Watertown Community Gardens Blog

Building Community, One Seed at a Time

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 23:07:30 GMT

By Naomi Shea

The season has officially kicked off at Watertown Community Gardens, bringing excitement and potential for new growth—both in the garden and within our community.

This season, we're thrilled to have partnered with Waltham Fields Community Farm (WFCF), which graciously opened its greenhouse to support our efforts in planting our donation plots. Arsenal Park Community Gardens (APCG) captains, Marilyn and Susan, carefully prepared trays of seedlings at home before transporting them to the greenhouse. These trays included a variety of crops such as lettuces, mixed greens, leeks, onions, tomatoes, kale, chives, parsley, and more!

The WFCF farmers welcomed the additional trays and watered them daily while tending their own farm seedlings. Just a week later, tiny seedlings began to sprout!

The lettuces and mixed greens were transplanted in the APCG donation plot this week, and as the remaining seedlings continue to grow, they will be added to the garden beds tended to by community members of all ages, then harvested and distributed to local food access programs.

This collaboration goes beyond simply growing plants; it fosters connection, encourages resource-sharing, and expands access to fresh food. These shared goals closely align with the missions of both Watertown Community Gardens and Waltham Fields.

Risks of Buying Seeds from Unreliable Sources

Tue, 21 Apr 2026 05:37:22 GMT

By Lori Shapiro

Spring has, finally and gloriously, burst. The warmer, longer days are driving the emergence of stunning spring flowers. The delightful weather and colorful blooms may motivate you to finally buy those seeds you have been thinking about. But summer is fast approaching, and you have so many demands on your time, and the easiest and fastest way to buy some seeds is with a couple quick clicks on Amazon. What could possibly go wrong?

These very relatable sentiments were expressed by a colleague as she excitedly showed me a package of sweet pea seeds she had recently ordered on Amazon , as visions of delicious homegrown spring peas delighted her imagination.

Several reviews mention that the seeds were common vetch or other wild pea species, but not the sweet pea species pictured on the seed packet.

The plant pictured on the packet is likely Lathyrus odoratus or L. belinensis , which are grown for their attractive and fragrant flowers, but are toxic to humans. They are not edible sugar snap peas, Pisum sativum . I searched the front and back of the package for a warning that the species in the photo is not edible and should never be eaten. I found extensive grammar, spelling, capitalization and basic copy editing errors, but no species name or warning that the sweet peas in the photo are toxic.

Amazon promotes this listing as “Amazon’s Choice” and its “Overall Pick”. In the listing, it states, “This product is from a small business brand. Support small”. Should we trust Amazon?

Fake and misleading reviews are a common problem on Amazon. For this product, the brand and company are highly rated, but many of the reviews seem like they may be fake, and at any rate only mention shipping and do not address the quality of the product (one even says, “No comments” and rates five stars)

The brand also has other listings with images that appear unrealistic, likely aided by AI image generators.

In a previous blog post , I recommended several trustworthy seed companies, and intentionally excluded Amazon. The companies I recommended sell ornamental sweet pea seeds, and their webpages have appropriate toxicity warnings (for example, see Kitchen Garden Seeds , Hudson Valley Seeds , Baker Creek ). Amazon’s platform is optimized for one thing: profit. In the case of these sweet peas, we can see they have foregone due diligence, appearing to allow fraudulent companies, listings, products and reviews on their site.

In closing, my advice is to stick with a seed company with values that extend beyond profit maximization. Established specialty seed suppliers care enough about your well-being to tell you when a plant is toxic, especially when there are edible species with similar common names. Small seed companies like those in my previous post understand the unquantifiable value of plants, people and the relationships between them. Stick to transparent, traceable seed suppliers for safety and a far superior product. Happy planting!!

The brand on the front package and webpage listing is “EquSym”, and on the back of the package under “Brand Statement” it appears they forgot to replace “Your Brand Name” with their brand name, “EquSym”. The company on the listing is “ Infinity Noal ”. I cannot find a website or any other direct contact for a seed supplier of either name. The address for “Infinity Noal” is 1219 Park St, Apt A in Alameda, California . Would a reputable seed company be shipping out of Apartment A in one of the densest urban areas in the country? And if there isn’t enough room in Apartment A to produce all these seeds, where are they actually sourcing their seeds from?

Introducing Our New Food Committee

Tue, 03 Mar 2026 02:37:47 GMT

Fostering Community Through Sustainable Food Practices

Watertown Community Gardens is excited to introduce our newest initiative: the Food Committee !

This committee was formed around the belief that when more of us grow and share food, our whole community becomes stronger. The Food Committee is led by Judy Fallows, Naomi Shea, and Laura Berman, who are helping shape its direction and programming.

Growing Our Own Food

The Food Committee is dedicated to empowering community members to take an active role in growing and preparing their own food. We believe that engaging individuals in hands-on activities can cultivate a stronger sense of community and resilience.

Addressing Food Insecurity in Watertown

Food access is a community issue. The Food Committee is committed to combating food insecurity in Watertown by encouraging neighbors to share fresh produce and resources. Our goal is to create a supportive network where everyone has access to healthy, nutritious food.

Education in Sustainable Gardening

The Food Committee is also committed to educating our community about sustainable and organic growing practices. By sharing knowledge and resources, we aim to inspire more people to adopt these practices, ensuring a healthier environment and a more sustainable future for all.

Join Us

We welcome anyone who wants to:

Grow healthy food
Share produce with neighbors
Learn or teach sustainable practices
Help strengthen local food resilience

If you’re interested in being part of this new committee, we’d love to hear from you. Email us at info@watertowngardens.org or use our contact form .

Native plant seeds stocked at seed library

Sat, 28 Feb 2026 02:51:48 GMT

WCG wants to help gardeners in the community grow the best plants for pollinators and diversity of local wildlife!

