Goodbye, Gowanus: Kirstin Tobiasson’s 15 Years of Sidewalk Gardening in Brooklyn
A single gardener’s dedication turned a neglected patch into a thriving urban habitat.
Goodbye, Gowanus: Kirstin Tobiasson’s 15-Year Sidewalk Garden Legacy
For a decade and a half, the busy sidewalk of Union Street along the Gowanus Canal has been transformed every spring and summer by an unlikely but lush oasis. In this concrete-heavy stretch of Brooklyn, Kirstin Tobiasson spent 15 years cultivating a garden at the edge of industry, pollution, and urban hustle—a public, neighborly act of care and green defiance. Now, as Kirstin gets ready to say goodbye to Gowanus and her sidewalk garden, we look back on the journey, challenges, triumphs, and impact of one of Brooklyn’s most beloved guerrilla gardens.
A Garden Grows Along Union Street
Kirstin’s story began in 2002 when she noticed a neglected, uninspiring concrete stretch along Union Street near the Gowanus Canal—an area known more for its industrial legacy and contamination than for its flora. Drawing inspiration from sidewalk gardeners citywide, Kirstin responded not just with a vision but with physical effort. “All I saw were weeds and broken glass,” she recalls. “I wanted something that felt alive and hopeful.”
- First Steps: Kirstin started with rudimentary clean-up: removing trash, pulling weeds, and breaking compacted soil by hand.
- Initial Plantings: She introduced hearty, low-maintenance perennials—plants resilient enough to thrive in the tough city environment and poor soil.
- Community Doubt: Passersby and neighbors were initially skeptical, asking why she bothered in such a compromised spot.
Despite doubts, Kirstin’s vision prevailed, and little by little, her patch along the sidewalk changed from gray to green.
Planting Roots, Growing Community
What started as a solitary mission quickly turned communal. Kirstin’s garden became a local landmark—a living engagement with the street and the people who traversed it.
- Daily Conversations: Neighbors, commuters, and even strangers regularly stopped to chat, offering encouragement and, sometimes, unsolicited advice.
- Children’s Curiosity: Local children learned plant names and helped with watering and weeding. For some, it was their first hands-on connection to green life.
- Plant Exchanges: Fellow gardeners and residents donated bulbs or perennials; Kirstin, in turn, shared divisions and cuttings from her own plants.
The garden fostered unexpected community bonds, midwifed friendships, and offered a daily, green respite in an otherwise industrial landscape.
Designing for Concrete and Canal
Sidewalk gardening in Gowanus brings unique challenges:
- Soil Quality: The ground was compacted and polluted; replenishing the soil with donated compost and mulch was an ongoing battle.
- Sunlight and Wind: Tall buildings cast shadows; canal winds battered taller plants.
- Debris and Foot Traffic: Litter’s constant return and trampling by dog walkers, skateboarders, and pedestrians required creative, resilient plant choices.
- Indifference or Opposition: Some neighbors assumed the plantings were government-funded or even resented the encroachment.
Kirstin’s plant palette evolved to include tough, urban-adapted species: ornamental grasses, colorful perennials like echinacea, coreopsis, and salvia, and pollinator magnets such as milkweed and Russian sage. “I needed things that could handle drought, salt, and abuse.”
Kirstin’s Favorite Urban-Resilient Plants
- Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca): Not just for monarchs—its upright, architectural form flourished alongside the busy street.
- Russian Sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia): Provided haze-blue blooms long into the summer with minimal water.
- Coreopsis: Cheerful yellow pops that weathered city stress remarkably well.
- Echinacea (“coneflowers”): Resilient, colorful, and a favorite for pollinators.
- Salvia: Hardy, drought-tolerant, and long-blooming.
- Perennial Grasses: Added movement, sound, and structure in wind-prone spaces.
Battling Setbacks, Celebrating Growth
No urban garden is immune to setbacks, and Kirstin’s patch was no exception. Major challenges included:
- Vandalism: Occasionally, plants were stolen or trampled. Once, an entire hosta disappeared overnight.
- City Construction: Utility work or street repairs sometimes obliterated months’ worth of growth. Kirstin learned to adapt—replanting, rearranging, never giving up.
- Dog Damage: Frequent territory-marking and digging required clever planting barriers and persistent replanting.
Yet, each growing season brought bursts of color and wildlife: pollinators returned, monarchs paused on milkweed, and the garden’s presence became a subtle rebellion against the city’s encroachment.
How Gowanus Changed—and What the Garden Meant
The Gowanus neighborhood itself has transformed over the past 15 years. From a post-industrial “nowhere” to a creative hotspot, change came with new development, coffee shops, and a mix of longtime residents and newcomers. Through all this, Kirstin’s garden remained a visual anchor—evidence that care, not capital, can alter a place’s pulse.
