Bed Stuy Meadow

UPDATE: There are flowers! Follow the progress by visiting 21st Century Plowshare, where you can find a Meadow Identification Guide, Pictures of the Results and a link to the official Bed Stuy Meadow Flickrpool.

Project Description

We'll be planting wildflower seeds on every single patch of abandoned soil on every single street of the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bed Stuy this April.

By early summer, there should be so many wildflowers growing in the untended treepits, vacant lots, half-built developments and other tiny scraps of neglected soil in Bed Stuy that the whole neighborhood effectively turns into a meadow. The profusion of wildflowers will probably be relentless and visually unifying, and this relentless unity of wildflowers will probably make anyone walking down the street feel really good.

I want there to be so many wildflowers on the streets that the summer of 2009 is remembered very fondly every single resident of the neighborhood. I want the continuity of the Meadow to be so strong that Google Earth is compelled to re-photograph Bed Stuy. I want people who don't even live within the five boroughs to visit Bed Stuy for the first time so that they can see the Meadow with their own eyes, and I want people who will never even come to be so inspired by the Bed Stuy Meadow that they make their own amazing neighborhood project and share it on 21st Century Plowshare.

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Bed Stuy

Bed Stuy is a neighborhood of contradictions. There is a lot of crime here, but it's also by far the friendliest neighborhood I have ever lived in. It's got a litter problem and the landscape is dotted with empty lots and condemned houses. But this is also a neighborhood of seriously tended front yards with a rich history of community gardening. The Meadow is not a beautification campaign--we are working with Bed Stuy's nature instead of seeking to change it. Bed Stuy's low-slung, long-blocked character and the expansiveness of its territory are not like an urban jungle or forest as much as an urban prairie. The effort of the Meadow is a gesture of respect toward Hattie Carthan's proud legacy. Wildflowers are beautiful in the way that the architecture here is beautiful, the way the people who go out of their way to say good morning on the streets here are beautiful. And wildflowers are tough enough to grow wherever the seeds are cast.

This empty lot on Van Buren Street will be teeming with wildflowers this summer

Get Involved

1. Plant Seed this April. If you live in NYC and want to spend an afternoon scattering seed, email 21stcenturyplowshare-at-gmail-dot-com to get on the list of volunteers.

2. Donate! The total budget for this project is about $2000. Donate a few dollars by clicking this button:

Every donation over $10 gets you a gift: your own mini-meadow of the same seeds we are using, delivered right to your door.

3. Sponsor The Meadow. Your $100 sponsorship gets your business name mentioned on every single thing that's ever written about the Meadow, your name on all Meadow Schwag, effusive and prominently placed thanks on 21st Century Plowshare and good karma.

4. Buy Meadow Schwag. By the time spring turns to summer and results are visible, you'll be able to buy t-shirts and other Meadow Schwag. Schwag will serve three purposes. It will make up any budget deficit that I had to put on my own credit card, fund future projects, and most importantly, raise Meadow Consciousness.

5. Spread the Word. Even if it's the only thing you do, it's big help to tell people about this project and link to this page.

6. Do your own project. Bed Stuy is not the only neighborhood that needs a meadow or similar plant intervention. What should happen to your neighborhood? Email pictures and stories to 21stcenturyplowshare-at-gmail-dot-com.

Rules of Engagement

21st Century Plowshare does not endorse throwing seeds on other people's property, and that includes tree pits that are being tended. Tended tree pits have boxes, fences, signs about dog poop, and other visible signs that someone cares about them.

And 21st Century Plowshare will be providing seed that doesn't create any problems with invasive species. Please use the seed provided by 21st Century Plowshare.

Comments

[Holly Burmeister]

Hey--I love the return to green guerilla action old-style. i am a community gardner in the Stuy--am actually in the process of planning a new, very large urban agriculture project in Bed Stuy. Anyway, I will be bombing my empty blocks (esp. on Malcolm X) on April 11th. I have seeds from Green Guerillas that were given for this purpose, so i am planning to use those.

[Ian]

I can't wait and am posting this everywhere for others to get involved!