Now is the time to be planning our gardens, and planting native plant seeds! Turning gallon jugs into mini-greenhouses is a great way to grow your own plants, a method called “winter seed sowing”. We have instructions for this method here: Winter Seed Sowing Basics - WCG.pdf

Seeds that require 30 days or fewer of cold stratification (exposing seeds to cold, moist conditions to break dormancy). Even though snow is melting, seeds can still be stratified in temperatures between 34 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit.

The native plant seed library on the community path has been stocked with more free seeds, including:

Black-eyed Susans ( Rudbeckia hirta ): This is a great flower for beginners, this is a short-lived perennial which will likely flower in its first year. The yellow flowers with dark centers are recognizable and cheerful. They are heat and drought tolerant, and feed caterpillars of butterflies such as the Silvery Checkerspot. Will reseed to fill in an area (preventing unwanted weeds), and dried seed heads feed birds throughout winter. Can grow in containers.
Calico aster ( Symphyotrichum lateriflorum ): A relatively short, highly adaptable aster which gets covered with small daisy-like blooms. Asters are keystone species, providing essential food, shelter, and resources for a high diversity of insects, birds, and wildlife. This is a favorite of bumblebees. You can see it in full bloom at our public pollinator garden in Filippello Park, surrounding the splash pad, in mid-September.
Butterfly weed ( Asclepias tuberosa ): This is a vital food source for monarch butterfly caterpillars. The plants will not bloom the first year, but will produce bright orange flowers in later seasons. Prefers sandy, well-drained soils. Drought tolerant once established (1-2 years). Toxic to mammals. Can grow in containers.
Foxglove beardtongue ( Penstemon digitalis ): This is a wonderful plant with white trumpet-shaped flowers in early summer. It is a favorite nectar source for a variety of less-common bumblebees. Adaptable to full or part sun, preferring medium soils but can tolerate clay. Dried seed heads provide winter interest and food for birds. Can grow in containers.
Short-toothed mountain mint ( Pycnanthemum muticum ): A perennial that is rabbit-resistant due to its aromatic foliage. Plants in ideal conditions will spread by rhizome, but are easy to remove in undesired areas. Small pinkish white flowers will attract numerous species of pollinators.

We ask that you plant all seeds you take, and take no more than six seeds packets per person at a time.

These native plant seeds come from a combination of sources, including seeds collected and cleaned by WCG volunteers and our friends at Mystic Charles Pollinator Pathways , another local organization dedicated to promoting pollinator-friendly gardening.

The seed library is on the community path near the intersection with Waverley Ave, where Forest St dead ends.

Happy gardening!

Protecting Your Plants

Tue, 17 Feb 2026 20:14:00 GMT

When gardening in urban environments like Watertown, you'll have to deal with pests such as rabbits and rodents. Here are some resources to help you protect your plants by building small cages out of chicken wire or hardware cloth.

You can find written instructions for "HOW TO MAKE A SMALL PLANT CAGE IN 15 MINUTES" from Stone Family Farmstead , or if you'd prefer to watch an instructional video, check out the videos below.

Hardware Cloth Fencing

Chicken Wire Fencing

Invasive Species

Tue, 17 Feb 2026 20:07:07 GMT

Here is some basic information on invasive species from Invasive.org

What is an invasive species?

An invasive species is any non-native organism whose introduction can cause harm to the environment, human health or economic interests. Some of the invasive species on this website are already serious pests in North America, while others are not yet widespread.

What type of harm does an invasive species do?

Since invasive species are in a new environment, free from natural predators, parasites, or competitors, they often develop large population sizes very rapidly. These high populations can out-compete, displace or kill native species or can reduce wildlife food and habitat. Some also have the potential to disrupt vital ecosystem functions, such as water flow, nutrient cycling, or soil decomposition. Other invasive species cause massive amounts of economic damage to the agricultural business by destroying crops and contaminating produce. Some invasive species can cause direct harm to humans or domestic animals.

What can I do to fight these exotic pests?

The simplest and most important thing anybody can do to help fight invasive species is to prevent its' introduction and establishment! Invasive organisms can easily be transported on living plants or fresh products such as fruit. Many pests can be found in recently killed plant material including firewood, lumber, and wooden packing material. Avoiding the long range movement of these materials is a simple way to slow the spread of pests. Buying only certified pest-free nursery stock is also a good idea.

It is important to educate yourself and keep up to date on the status of these and other pests. Resources are available through your local extension office and on the web at www.bugwood.org and other websites. These resources have information on how to identify and control exotic pests that have already been introduced. By knowing what to look for and rapidly identifying any new introductions, we may be able to minimize the impact of new invaders. Report any occurrence of invasive species to your local county extension agent, state forestry agency, or to other federal or state natural resource or agricultural agencies. Spread the word; tell your neighbors if you see invasive species on their land. Volunteer with natural resource agencies to control invasive species. Control of small infestations is more effective and economical than trying to control a well-established, rapidly spreading infestation.

Common invasive species in and around Watertown

Black swallow-wort
Black Swallow-wort (Cynanchum louiseae) ( invasive .org) - 5 pages
Stop the spread of Black Swallow‐wort ( Cynanchum louiseae) (mass.gov) - 1 page
Multi flora rose
Multiflora Rose (Rosa multiflora) (invasive.org)
Japanese knotweed
Japanese Knotweed (Polygonum cuspidatum) (invasive.org)
Oriental bittersweet
Oriental Bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus) (invasive.org)
Garlic mustard
Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata) (invasive.org)
Asian Jumping Worms
Jumping Worm Factsheet
Spotted Lantern Fly
Landscape: Spotted Lanternfly Management | Center for Agriculture, Food, and the Environment at UMass Amherst
PDF SLFHomeownerMgmtGuide.pdf (massnrc.org)

Regenerative Landscaping

Tue, 17 Feb 2026 20:05:05 GMT

Backyard Composting Resources

Local Residential Composting Services

Healthy Soil resources

Building Healthy Soil - a good comprehensive article about building healthy organic garden soil
Climate Victory Gardening 101 from Green America. Includes 10 Carbon Capturing Practices
The Carbon Sequestering Garden - a Northeast Organic Farming Association MA Chapter NOFA/Mass publication
International Year of Soils 2015 from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Symphony of the Soil (film) - is an artistic exploration of the miraculous substance soil. By understanding the elaborate relationships and mutuality between soil, water, the atmosphere, plants and animals, we come to appreciate the complex and dynamic nature of this precious resource.
The Hidden Half of Nature: The Microbial Roots of Life and Health

Workshop: Winter Planning for Growing Vegetables

Mon, 02 Feb 2026 23:14:30 GMT

This WCG workshop was held on February 2, 2026.