- Symbol of Hope: The garden stood for renewal, grassroots action, and the simple beauty of persistence.
- Inspiration: Other sidewalk gardening initiatives across the borough took cues from Kirstin’s tenacity and design.
- Neighborhood Identity: Her garden became a point of reference; “Meet me by the garden on Union,” neighbors would say.
Why It’s Time to Say Goodbye
After 15 years, Kirstin prepares to pull up roots, both figuratively and literally. The reasons are personal and practical:
- Changing Life Circumstances: Career and family shifts mean more time away from Gowanus, making hands-on gardening less feasible.
- Changing Neighborhood: Increased development and changes to the streetscape have complicated sidewalk gardening efforts.
- Garden’s Natural Cycle: “The garden deserves a caretaker who can be present. Things have a season,” says Kirstin.
Preparing to leave, Kirstin contemplates how to hand off stewardship and ensure the garden’s continuity, knowing anything planted in public is communal by nature—and that the plants, even divided or transplanted, will remain part of the community’s living memory.
Lessons and Legacy: What One Sidewalk Garden Teaches
Reflecting on her years in Gowanus, Kirstin distilled lessons about public horticulture, resilience, and community engagement:
- Start Small, Think Big: Even the smallest plot can spark change when tended consistently.
- Celebrate the Imperfect: Not every plant will thrive, but even failures teach and invite engagement.
- Share Generously: Cuttings, seeds, and encouragement can circulate freely—gardening is best when collaborative.
- Respect the Site: Work with the climate, soil, and light you have rather than against them.
- Advocate for Green Spaces: Sidewalk gardens prove that every bit of city can be made greener and more humane.
Sidewalk Gardening Tips for City Dwellers
- Test Your Soil: Pollutants can lurk in urban soils; consider raised beds or soil amendments.
- Choose Resilient Plants: Prioritize natives and tough perennials adapted to city conditions.
- Mulch Generously: Retains moisture and discourages weeds.
- Water Wisely: Street gardens can be thirsty—set up neighbors to help if you’re away.
- Engage the Community: Invite passersby to participate in maintenance and plant care.
A Farewell Message from Kirstin
Before leaving, Kirstin penned a message to all who cherished the garden:
“Thank you to everyone who nurtured, watered, admired, and—even in small ways—helped this garden grow. Green space belongs to all of us; please keep tending yours, whatever its size.”
Inspired by Gowanus: Other Brooklyn Gardens on a Budget
The spirit of Kirstin’s work lives on. Brooklyn is dotted with budget-friendly, personality-filled gardens, each sprouting from unlikely corners, simple ambitions, or a single determined gardener. Examples abound:
- Transformation of a Crown Heights “prison yard” into a shade-dappled courtyard oasis.
- Remaking a small rectangle in a brownstone yard with salvaged materials and limited resources.
- Transplanting hundreds of potted plants from an apartment to reclaim concrete slabs as garden beds.
- Turning patchy grass in Carroll Gardens into perennial-packed, pollinator-friendly front yards.
- Reviving abandoned lots into thriving community gardens in Red Hook.
These projects echo the guiding ethos of Gowanus: Gardens are the result of vision, creativity, and care; they are never constrained by budget or space alone.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Sidewalk Gardening in Brooklyn
Q: What are the biggest challenges of sidewalk gardening?
A: Soil compaction and pollution, lack of consistent water, foot traffic, vandalism, and exposure to salt and wind are key hurdles. Choosing resilient plants and building community buy-in can overcome many challenges.
Q: Are sidewalk gardens legal in New York City?
A: The city generally tolerates and even encourages sidewalk gardens, provided they do not obstruct pedestrian traffic or city operations. However, urban gardeners should check local regulations and avoid planting invasive species.
Q: Which plants thrive in tough Brooklyn sidewalk environments?
A: Natives like milkweed, coneflowers, grasses, as well as tough perennials such as salvia, coreopsis, and Russian sage are proven performers. Mulching and regular maintenance are crucial for survival.
Q: How can neighbors get involved?
A: Neighbors can help with watering, donate plants, assist with weeding, or even join in community clean-up and planting days. Many sidewalk gardens become collaborative projects over time.
Q: What legacy does Kirstin’s Gowanus garden leave?
A: It exemplifies the power of one person’s vision to change a neighborhood, foster communal ties, and inspire others to create and care for public green spaces, no matter the challenges.
References
- https://www.gardenista.com/posts/goodbye-gowanus-after-15-years-sidewalk-gardener-kirstin-tobiasson-is-ready-to-pull-up-her-roots-brooklyn/
- https://www.gardenista.com/posts/brooklyn-on-a-budget-10-favorite-gardens-from-the-gardenista-archives/
- https://66squarefeet.blogspot.com/2016/06/
- https://www.brooklynpaper.com/step-rightin/
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