The City Installed a Garbage Pit / Garden in Front of My House

I am laughing because as atrocious as it looks with all the garbage the tree pit and metal surround is lovely. You have a small problem in the big city suck it up and adopt it like a child. You cannot plant a tree there because you have some type of exhaust/drainage or electrical stub out going on. Also since it is hella cold you cannot tell what type of bushes those are. My advice is to; -Totally clean out the pit. Leave the black rocks if you so choose -Cut back/down the bushes a small bit so that when they start to bloom they will fill in and you can see what type they are OR rip them out You can get either some lengths of Trex deck planks and cut them to length and depth. Screw a few holes in the decking every few feet and tie the deck to the inside of the metal to create a barrier for the garbage not to blow in -Put in a few bags of good soil (but try to keep the tops of those pipe clear and accessible) -line the perimeter with Hostas and some annuals you can swap out for pops of color -mulch it all in with several bags of your favorite mulch -Put up a sign asking people not to toss litter or to let their animals use the space. You won’t escape cleaning it out but I think if your neighbors see you adding to the value of your home and community you might get everyone on the block who has a tree pit (hopefully with a tree in them) to pay it forward. Good luck.

bklyngirl

in Sidewalks 9 years and 2 months ago

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slopefarm | 9 years and 2 months ago

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“as there are also dogs that piss and crap on and around it and on the cigarette packs, juice containers and candy bar wrappings entwined in the bushes.” True for every tree pit as well. And yes, it’s a real PITA to deal with it, but it sure beats commuting from the suburbs. Sometimes I throw NYC Parks Christmas tree mulch in the tree pit. I think dogs don’t like walking on it so much and it reduces the mess I have to deal with.

PHfamily | 9 years and 2 months ago

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I think what many of you are missing here is that the city will allow us the privilege of picking up trash, weeding and monitoring soil erosion in the bioswales, but we are prohibited from adding plants, trimming plants or adding anything to the “special” soil– great idea bout the Christmas tree but technically this isn’t allowed because it will just get washed out into the street. As far as I can tell so far they are a messy eyesore…..time will tell.

soundhoner | 9 years and 2 months ago

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Thanks, @chinatownred, for sending us that link! It’s entertaining. I love the beautiful pictures of the greenery. I also love this part:

> What to avoid: Don’t add your own plants or flowers to the ROW Bioswale. All of the plants are specially chosen to survive life on a busy NYC street. Planting other vegetation can prevent the special plants from working in the ROW Bioswale, and foreign plants may suffer in the extremely wet environment of the ROW Bioswale. Don’t prune the plants or the trees. Be aware that only permitted arborists or contracted landscapers are authorized to prune trees in NYC. You can contact Trees New York to earn a Citizen Pruning Permit or find a Citizen Pruner. In addition, the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation prunes street trees on a regular cycle.

And you need a permit 😉

soundhoner | 9 years and 2 months ago

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They are special plants designed to grow amongst candy wrappers, plastic shopping bags and dog feces. Don’t mess with nature.

soundhoner | 9 years and 2 months ago

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I shouldn’t be so cynical. In the long run this improves water quality by limiting the combined sewage overflows. I just wish a regime were in place to punish litterers. Mandatory community service would work well. If the city were in the habit of cleaning the bioswales regularly, then guess what would happen, people would use them as garbage bins.

2345bcde | 9 years and 2 months ago

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I was so excited when the work began, but it has turned into a magnet for garbage. I guess I am not the only person to notice.

tm07 | 9 years and 2 months ago

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Plant only the plants listed in the approved palette page. If someone from the city shows up, suggest that they have been sent to the wrong bioswale. Show them the approved list. I regularly prune rose bushes. I hope that I am not breaking the law.

higherwhitley | 9 years and 2 months ago

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Agree with tm07\. Put in some of the most easily available approved plants in the spring. The city probably won’t even notice, and if they do remove them, you won’t have lost very much. Clearly it’s harder to deal with than a conventional tree pit, but many of the same issues apply. I remove garbage from our tree pit regularly & try not to let it build up. A drag, but really only takes a minute.

NeoGrec | 9 years and 2 months ago

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PHFamily: I sincerely urge you to reach out to the local Prospect Heights civic organizations I mentioned above.

cmu | 9 years and 2 months ago

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I can’t see why you can’t much it with cedar or something. Won’t affect the bio-swale-ity.