Join WCG at the Watertown Free Public Library for this informative session about how to winter sow vegetables! At this event you will learn:

Which herbs and vegetables can be started with the winter sowing method
Which vegetables can be directly sown and when
Which vegetables need to be started indoors, and when to start them
How to read the information on seed packets
How to determine which method works for which vegetables

We will also cover the requirements for each method and the resources that are available.

Download the workshop slides, and try it out yourself!

Workshop: Winter Sowing

Sat, 31 Jan 2026 18:11:30 GMT

This was our fourth annual winter sowing workshop held on January 31, 2026.

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Learn to grow your own plants from seed with a mini greenhouse crafted from an empty milk or water jug!

Grow perennial flowers to support our local pollinators, birds, and biodiversity. (Best time to plant is December - February)

This workshop will give you the tools you need to start or expand your own pollinator garden. Soil, native seeds, and one empty one-gallon jug will be provided.

Participants under 18 are allowed, if accompanied by a parent or guardian.

This is an in-person, hands-on, free event with instruction from Watertown Community Gardens members.
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Download the workshop handout and slides, and try it out yourself!

Winter Seed Catalogues by Lori Shapiro

Sat, 24 Jan 2026 20:20:00 GMT

It may still be cold and dark, but January still brings garden joy. Over the last couple of weeks, seed catalogues have begun arriving in my mailbox. These catalogues are thoughtfully written with gorgeous photography and illustrations, and are a delight to read (and re-read multiple times).

Starting plants from seeds is fun, educational and meditative. There is a seed for everyone. If seeds are new to you then something that can be directly sown in the spring, like lettuce or cilantro, is a good choice. For more experienced gardeners, seeds are a way to access unusual varieties that aren’t available at our local garden centers.

Reveling in my stash of seed catalogues as the snow falls outside

Starting plants from seed is also an inherently political act. Seeds are one of the world’s most consolidated industries, with only four transnational corporations (BASF, Sinochem, Bayer and Corteva) accounting for 50% of global seed sales. This consolidation has led to accelerating loss of plant genetic diversity and agricultural knowledge.

There are still many small, independent seed companies that continue to help steward conservation of our cultural and agricultural biodiversity. Many offer seeds with profound human and biological histories.

Below are the seed companies I’m ordering open pollinated, heirloom seeds from this season. Most companies listed here are local to the Northeast, but some are from the Midwest and Northwest. The Watertown Public Library also has free garden seeds to share with the community. Watching a tiny, dormant speck transform into a graceful plant is a magical experience, and I highly recommend to at least experiment with integrating them into your window or in-ground garden.

This is a non-exhaustive list - if you have other fun seed sources, please share them in the comments below.

Fruits, veggies, herbs and flowers:

Mostly or all flowers:

My Fall Garden by Lori Shapiro

Sun, 23 Nov 2025 23:07:00 GMT

The days may be shorter and colder, but my Watertown garden is still bursting with colorful, flavorful and healthful food. The leafy canopy of summer’s showstopping tomatoes, eggplants, squash and peppers have succumbed to the seasonal chill and been cleared away. From beneath their former shadow, the many edible plants that thrive in fall can emerge.

Steps from my kitchen are patches of native red veined sorrel, spicy mustard greens with varied leaf shapes and colors, scallions, dill seedlings and parsley. The kale and collards are sweet and crisp. Beets (and their greens) are waiting patiently for harvest. Together, these hardy greens and herbs make a delicious and diverse assemblage for cold seasonal salads or warm soups and stews. Many of these plants self-seed and are now naturalized in my garden, so germinate and flourish on their own with no additional work from me. They are gifts that will regenerate indefinitely.

Fresh rosemary, sage and thyme are still thriving in our fading light and warmth. I use these leaves to elevate all my fall cooking. Sage and thyme are perennial hardy herbs that will happily overwinter outside, but rosemary is a touch more tender and needs to be potted and brought inside through our coldest months. Rosemary is a wonderful winter companion, and its presence on the kitchen counter means that I remember to add its aromatic leaves to sweet and savory dishes alike throughout the coldest months.

We aren’t done with flowers, either. Alyssum, pansies and calendula are still producing edible flowers that add a splash of color to garnish any meal.

Our fall crops may not be as juicy and dramatic as summer’s peak harvest, but they are still full of charm and delight. It is a joy to still be able to gather daily greens for salads bursting with flavor and herbs to enhance warming fall dishes, even if I have to do so in the dark with a light. As I gather fresh leaves, roots and blossoms in the evening chill, I also begin to mentally plan for the inevitable return of lengthening days and the abundance that will return in next year’s garden.

About the author:

Lori Shapiro is a Watertown resident who lives at 34 Edward Road. She converted her small front yard into an urban flower and food garden to support humans and wildlife, without the use of synthetic agro-chemicals. She is an advocate for sustainable, local, healthful and accessible food systems.

Good News for the Watertown-Cambridge Greenway!

Sun, 02 Nov 2025 20:59:00 GMT

Volunteers have been working on the Watertown-Cambridge Greenway all year, and their efforts got a boost earlier this month with the award of a MassTrails Grant .

The Watertown-Cambridge Greenway is a treasured ribbon of green space that connects School Street in east Watertown to Fresh Pond Reservation in Cambridge. The path is a rail trail converted from the former B&M Railroad's Watertown Branch, now owned by the State of Massachusett’s Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). It is frequented by commuters, dog walkers, and bicyclists every day of the week. Unfortunately, since the path’s construction, many of the shrubs, trees, and perennial flowers that were originally planted have been overcome by invasive plants.

