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Today Brooklyn Based has some tips on growing the perfect garden...on your fire escape. The site eases cases of outdoor space envy by saying, "If you’ve got window sills, a fire escape or a stoop, you’re two months away from homegrown tomatoes and morning glory vines." One commenter quickly sounded his safety whistle with warnings of such an urban escape being illegal—but it's certainly been done before. In fact, earlier this month SustainBlog had a list of vegetables one could grow on their fire escape.
A call to 311 didn't clarify much, they said they didn't have any information on whether or not having plants on a fire escape is illegal or legal, though the operator did say it "sounds like a fire hazard." In the past, in response to reading about a lush garden on a city fire escape, one FDNY battalion chief wrote in to the NY Times saying, "The problem is that a firefighter may someday have to contend with this jungle to save a life and it is illegal to block fire escapes with plants, or any other material."
But let's say you don't put safety first, or simply want to grow some greens out of a perfectly legal window box, let's talk about the real problem here: pigeons and squirrels. Sure the tomatoes growing outside of your abode may look lovely, but in all likelihood they'll look delicious to these urban animals as well. We asked the Brooklyn Botanic Garden if they had any tips to keeping critters away, and they told us to just add blood! (Yes, gardening just got creepy.) Here was their full recommendation: "For windowboxers, GreenBridge recommends using an organic nitrogen fertilizer containing dried blood, which is readily available in garden centers. Humans can’t smell it, but rodents can and it turns them away. Plus it’s a great soil amendment that enhances the soil in your box with nitrogen and other rich organic matter! And for windowboxers who planted their seeds in the fall and are waiting on things to sprout, a small bit of chicken wire is a good protector in the winter months."
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It's totally illegal. I fought this pretty hard last year as I had tomatoes, herb boxes, petunias and strawberries out there (and had for years before). I lost the battle. I think it's more common in Brooklyn now and noticeable. It's a 'fire hazard' and insurance inspectors won't pass you if you break these rules. Sigh... it was heartbreaking for me. Now I have window boxes, but they are just not the same.
"But let's say you don't put safety first" - Like Natasha Richardson for example?
Classy, CR. Classy.
what about hemp? Can I grow it?
my building was fined for my plants on the fire escape, and the fine was passed right along to me.
after that happened a falling flower pot fell 3 stories right in front of me on Ave. C from a fire escape.
safety first folks, we live too close together to mess around with fire safety.
No no, that means you're hot on Carmen's heels!
He was last seen changing his money into Francs.
How much was the fine?
this is an excellent article. but what happens in the winter to your plants?
They die.
So really, what we need to come up with is a safe way to do this so the plants don't block the fire escape. There's got to be a good way to suspend a planter so it hangs off the side of the fire escape (away from any stairs or ladder) rather than just putting pots on the fire escape, right?
Dude, it's people like you who all it needs is a handful of ritalin and access to a cheap chinese manufacturing factory to become a millionaire.
i have plants on my sill, secured.
I have my plants in a closet, under grow lights.
I mean... I don't have any plants.
Safety issues aside, if you let people keep plants on fire escapes next thing you know people are leaving bicycles on them along with kids' toys and all sorts of other unsightly crap that makes the place look like a slum.
Sadly, people already do that with their balconies.
I'd say the chance that a flower pot will fall off and hit somebody in the head is exponentially higher than the likelihood of the fire escape actually being needed for a fire. Either way, it's not a good idea.
I had basil and it was great.
its dead tho.
winter is nasty
I'm sure if there's a fire it's not a problem to step over some tomato plants. I understand the law so it prevents abuse, but it makes sense not to bust someone with a friggen basil pot in the one spot they get a sliver of sunlight in this grey city.
A friend of mines just brought me an heirloom organic tomato plant.I was so excited I started reading alot about gardening and came accross this article.It is a fire hazard, but what if I clean both sides of my window in order to let the sun shine through and make mines an indoor windowsill garden? Think it would work?