There were men present as well as men and women of color. Yes, the majority were white women, like the organizer, but as it's been noted the way she organized probably got a whiter, younger demographic in the first place.

The people I seeded with were all local residents, most having lived in Bed Stuy a few years and two were also members of community gardens. As a gardener myself, I do recognize that there are infinitely better ways to plant seeds and take care of them, but that is not the ultimate point.

Also, everyone we ran into was positive about the project. One woman thanked us and another asked about how to grow flowers in her backyard. I think getting people talking with each other could be the ultimate goal and in that case it succeeded.

Posted by: smallie at April 13, 2009 9:24 PM

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April 13, 2009

Despite the Rain, Wildflower Seeds Spread Across Bed Stuy

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