For the last few years, volunteers from Watertown Community Gardens’ (WCG) Pollinator Pathways Committee have been working to remove these invasive plants along the path with permission from the DCR. These ecologically harmful plants tend to form dense monocultures, crowding out more beneficial plants while feeding fewer types of wildlife, thus reducing biodiversity. Volunteers also plant more ecologically beneficial plants, pick up trash, and return throughout the season to keep unwanted plants at bay.

In February of this year, WCG team members submitted an application to the State’s MassTrails Grant program. The application requested $35,000 to bring in professionals for poison ivy removal, and creation of a comprehensive invasive species management plan (ISMP) for the years ahead. When the MassTrails Grant awards were announced in early October, Watertown Community Gardens' application was one of 50 that were accepted.

Poison ivy provides many benefits to the natural world, including light-colored berries that birds happily eat in fall and winter when other food sources are scarce. However, approximately 85% of the human population is allergic to urushiol, a substance found in all parts of the plant . The team has identified a few poison ivy patches along the trail for removal. Repeated manual removal of the vine and roots in these areas will protect passersby from potential exposure, and allow volunteers to more easily work to tackle the invasive plants and remove trash.

The ISMP will help the team prioritize sections of the Greenway for volunteer work, and inform where mitigation by professionals is necessary. While volunteers can be hugely effective in manual removal of some plants, other plants can require larger equipment or targeted herbicide application as the most effective form of removal.

The MassTrails Grant program requires grantees to contribute a financial match towards the project. A unique aspect of this grant is the ability to use volunteer hours towards the match. Volunteers working through WCG have contributed close to 500 hours so far in 2025, and the robust volunteer program was a key contributor to their grant application’s success.

If you are interested in helping with this Greenway project, the team would love to meet you. Signing up for a volunteer event is a great way to see the work firsthand and get your hands dirty. Events include trash pickups, cutting/pulling/digging out invasive plants, weeding, and planting native plants. You can also contact the team by emailing greenway@watertowngardens.org with your ideas and questions.

The 2025 season is over, our last Greenway maintenance event on the calendar to round out the fall, was Sunday November 2 from 10am until noon .

Following the winter, Greenway maintenance will resume in March with the third annual Spring Cleanup event, scheduled for Saturday March 14 from 10am until noon .

Bees of Spring

Tue, 15 Apr 2025 23:31:00 GMT

By Pam Phillips

Have you been noticing more pollinators buzzing around your backyard as the weather warms up? Read this great piece by Pam Phillips of Friends of Bees to learn about which species of bees you can expect to see this time of year. You can find out more about Friends of Bees here .

Spring has arrived, with the first green shoots, the first flowers, and the first bees. The bees you’re most likely to see this early are honeybees, bumblebee queens, and mining bees.

Honeybees are awake all winter and will come out on warm days. You may have already seen them drinking nectar in snowdrops, crocuses, and dandelions. They also gather pollen from trees, even wind-pollinated trees, such as oaks, willows, and maples. The hive will feed this pollen to the brood when the queen begins laying eggs again.

Bumblebee queens sleep underground over the winter, and emerge in early spring. You may notice unusually large bumblebees zigzagging around your garden, as if they are looking for something. They are! Queen bumblebees need a safe place to make their home, preferably a warm cavity that is very find to find, such as an old mouse nest. The queens drink nectar to fuel their hunt, often going high up into flowering trees, such as redbuds, cherries, and other fruit trees. They will also gather pollen, but not until they have found a home and started laying eggs. So if you see a big fat bumblebee carrying pollen on her legs, she’s a young queen with babies to feed. Once she has raised the first generation of workers, she will stay in the nest for the rest of her life.

There are also several kinds of mining bees that emerge in spring. They are generally brownish or dark bees around the size of honeybees. They have slept underground since last spring, often under bare patches or lawn near trees that produce the pollen they need, such as willow, red maple, cherries, and other fruit trees. When they emerge, they leave open holes that look like someone stuck a pencil in the ground. There may be loose soil around the opening.

Male mining bees emerge first. You may see them zooming back and forth near the ground, waiting for the females to emerge. If you see this happening, make a note of that area. These spring bees are only active above ground for around three to four weeks, so it’s really special to catch them in action. The bees don’t want anyone to know where their nests are, so keep quiet and be still as you watch. With luck and patience, you’ll see them fly up from the hole, disappear into the trees, and come back a few minutes later. Under the ground they are digging tunnels, storing pollen, and laying eggs. When they are done, they will close the opening of the nest. And then all will be quiet until next spring.

Are you seeing bees? Let us know!

Picking Up Trash Mysteries on the Greenway

Wed, 09 Apr 2025 03:00:00 GMT

WCG holds frequent volunteer events to clean up trash and remove invasive plants from the Watertown-Cambridge Greenway. You can learn more about upcoming events here . Below, we're highlighting one volunteer's first-hand experience to bring more awareness to these events and hopefully inspire others to join!

Instead, I headed north from the intersection, hoping to catch up with a volunteer along the way. (Being chronically late also means chronically unprepared; I didn't have protective gloves or a bag for trash).

This is the second year the Watertown Community Gardens has run a Greenway cleanup event, and the second time I've attended. It was a much nicer day compared to last year, sunny but still cool; much better than last year’s overcast gray ominously threatening a shower at any moment.

It also seemed like there were more volunteers this year, just from the number of people I spotted with trash bags. Which turned out to be correct– I found out later there were about 60 people out volunteering! I passed a number of them, working in groups or solo, as I ventured up the path.

Kids with a parent, couples, lone trash rangers, all united in a common goal. And they were doing a great job; I didn't see a single cigarette butt or plastic wrapper while I was scouring the northern Greenway for someone with spare gloves or an extra trash bag.

