Grow Your Own
Native Produce
A dictionary of edible North American native plants from the Massachusetts Land Trust Coalition compiled by Russ Cohen.
A resource from ELA for native plants that you can grow and eat.
Take a foraging class with Greg Rosen at Roots & Wings in Dobbs.
For both fun and education, check out #Black Forager on Instagram.
Keeping Chickens
Yes, you can keep chickens in Hastings! Keeping them safe from predators is a challenge; if you subscribe to The Enterprise, read about our 2022 Chicken Chat here, or listen to the zoom recording.
Contact us if you'd like to be put in touch with community chicken keepers!
Zinsser Community Gardens
Zinsser Gardens 1933, courtesy Hastings Historical Society.
Zinsser Community Gardens are next to the Zinsser ball field between the Aqueduct and Broadway, next to Edgar's Lane. To apply for a spot, contact Parks & Rec at 914-478-3400
From the Museum in the Streets marker: The gardens were community vegetable gardens begun as Victory Gardens during World War I. The park was the estate of Frederick Zinsser, village mayor and owner of the local factory that produced mustard gas during the war. Locust Wood, his house, no longer standing, was built in 1828 by Anthony Constant. The area is the probable site of a September 30, 1778 skirmish (called the Battle of Edgars Lane) in which Hessian mercenaries marching north from Yonkers were ambushed by American troops, mostly from Virginia.
Backyard Gardening
Growing your own food is profoundly satisfying. Fencing is critical to protect from critters. There are many online and printed resources on backyard gardening. If you have a fave resource you'd like to see listed here, let us know!
COMPOSTING
Backyard composting is fun and free! See more resources for a how-to at Hastings' Zero Waste Advisory Taskforce website, or the Village Conservation Commission page on composting.
