Troy

Vacant lots in South Troy don't cost much. Sid Fleisher bought one for $200.

A house once sat on the Monroe Street land. But like so many buildings in the city, the wood-framed home fell victim to decline and decay, and it was boarded over and leaning when the city razed it.

Stories like that have left South Troy with no shortage of vacant lots, some overgrown with weeds and strewn with litter. Fleisher, who lives nearby, looked at this particular lot and noticed its potential, particularly how the sun poured down without interruption. The land, he realized, would be a fine place to grow a garden.

So after buying the small lot from the city for a bargain-basement price, that's exactly what he's doing. Potatoes. Onions. Squash. Beans. Lettuce, lots and lots of lettuce. Even a patch of rice.

"It's about making a statement," Fleisher said. "We don't have to have a vacant lot that's just full of trash or full of weeds."

The effort is also, of course, about food — and proving that urban neighborhoods are ripe with growing potential. In areas like South Troy, where there isn't a single store selling fresh fruits and veggies, such gardens might also help fill an important nutritional gap.

Fleisher, believing that working the soil is good for the soul, says he hopes his garden will inspire others to grow at least a few plants, even just a patio tomato or two.

"Just the idea of growing stuff appeals to me," Fleisher said. "It keeps you in touch with the natural cycle of things."

Three miles away, in the city's North Central neighborhood, there's another effort with much the same aim. A garden on Sixth Avenue is home for Collard City Growers.

"It's a neighborhood garden that's meant to be a demonstration site that shows the possibility of what you can do with vacant lots," said organizer Abby Lublin, "and also how easy it is to grow food."

Collard City makes seeds, soil and compost available at no cost to North Central residents interested in gardening. It also opens its rows to neighborhood children — city kids who might think food comes only from the supermarket. They might think they don't like fruits and veggies, but often they've never had food fresh from a garden — and they're surprised by the flavor.

"Some kids will say, 'I don't like tomotoes,' " Lublin said. "But then I say, 'Well, have you tried these little, orange grape tomatoes?' "

Collard City's lot was donated. But Lublin paid $250 for a nearby lot that Collard City also uses.

Vacant lots in North Central also don't cost much, apparently.

Back in South Troy, Fleisher has planted fruit trees and rose bushes along the edge of the garden, which combines raised and ground-level beds. (He's had that soil tested, of course.) He's hoping to add a greenhouse that would extend the plot's growing season.

It isn't his only garden. He and his wife grow food and raise chickens in their backyard — that's legal in Troy — and they have a few other food-producing gardens, including a plot in South Troy lot managed by Capital District Community Gardens, the non-profit headquartered in Troy.

Fleisher, who is 69, estimates that he and his wife produce more than 50 percent of the food they eat, proving that even in a densely urban place like South Troy, food doesn't have to come from somewhere or someone else.

More Information Contact Chris Churchill at 518-454-5700 or email cchurchill@timesunion.com See More Collapse

If Fleisher's name sounds familiar, that might be because he's been mentioned in these pages before for a variety of neighborhood-improving activities that include rehabbing vacant buildings, beautifying alleys or encouraging the painting of murals. He's a busy guy.

Lublin, who happens to live near Fleisher, called him an unofficial mayor of their section of the neighborhood, which she jokingly called Fleisherville.

The city hasn't always encouraged Fleisher's efforts. Years ago, after he planted flowers out in front of his house, the city decided it was an overgrown lawn and ticketed him. He continues to believe that city officials, focused on reviving downtown, pay too little attention to neighborhoods.

"To me, it seems that we're not getting much support from the city," Fleisher said. "But we can't depend on the city to do everything. We have to figure out how to do things on our own."

That's ultimately what makes his Monroe Street garden important. It's about self sufficiency and taking control of a neighborhood — lot by lot, row by row and plant by plant.

cchurchill@timesunion.com • 518-454-5700 • @chris_churchill