I did pass by a couple of filled bags, waiting patiently for DCR pickup, and... a skillet?

(DCR stands for “Department of Conservation and Recreation,” and they officially manage the upkeep of the Greenway, and, among other things, removal of trash. You can learn more on their website .)

One of my favorite parts of cleanup is the weird trash you find. Well– okay, obviously I'm not a fan of trash on the Greenway. That's the whole point of picking it up. But I am morbidly fascinated by how did this get here and why .

I can't help imagining why someone would throw a skillet away. Did they make the amateur mistake of washing the seasoning off, panic, think they ruined the skillet, and try to hide it by throwing it into the bushes on the Greenway? Who are you, skillet-thrower? What is your story?

The abandoned skillet reminded me a bit of those archaeological stories of 3,000 year old pots thrown into the trash pile with burned cheese at the bottom . I guess no matter how much civilization marches forward, people are still going to hide their cooking disasters by throwing them into the woods.

While I was pondering abandoned skillets and burned cheese, I passed a nice young man carrying a large bag of trash, who stopped dead in his tracks to look at me.

(This artistic rendition does not really resemble him, for his privacy. And a little because I have a hard time with faces.)

I looked at him.

He looked at me.

Do I know him? Should I know him? Where would I know him from? I don't go anywhere or do anything?

And that's how I met B (name redacted for his privacy, and not because I forgot it again) from my Intro to Woodworking class at Watertown Highschool. A class I'd been taking twice a week for three months.

He also had to ask my name, which made me feel marginally better about not recognizing him immediately. In my (and B's) defense, it's very hard to make polite introductions over the sound of saws, sanders, the dust collector, and everyone's enthusiastic hammering.

B also very helpfully offered me his spare gloves, so I had one half of the necessary equipment to begin trash collecting. Nice!

From there, I was able to find someone with a spare bag, and also notified Cindy (one of the Watertown Community Gardens board members organizing the event) that I was here, so she could note me down as a participant, and that I agreed to the safety waiver.

Finally, I was ready to begin collecting trash!

That part's a lot less interesting to write about; I wandered around in gullies and up embankments, searching for trash that prior volunteers hadn't already picked up. The people who'd come before me on that section of the path had done an excellent, thorough job, but there’s always something left behind under a bush or buried in the grass.

In a way, though, it’s my other favorite part of trash cleanup, besides meeting people (again) and the strange mysteries you find. As your bag slowly fills with debris, it becomes a tangible reminder of how much your effort weighs. “Cleaning up the environment,” “community involvement,” “collective action”-- they can feel abstract, at times. Never worthless, but sort of lofty and ephemeral, ideals you can dream about but never touch. But it’s hard to forget the weight of what you’re doing when you’re carrying real, physical pounds of change in your hands, and adding to it with every bottle, bag, and…

My very own weird trash! Who abandoned you, bike tire? Did you fail at just the wrong moment, and they threw you up the embankment in a fit of rage? What’s your story?

Pondering the mystery of the bike tire, I set my feet firmly, and pulled.

And… gave up because the tire was actually somehow hooked around a large PVC pipe fully buried in the ground.

I do not know how that was possible. I was not equipped to dig it out with my hands, so I left it for someone with better equipment, or more patience.

Farewell, mysterious bike tire. I was not strong enough to draw you from the earth.

However, once I was up on the embankment with the immovable bike tire, I noticed a bunch of small trash that wasn't really visible from the path because of the slope. I distinctly remember a green bottle, some wrappers, a few bags that had blown into the fence.

The possibilities are endless with weird trash.

And then I looked up, and saw them.

Two suitcases?

I've spent the rest of the week puzzling over these. I have no idea. I can't even begin to come up with a story for why these were both abandoned up an embankment on the Greenway. I have so many questions.

As I was lost in pondering those (okay– as I was rolling up a piece of rubber mat to put in the bag) a little orange DCR truck pulled up to pick up some of the bagged trash waiting by the roadside. I ferried the suitcases down to the DCR worker, and the two suitcases drove off into the sunset; another unsolved trash mystery.

I didn't realize until he'd driven away that he'd taken my bag, too.

So my trash collection as part of the second-annual Watertown Community Gardens Watertown-Cambridge Greenway Cleanup came to an unintended end.

But I’m already looking forward to the next cleanup event– and it’s not even a year away!

The next Greenway event is on May 10th, 2025 . This time, rather than trash removal, we’ll be focusing on invasive plant removal . Which has fewer trash mysteries, but is no less satisfying– I promise! If you want to help the community, steward the environment, or just have an enjoyable afternoon ripping plants up, you can sign up to be notified when the RSVP form is live here !

You can also sign up for our newsletter , to read more about what the Watertown Community Gardens does, and when we’re doing it!

written and illustrated by M. Ingram, March 2025.

Ecological gardening / Native Plants

Fri, 28 Feb 2025 10:57:27 GMT

Native plants which evolved in a particular area provide more benefits to wildlife than non-native plants. Many insects and animals have specialized relationships with specific types of plants. Monarch butterflies' caterpillars eating only leaves from milkweed plants is one example out of thousands. By planting a diverse range of native plants, and using ecological gardening/landscaping practices, you can create Habitat in your own yard or urban environment.

Places to buy native plants

Blue Stem Natives (Norwell, MA)
Native Plant Trust (Framingham, MA)
Russell's Garden Center (Wayland, MA)
The Monarch Gardener (Ipswich, MA)
Lady Fern Farm (Central MA)
Wild Seed Project / Northeast Native Seeds (Maine)
City Natives (Mattapan, MA)

How do I add native plants to my garden?

