400 Woolly Pockets in 40 foot long edible wall

Photo by Shannon Sturgis. See larger image here.

Woolly Pockets in schools

Last Thursday, Earth Day, Woolly Pockets installed a giant (40’X8’) “Living Green Wall” of edible plants and lush Native New York plant species on the Southern plaza of Union Square in New York City. The project was in conjunction with New York Restoration project for the 40th anniversary of Earth Day.

Starting in the morning, Miguel from Woolly Pockets and a team from New York Restoration Project planted the 400 Woolly Pockets and hung them on this remarkable wall. Miguel did this to help kick off the NYC Grows festival, but more importantly to spread the word about his Woolly Pocket School Program (there are over 20 in LA already and he wants to start building them in New York soon).

Excerpt from Design Green
Penny Bonda on April 23, 2010

The steel frame wall, specially constructed for this event, will be hung with 400 Woolly Pockets in honor of New York Restoration project’s NYC Grows. This annual, outdoor gardening festival (held this year on April 25th) promotes community gardening, urban agriculture and sustainable technology.

So what the heck are Woolly Pockets? Modular gardening containers made of 100 percent recycled plastic designed to be hung on vertical surfaces or placed freestanding on the floor both inside and outside, they help turn any environment into a lush garden. They are soft-sided, available in a variety of sizes and colors and their breathable sides allow excess moisture to evaporate while naturally aerating the soil.

Photo by Mel

Infectiously fun, Woolly Pockets inspire gardens in improbable places. The Woolly School Garden program encourages schools to take a chain link fence and grow stuff. There are over 20 in Los Angeles already. If a school has the budget, the company will send a kit with everything needed to start: Woolly Pockets, do-it-yourself hardware & instructions, premium soil for edible gardening, organic seeds, planting chart, gardening manual and nutrition curriculum. If the school doesn’t have the budget, they’ll help organize a fundraising program. The goal is to grow 1000 school gardens by Fall 2010 and an additional 10,000 school gardens by Fall 2011.

See Deign Green here.

See Woolly Pockets here.