Check It Out: Got Rocks?

Fritz Haeg and his crew are on the lookout for any small boulders, big rocks, tree stumps
(to cut down to 18"), logs, or other natural materials that might be used for the seating circle in the center of the Chelsea Lenape garden. Can you help? E-mail Fritz: fritz@fritzhaeg.com

Four hundred years ago, Manhattan was home to the Lenape people, and there they grew beans, corn and squash. Fritz Haeg, originator of Edible Estates, is planting a garden in conjunction with New York Restoration Project at 441 West 26th Street at 10th Avenue for Hudson Guild at Elliot Chelsea Houses.

Here's the heart and soul of the project: "The garden is envisaged as a dense and diverse green place for growing native Manhattan food. Visiting school children and those from the nearby children’s center will use this garden for their activities and workshops dealing with history, ecology, food, plants, animals, energy and the natural environment. It will function as part experimental laboratory, and part educational display, with detailed signage around the perimeter telling the story of the plants, the food they produce, and the natural history of the site. The residents of Elliott Chelsea Houses, members of the Hudson Guild community and visiting students will become more familiar with natural cycles by watching the garden evolve through the seasons and years. They will learn about the natural and cultural history of the island they live on, by growing and observing the food that was originally there. Ultimately this garden landscape may serve as a model for small scale urban edible landscapes and as a possible prototype for future green spaces on similar housing sites across the city."