Native Plants for the Small Yard: Easy, Beautiful Home Gardens that Support the Local Ecology ( Ecological Landscaping Alliance )
Balcony gardens – Natives in pots for urbanites and people on the move ( Wild Seed Project )
Attracting Pollinators to the Garden (Ohio State University Extension)
Recommendations for Pollinator Gardens ( Friends of Bees )
Caterpillars, Butterflies and Bees - Keystone Plants and Soft Landings ( Pollinator Pathway )
What to Plant ( Blue Stem Natives )
Garden Design ( Blue Stem Natives )
Native Garden Design for Boston ( Wild Ones )
Break up your lawn using cardboard
How to build a toad home in your garden
Belmont native plant seed library at Belmont Public

Watch or listen online

National organizations

Homegrown National Park
National Wildlife Federation
Certified Wildlife Habitat
Pollinator Pathways - Public and private pesticide-free corridors of native plants that provide nutrition and habitat for pollinating insects and birds. Even the smallest green spaces, like flower boxes and curb strips, can be part of a pathway.
Wild Ones

Workshop: How to Plant and Design your Bump-Out and Planting Strip

Wed, 19 Feb 2025 17:59:47 GMT

This was a WCG workshop held on February 19, 2025 presented by Melinda Dennis, Marilyn Salvas, and other members of WCG.

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Gather ideas for planting a low maintenance garden in the bump-out (curb extensions) or planting strip in front of your home. With a few feet of planted green space, you can offer food sources, water, shelter, and places to raise young for our native pollinators, the bees, butterflies, insects and birds.

The focus is on native plants and perennials that thrive in typically dry, neglected areas.

This event will include an informational presentation followed by a design activity with small breakout groups. Participants under 12 years old are welcome with a parent or guardian, but the presentation and activity are written for adults.
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We invite you to download the workshop presentation and try it out yourself!

Workshop: Gardening 101: Planning your Garden

Sat, 15 Feb 2025 17:53:02 GMT

This was a WCG workshop held on February 15, 2025 as an introduction to gardening as a way to support humans and biodiversity.

Concepts covered:

Review basic plant needs
Plant and garden placement
Sources for garden plants
Protecting plants from pests

We invite you to download the workshop presentation and try it out yourself!

The Environmental Impact of Neonic Insecticides

Sat, 04 Jan 2025 16:52:00 GMT

Notes from the webinar "Neonics and Advocacy: Protecting Pollinators and Influencing Policy"

By Sharon Bauer, Friends of Bees

Friends of Bees is a fellow Watertown-based group that was founded in 2014 to educate about and advocate for native bees, butterflies, and other pollinators. They are a working group within Watertown Citizens for Peace, Justice, and the Environment and a frequent collaborator with WCG, specifically our Pollinator Pathways Committee. You can read more about them here .

Several members of Friends of Bees recently watched a really stunning Webinar on “Neonics and Advocacy” that is now available on YouTube through the Wild Ones website .

Lucas Rhoads from the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) presented research on the harmful effects of neonicotinoid systemic insecticides. Neonicotinoids, or “neonics”, are widely used insecticides that have been linked to myriad environmental harms, though even those already familiar with this issue may be shocked. Some key takeaways from the webinar include:

The use of neonics has massively increased in the last 20 years, making them the most widely-used insecticide in the U.S.
Neonics are used to treat seeds, which then makes every part of the plant (including pollen) toxic. The treated seeds are not regulated as pesticides.
Neonics wash off of treated seeds into soil and water systems, where they are extremely persistent.
Neonics have been found in 97% of samples from streams and lakes, and are not removed by conventional water treatment systems. They are highly toxic to aquatic invertebrates, leading to a collapse in aquatic ecosystems.
A new study shows that neonics are the leading cause of declines not only in bees and Monarch butterflies, but in birds and aquatic life as well. A single treated seed can kill a small songbird. Even sublethal amounts can cause great harm to bees.

The webinar also presented solutions for tackling this critical issue:

We now have evidence that stopping the use of neonics in agriculture is not associated with lower crop yields!
Quebec in 2019 moved to a “verification of need” system with no harm to yields.
ME, NY, NJ and NV have banned the use of neonics in lawns and gardens except for removing invasives.

Friends of Bees has been sounding the alarm about this for ten years. Maybe this new evidence can motivate us all to greater advocacy? If you are interested in protecting our native pollinators, you can read about ways to get involved with Pollinator Pathways here !

Planting a Pollinator Garden: A Presentation

Tue, 12 Mar 2024 00:29:00 GMT

Thank you so much to our very own Melinda Dennis for delivering a wonderful presentation about her experience with creating a pollinator garden in the turf grass bump out in front of her house.

You can view the recording of the Pollinator Garden Presentation (Passcode: 2#LSuKf8)

Download the PowerPoint Presentation

Update on Invasive Species Removal on the Greenway

Sun, 25 Feb 2024 20:03:00 GMT

As many environmentally-minded folks like you know, invasive species are a massive threat to the biodiversity of our ecological systems. In 2023, as part of its mission to promote environmental stewardship, Watertown Community Gardens expanded its work to include combating invasive plant species threatening the local ecosystem. To date, our work has mainly focused on removing invasives on the Watertown-Cambridge Greenway. As community stewards, we invite you to help us to expand our efforts in 2024!

Invasive species pose a significant threat to the balance in our ecosystems and have far-reaching consequences for biodiversity. These non-native plants and animals outcompete and displace native species, leading to a decline in biodiversity. Climate change has created conditions that favor the spread and establishment of invasive plant species. Likewise, the presence of invasive plants can further exacerbate the impacts of climate change. The pervasive nature of invasive species requires a proactive and concerted effort to prevent further ecological damage.

In 2023, WCG held eight volunteer work days to work specifically on invasive plant removal and management. We had many wonderful volunteers join us and thank them wholeheartedly for their efforts! We also had the amazing support of the DPW, who picked up all the invasive plants that we removed - thank you!

Initially, we mainly focused our efforts on addressing the massive, well-established stands of Japanese Knotweed. Knotweed is one of the most aggressive and hard-to-get-rid-of invasive plants. Our volunteers cut the knotweed stands back six times in 2023 - and we look forward to continuing this effort in 2024. During our volunteer work days, we also removed Black Swallow-wort, Bittersweet, Tree of Heaven, and garlic mustard. You can find information about these plants on our Resources page about Invasive Species . Unfortunately, the Watertown-Greenway has an abundance of invasive species to choose from for our removal efforts!

