Urban Gardens

A propos of yesterday’s post about today’s unveiling of Bokashi trench composting in Brooklyn’s Aberdeen garden, I thought I’d tell you about the Compost Green Map that locates composting sites throughout Manhattan.

The map indicates whether the site, for example, is a rooftop garden, a school, community garden, or greenmarket, and even if it offers great views, such as those at East River Park or The Riley-Levin Children’s Garden at Swindler Cove Park.

There is a list of what green (materials rich in nitrogen) and brown (materials rich in carbon) items you can compost as well a list of what to avoid, such as meat and fresh fish scraps or anything with glue. You can follow the simple step-by-step guide to producing your own compost, complete with a note to “make sure all materials are in small pieces to speed the decomposition process.”

The map provides a number of links to helpful resources such as:
The NYC Compost Project (which offers a guide to composting in a small outdoor space)
The Lower East Side Ecology Center
Interactive Composting Citywide
NYC Department of Sanitation