[Derek Cradle]

This is a great idea. I'm down. Please visit our blog. www.monroestreetbk.blogspot.com

[DB]

I'd love to be involved with documenting this process--please see what I've done with linguistic resources--

noticed you are using google maps--

can we collaborate?

www.nycll.wordpress.com

[emily wasserman]

the brownstone brooklyn garden district will be making and selling "seed bombs" in conjunction with havana outpost's opening earth day celebration. we're encouraging everyone to throw the bombs into empty lots. the proceeds of the event go into the garden walking tour on june 14th and to the fall bulb give away. come on by. we'll be in front of provisions, at the corner of fulton & S. portland

[Chrystel]

When will it be possible to buy seed bombs on fulton and s. portland?? thanks.

[colin]

can I bring my dog?

[Donald Loggins]

The Green Guerillas were tossing seed grenades in vacant lots in the neighborhood ( Bed Stuy )30 years ago and no one complained at the time. I would rather see a meadow of flowers then of trash.

[dale]

As an ex Bed Stuy resident, I think its a great idea.

[Meredith Drum]

Hi! My professor Rachel Stevens sent us this link! Wonderful project! Excellent. I am so excited about this. If you still need help, please email me, I know it is past the deadline. I will donate a few dollars above.

[Karley Sands]

Hi,

I read about The Meadow project in last week's NYT, it sounds great. However, I am concerned about one thing. After looking over your blog, I'm not sure I've found any description of the process of the seed throwing. Upon looking up how to grow wildflowers, there appears to be a more delicate process than just throwing seeds. A lot of precaution must be taken to avoid planting wildflower seeds, but actually growing nothing but weeds. I would hate to see a neighborhood flooded with weeds.

Here is the site I found. Hopefully you already know most of this information, and passed it along to the volunteers.

http://www.flowerportfolio.com/grow-wild-flowers.html

Best Regards,
Karley

[xiiqxaa]

Karley's comment would have been helpful before planting day...

...since all of Bed Stuy's empty, abandoned lots and even some people's yards are currently completely filled with overgrown WEEDS!

while it is definitely better than garbage debris and random what-not's, it certainly is sad to consider that so many of us trudged out on that chilly, windy and rainy day to cultivate weeds but NOT a single wildflower!

the effort and the concept was important, sure yet it's hard not to acknowledge: what a disappointing feeling, to pass the areas you "planted" knowing you are responsible for such immense and scary tall weed bushes.

i don't know, maybe we can look to them as a source for pollution cleansing? the bottom line is: we signed up for wildflowers not weeds.

any comments from Deborah?

[deborahfisher]

Xiiqxaa,

I don't understand your comment. You are saying that you (we) were responsible for weeds when the article Karley mentions says that existing weed seed can and often does overpower the wildflower seeds.

The weeds would have grown no matter what.

If you're disappointed, go do the work of really gardening something. Take responsibility for one tree pit, and really do the sustained work of actually tending the land instead of just throwing seeds. Use this as a launching pad.

[xiiqxaaa]

Hi Deborah,

I apologize for coming across harshly. Your efforts at organizing this project were incredibly awesome. Understand that I am not interested in diminishing your catalyzing efforts.

Launching pad, yes... "Really gardening something" and tending land here in Bed Stuy is definitely a brilliant way to enhance all of our lives, surely. As this enhancement relates to the Bed Stuy Meadow project, weeds amongst wildflowers were to be expected, only I don't know that we were ready for what we now see...

The current reality of the situation is we created numerous weed patches. So then, the question is do we now go and tend to all the plots as in the gardening you mention? Maybe, maybe not.

Again, Karley's concerns as mentioned above would have been helpful to know before planting day... Now, after the (f)act, I just think it's something worth acknowledging.

Perhaps acknowledging the current state of the project (an update of this page in particular... i.e.: an explanation about wildflowers/weeds) might be helpful for the volunteers who are curious to know what happened and those who will go on to attempt the same for their 'hoods'. A closure, completion, follow-up of the project... There was the initiation, the activation, the gestation and the manifestation of the project... All this inspired from the "project description (see above)"... but what of the "conclusion"...?

At the end of the day, regardless of what course the seeds took, your vision, our efforts and inspired energy (well-meaning and hopeful) took on another shape than what was intended. Those who were not involved (residents who asked, neighbors with whom we shared our experiences and even saved seeds for so they could be a part of the project in better weather!, curious family, etc.) have a stake in this project as well and wonder what happened.

in solidarity...

[indir]

hi.. When will it be possible to buy seed bombs on fulton and s. portland?

[louis]

Hi! My professor Rachel Stevens sent us this link! Wonderful project! Excellent. I am so excited about this. If you still need help, please email me, I know it is past the deadline. I will donate a few dollars above.

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