While it may take years to manage the well-established invasives on the Greenway, we have also started planting native plants and spreading seeds of native plants. These included milkweed, perennial sunflowers, purple coneflower, penstemon, goldenrod, and Joe Pye weed, just to name a few. Our hope is that we can start replacing the invasive plants with beautiful native plants that support our na tive flora and fauna.

We are just getting started in our invasive removal efforts and we are working on defining our plans for 2024. To get us ready for our work during the growing season, we will be holding a Greenway trash pick up on March 9, 2024 from 10am to 12pm (rain date March 16). Come help us make our community more beautiful!

Make sure to sign up for the WCG newsletter and indicate you interest in volunteering to make sure you get future event announcements.

And if you have a special interest in invasive plant work and would like to contribute to our planning and leading these efforts, please reach out to us at info@watertowngardens.org. We need all the help we can get!

- Corey Barr WCG Board, Watertown Pollinator Pathways

Watertown Renews the Mayors' Monarch Pledge!

Sun, 07 Jan 2024 17:07:00 GMT

Thank you to our city manager, George Proakis, for signing on for a second year of the Mayors' Monarch Pledge! And we cannot forget our many friends at City Hall, including

Laurel Schwab, Senior Environmental Planner
Katie Swan, Environmental Planner/Conservation Agent
Bob DiRico, Parks/Cemetery Supervisor
Gideon Schreiber, Assistant Director of Planning

Launch or maintain a public communication effort to encourage residents to plant monarch gardens at their homes or in their neighborhoods . (If you have community members who speak a language other than English, we encourage you to also communicate in that language; Champion Pledges must communicate in that language.)
Display educational signage at monarch gardens and pollinator habitat.
Launch, expand, or continue an invasive species removal program that will support the re-establishment of native habitat for monarch butterflies and other pollinators.
Initiate or support community science (or citizen science) efforts that help monitor monarch migration and health.
Host or support a monarch neighborhood challenge to engage neighborhoods and homeowners' associations within the community to increase awareness, support community unity around a common mission, and/or create habitat for the monarch butterfly.
Plant milkweed and pollinator-friendly native nectar plants in medians and public rights-of-way .
Increase the percentage of native plants, shrubs and trees that must be used in city landscaping ordinances and encourage use of milkweed, where appropriate.

View Watertown's Community Profile here

View the report from 2023 here

Workshop: Windowsill Hydroponics

Sun, 17 Dec 2023 03:53:40 GMT

At a WCG workshop held on December 17, 2023, Watertown resident Marilyn Salvas gave a short presentation on the basics of hydroponics , and each participant prepared and planted their own hydroponic jars to take home.

What Is Windowsill Hydroponics?

Hydroponics is a method of growing plants in water enriched with nutrients instead of soil. With just a jar, light, and the right nutrient balance, you can grow herbs and greens on a windowsill or bookshelf year-round.

This system is:

Low-cost
Compact
Beginner-friendly
Ideal for small spaces

We invite you to download Marilyn's presentation and try it out yourself!

Summer at the Boylston St Bump Out Pollinator Gardens

Mon, 31 Jul 2023 01:44:00 GMT

Happy summer!

The Boylston Street bump out gardens are thriving with the regular rain and are full of pollinators. On a rainy day, some of the only pollinators to brave the weather are bumblebees - the fuzzy teddy bear bees. When it’s warm and sunny, you’ll see much more variety, including honeybees, metallic green sweat bees, clouded sulfur butterflies, and more.

There are many types of flowers blooming right now:

Orange butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) - host plant for Monarch butterflies; look for black, white, and yellow striped caterpillars eating the leaves. August is a great time to look for caterpillars, especially in the morning and evenings.
Purple coneflower (Echinacea) - in the winter, the dried seed heads will become bird food

Wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) - attracts a variety of pollinators, including specialist bees, bumble bees, hummingbirds, and moths.
Black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia hirta) - butterflies are especially attracted to black-eyed Susans and other coneflowers because the flowers provide a platform where the butterflies can land.
Anise hyssop (Agastache) - rub the leaves, they smell like licorice, and the towers of light purple flowers are a favorite of a variet of bees

Blue vervain (Verbena hastata) - these tiny purple flowers are nectar-rich and attract a myriad of pollinators, including butterflies, skippers, long and short-tongued bees and others.
Oak leaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia) - as the name suggests, this is hydrangea shrub has leaves which resemble those of oak trees, complementing cone-shaped flower clusters

Daylilies - there are several varieties blooming right now - red, orange, yellow! Do you think they look like fireworks?

The gray goldenrod will begin to bloom in a few weeks. Its flowers are yellow like most goldenrods; the name refers to the gray-colored stems. Goldenrods are important food sources for pollinators out in late summer and fall.

Volunteers will be at the bump outs on September 28 from 5 until 6:30pm doing fall maintenance after flowers have bloomed, before winter sets in. If you’re interested in joining us, please sign up for the calendar event, and join the volunteering Google Group !

Invasive Species Removal on the Greenway

Sat, 22 Jul 2023 19:46:00 GMT

On Saturday, 7/22/23, we had a crew of 9 people removing invasive plant species on the Watertown-Cambridge Greenway. This was our second time cutting down the large patches of Japanese knotweed on the stretch near Arlington Street. Everyone had a great time, and are eager to do more of this work. We anticipate having another event in 2 to 4 weeks.

Black swallow-wort is another invasive that has been blooming for a couple weeks and now has its distinctive seed pods. It's really important to get these plants and seed pods in trash bags before they open up and spread further into green areas and fence lines (this is a common place to see it).

In June, we worked together with the city's Conservation Agent, Katie Swan to put together this informational document about BSW. Check it out! Now is a great time to learn how to identify and remove this plant.

