Too Sad for Words

Goodbye, Plants. Goodbye, Trees. Goodbye, Trumpet Vine.

Goodbye

Last Call

Thanks for a great turnout at the Baltic Street Garden Giveaway last week.

Knowing that our garden is ending is very sad for us, and it really helps to see our plants, tools and soil going to support so many great projects.

Many of you have asked about the remaining soil in our garden. We decided to host another giveaway: Sunday, Oct. 25, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Please come share and spread the legacy of the Baltic Street Community Garden. Take our remaining soil, bricks, and stones. Bring tools, heavy duty bags and/or containers, transportation, and people to help you. Soil is heavy!

Baltic Street Community Garden is in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Entrance on Baltic Street, just east of Fourth Avenue

The Sharing O’ the Green

Dear Neighbors and Friends,

We have begun moving plants and hardscaping out of the Baltic Street Community Garden to make way for the destruction of the current garden and P.S. 133 school building. (Click here for the story.)

Many of our most beautiful plants came to us as gifts and cuttings from people in the neighborhood, and we hope that we can give back by distributing them  throughout the area, for your treepits, front and backyards and decks.

Pictured below are some of the plants we’d like to find homes for. We have many more, including  day lillies, echinacea, the amazing trumpet vine and wisteria vine, periwinkle, and bridal wreath. There are several trees as well. Click here for  a fuller inventory.

We’d also like to share tools (rakes, shovels, trowels, a wheelbarrow) and the pavers that make up the garden’s walkways.

The carefully tended soil, rich with frequent additions of compost from our own bins, can enrich many gardens, containers and tree pits.

The Baltic Street gardeners invite you to come  on Saturday, Oct. 17, and Sunday, Oct. 18, from 11-5. The entrance is on Baltic Street, just east of Fourth Avenue. We have some containers, but if you can, bring your own.

Butterfly bush

Euonymous

Flax (though some say Yucca)

Forsythia

Hostos

Lady's mantle

Lavendar

Lemon balm

Name tk

Purple-leafed plum tree

Rosemary

Russian sage

Sage

Spearmint

Wild rose

City Council Approves Plan to Destroy

Baltic Street Garden and P.S. 133

On Tuesday, June 30, the City Council voted 46-4 to approve the School Construction Authority’s plans to destroy historic P.S. 133 and the 30-year-old garden in order to build a massive new school for nearly 1000 students.

The council members who voted against the measure were Letitia James, Charles Barron, Tony Avella, and Rosie Mendez.

The Landmarks and Siting subcommittee voted 6-2 to approve the plan. Voting against were Charles Barron and Rosie Mendez.

The Land Use committee voted 18-3 to approve the plan. Voting against were Tony Avella, Charles Barron and Rosie Mendez.

Those who want to preserve the garden deeply thank Ms. James, Mr. Barron, Mr. Avella and Ms. Mendez for their no votes.

Opponents of the plan: Residents of Baltic and Butler Streets; many residents of Wyckoff Houses; Jo Anne Simon, Evan Theis and Ken Baer, the Democratic challengers for the seat of outgoing Councilman David Yassky; the Baltic Street Community Garden; the Fifth Avenue Committee; Just Food; Park Slope Neighbors; the Park Slope Civic Council; the Historic District Council; the Green Guerrillas; New York City Community Garden Coalition; the Brooklyn Community Garden Coalition; the Flatbush Gardener.

To learn more, please contact us at baltic.garden@gmail.com