Buffalo Rising Online

Urban Roots Community Garden Center has an unusual selection of heirloom and hard to find varieties of flowers this year, carefully researched and selected by board member, Claire Schneider, who is also a Curator of Contemporary Art at the Albright Knox Art Gallery. Once Claire found the seeds for these unusual plants, she connected with a local grower, who grew the flowers just for Urban Roots. In this video, we talk about some of these special varieties, available exclusively at Urban Roots in the Buffalo area. The video includes images of these flowers and designs for how we see the store evolving, both inside and out.

Disturbed by the tree devastation resulting from last October’s snowstorm, Eric Fox, owner of Mr. Fox Tires, is taking action. He is working with ReTree WNY and is committed to plant thousands of trees throughout the east side.

William Street between his store and Fillmore Avenue is the site of his first project where up to 300 trees plus shrubs and flowers will be planted. The beautification project is planned for this summer with help from AmeriCorps and neighborhood volunteers. Next up will be a similar effort along Bailey Avenue between William and Dingens streets.

I cannot say enough good things about heirloom tomatoes. Besides it being warm and having longer nights, homegrown vintage variety tomatoes are my favorite thing about summer. Curiously, this is the same thing tomatoes like--lots of sun! My good friend and an excellent gardener Richard Prince asks "Do you remember how tomat…

Last year at about this time, a few of us got together and talked about a new business idea, with major implications for our neighborhood. A garden center, where we could buy plants without driving to West Seneca or Amherst. And more than that, let's make it a cooperative, so that we have some control over what we can buy there. And so, the seed was planted for Urban Roots Community Garden Center. We gathered surveys and put the word out about this plan this summer, and we are moving forward toward incorporation, and our first summer of providing plants to the community.

We expect that as spring appears you are looking forward to …

The Urban Roots Community Garden Center is putting together a Buyer's Club that will allow people to order special plants, including organic heirloom tomatoes, perennials, annuals, herbs and vegetables, at a reduced rate, and pick them up at Utica and Brayton on a designated date this Spring. This is the first major project of the cooperative, and what we can accomplish before being legally incorporated.

The order forms and a "catalog" will be available at Diggin' It! (801 Elmwood Avenue) for the month of March for those who don't have Internet access or are not internet savvy. Orders are due March 27, and the plants will be available for pick up at the corner of Utica and Brayton Streets on June 3.

For further information please visit our