August 16, 2012
In case you have never understood gardening—why someone would spend hours stooped over scrounging about in the dirt—this feature on the Bronx’s own Elsa Mitchell (who also happens to be a former NYBG volunteer) should help clear things up. Mitchell lives in a Tudor-esque apartment complex called the Allerton Coops that was once “crawling with drug dealers.” Over the course of a decade she has—with the help of a loyal band of residents—turned a bleak courtyard into a verdant wonderland. Jack Daniels, a fairly new resident, was charmed into giving gardening a try himself by Mitchell’s efforts, and has been bitten by a bug a few of us can sympathize with, “For some reason or another, once I get started gardening, I just can’t stop.” And it’s not just the Coops’ grownups. Stephanie McFarland says, “She got all the kids involved. See, they had a ball doing it, because they like the dirt.” Kudos to you Elsa! And keep up the amazing work. ~AR

In case you have never understood gardening—why someone would spend hours stooped over scrounging about in the dirt—this feature on the Bronx’s own Elsa Mitchell (who also happens to be a former NYBG volunteer) should help clear things up. Mitchell lives in a Tudor-esque apartment complex called the Allerton Coops that was once “crawling with drug dealers.” Over the course of a decade she has—with the help of a loyal band of residents—turned a bleak courtyard into a verdant wonderland. Jack Daniels, a fairly new resident, was charmed into giving gardening a try himself by Mitchell’s efforts, and has been bitten by a bug a few of us can sympathize with, “For some reason or another, once I get started gardening, I just can’t stop.” And it’s not just the Coops’ grownups. Stephanie McFarland says, “She got all the kids involved. See, they had a ball doing it, because they like the dirt.” Kudos to you Elsa! And keep up the amazing work. ~AR

11:04am  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/ZV1L5yRXYTXN
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Filed under: The Bronx Gardening Allerton Coops Community Gardening 
  1. culturenautique reblogged this from nybg and added:
    Elsa Mitchell helps her community grow on a positive path using soil, seed, and sweat, powerful tools. That is an...
  2. blueeyedcompanion reblogged this from nybg and added:
    Kudos indeed!
  3. pookascrayon reblogged this from nybg
  4. jesterontheheath reblogged this from nybg
  5. ringtales reblogged this from nybg
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