Knotweed is being cut and left in-place to decompose because it has not yet flowered and set seed. The BSW already has flowers and seed pods, so must be disposed of in trash bags. Thanks to the Watertown DPW for picking them up.

We have also created a Google Groups for these volunteering activities, Watertown Pollinator Volunteers Please consider joining the list, or sharing it with people you know.

This will be a years-long effort to get rid of and replace these tough invasive plants with native plants. We will be back out there in the next month to get rid of as much knotweed and black swallow-wort as we can to prevent its further spread. Over time, we will also be planting vigorous native plants to compete against the invasive plants .

I've added photos from the event to this public photo album: Pollinator Pathways - Invasive Species Removal .

Mayor's Monarch Pledge - Thanks!

Wed, 29 Mar 2023 13:41:00 GMT

Thanks to George Proakis for signing the Mayor's Monarch Pledge ! taking action to help save the monarch butterfly, an iconic species whose eastern populations have declined by 90% and western populations by 99% in recent years. Watertown is committing to create habitat for the monarch butterfly and pollinators, and to educate residents about how they can make a difference at home and in their community. We join George in helping to create habitat for butterflies and other pollinators and educating residents about the importance of planting and maintaining these habitats around in public gardens around Watertown

Wednesday, March 29th at 7pm at the Friends of Bees monthly Zoom meeting

Sun, 12 Mar 2023 16:09:00 GMT

Please join us on Wednesday, March 29th at 7pm at the Friends of Bees monthly Zoom meeting for a presentation on transforming your bump-out or planting strip (between sidewalk and street) into a pollinator garden. Melinda Dennis, a Watertown resident and member of Friends of Bees and Watertown Community Gardens (WCG), will share her beginner’s experience planting a 200 square foot bump-out with perennial flowers for attracting pollinators.

Ellen Menounos, a Watertown resident and Environmental Planner for the city of Newton, will join us to offer her expertise in native perennials. The Watertown Department of Public Works encourages these plantings and offers useful guidelines to follow, which will be highlighted during the talk.

This webinar is part of WCG’s mission to encourage gardening in Watertown with native plants to support our local biodiversity, including bees, birds, and other pollinators. Planting with native plants also improves our soil, air, health, and our area’s natural beauty.

Date: March 29th 7- 8:30pm

ZOOM LINK

Support Pollinators in Watertown

Tue, 07 Mar 2023 01:48:00 GMT

Are you interested to learn more about gardening to support pollinators in Watertown?

Do you want to get your hands dirty, even if you don’t have a yard of your own?

Would you like to support wild birds, butterflies, bees, the Charles River watershed, or build climate change resilience?

Volunteers with Watertown Community Gardens invite you to join our gardeners this spring as we maintain several public pollinator gardens throughout the city. WCG’s community connections committee has partnered with the Department of Public Works and a local pollinator awareness group, Friends of Bees, to install several native plant gardens throughout the city since 2021.

We are seeking volunteers from the community to help us do seasonal maintenance while learning hands-on about ecological landscaping practices and the biodiversity they support. No gardening experience is required!

Detailed instructions will be emailed to volunteers, so registration is required.

Please click this link to sign up: Events

Sunday April 23, 1-3pm: DPW Garden & Knowles Delta Garden Maintenance
~~Thursday May 4~~ Wednesday May 3 , 4-6pm: Senior Center Garden Maintenance
Thursday May 18, 4-6pm: Boylston St Bump Outs Garden Maintenance
Sunday May 21, 1-3pm: Filippello Park Garden Maintenance & Plant Swap

And if you are interested in planning future gardening or educational events, consider joining us at our upcoming committee meetings on Zoom:

Thursday March 16, 7-8:30pm
Thursday April 27, 7-8:30pm
Thursday June 1, 7-8:30pm

welcome to our new blog!

Mon, 16 Jan 2023 00:29:00 GMT

here's a photo of our plantings at Knowles Delta in January 2023, many of the new plantings are becoming established already and the "creeping phlox" is coming back now that it's been weeded

Vegetable Gardening

Fri, 28 Feb 2020 10:58:54 GMT

If you're wondering where to get seeds and plants for your garden, take a look at the resources below.

If you have more recommendations, let us know with an email, info@watertowngardens.org .

Vegetable Seedlings and Plant Resources

Newton Community Farm - has a seedling sales in May, see website for info
Mahoney's - Locations in Brighton, Concord and other Boston area locations.
Gore Place - Gore Place in Waltham is selling seedlings
City Natives - in Mattapan

Places to buy seed

Johnny’s Selected Seeds - an employee owned company in Maine that sells seeds and plants, also sells equipment and has lots of good information on their website and in their paper catalog
Fedco Seeds - also in Maine, Fedco is owned by members, both workers and consumers. They also sell plants, equipment and supplies and have good information in their catalog
High Mowing Organic Seeds are located in VT. There are a variety of small local seed catalogs
Hudson Valley Seed Company looks like a bigger company, they’re in NY
Seed Savers Exchange is based in Iowa on Heritage Farm and as you might expect they have lots of heirloom and open pollinated seeds
Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds is based in California and they have all sorts of varieties from many different countries.

Additional info about shopping for seeds

Seeds for planting flowers and vegetables can be found at your local garden center, and these are a good place to start.

If you want a large selection of seeds with information on their history and cultivation, with options for heirloom and other open pollinated varieties in addition to the hybrid varieties, and some which have been produced using organic methods, then you will want to check out some of the online sources listed below.

Most of these catalogs offer open pollinated and heirloom seeds. Many also offer hybrid seeds which have more consistent characteristics but you can’t save hybrid seeds for the next year. Seed saving can be done with open pollinated varieties including many of the heirloom varieties that have been grown decades or more.

Some of these providers also grow some or all of their seeds using organic methods. Their seeds also vary in price and the sellers in their size and specialties. If you want to delve into the details, check out some of these seed sellers. Their websites and catalogs offer a wealth of information.

Watertown Community Resources

Fri, 28 Feb 2020 10:52:05 GMT