Join the moonshot
to rewild NYC
Mulch is a new sort of community garden.
I almost did a spit-take when I first heard this but—
New York has OVER 50 Central Parks worth of unused space.
Fifty!
That's THREE Manhattan's worth of unused space just hiding in plain sight — across balconies, rooftops, sidewalks, and medians.
And that brings us to the silly mission of this ridiculous club:
To rewild all that unused space, one tiny garden at a time 😎
See, here's the thing.
Feeling connected to nature feels incredible, but it's tough to feel that way here at home.
Most space is fenced-away in parks and community gardens, separated from us by concrete and commutes.
We don't think it has to be that way!
The street tree bed out front.
The empty rooftop terrace.
The balcony railing.
The bare building facade.
It could all be transformed into something more.
To get the ball rolling, we're bringing regular New Yorkers together on tiny little rewilding missions.
Bite-sized projects — like throwing up a living wall, planting wildflower seeds in empty tree beds, or converting a rooftop into a mini-garden — that can be completed on a weekend afternoon.
Do we know what we're doing?
Absolutely not!
But we're throwing stuff at the wall, seeing what sticks, and charging forwards.
To find out about the next mission, join 2,000 New Yorkers on our little adventure below.
"A delight."
How It Works
Join Mulch Free
We regularly come up with new rewilding missions
Meet other New Yorkers
Get invites to in-person events, our online groupchat, and the newsletter
Rewild NYC together
Reconnect with nature, right from home — all in a way that fits your lifestyle.
Roadmap
Street space is just the start...
Phase One
Street Space
Rewild existing space on the street by adopting and caring for street trees throughout NYC.
Milestones
- Grow wildflowers in one tree bed
- Create a raised gardening bed club in tree beds
- Get one tree street planted (19 days from permit to planting)
- Send out 1,000 packets of native wildflower seeds
- Create high fidelity tree map for claiming trees
- Get 10,000 street trees named
Phase Two
Walls, Rooftops, and Balconies
Rewild existing space hidden in plain sight using the latest and greatest technology.
Milestones
- Close one apartment building pilot
- Create an at-home gardening kit pilot
- Install one living wall in NYC
- Install one rooftop farm in NYC
- Create a balcony gardening club
Phase Three
De-Paving
Create new space to rewild by removing unnecessary concrete throughout the city.
Milestones
- Depave one piece of sidewalk
- Create a 100 sq ft. sidewalk garden
- Streamline concrete removal permitting
- Convert a 2000 sq ft. parking lot into a community garden
- Plant 150,000 new street trees
About
Hi! I'm Mayank (Mardia) — and I started Mulch in March of 2024. I love New York, but I'm done choosing between living near the best people in the world and having a connection with the natural environment. I want both, and I believe a ton of other people do too. We're going to make that happen!
Before Mulch, I studied finance and computer science at college, worked at Bloomberg as a software engineer, and served as a product manager at Ethic, a sustainable finance company. I owe so much to those opportunities — as well as to so many elders in this space — and my hope is now to put that learning to good use.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the business model?
Mulch is a free, volunteer-led club. The goal is to bring New Yorkers together to accelerate nature restoration in the city.
What's the name Mulch mean?
Mulch is tiny and commonplace — but even when a couple pieces come together — it has the ability to safeguard and nurture both trees and soil. When I think about nature in New York City — all this unused space and people that would support transforming it — sometimes I feel like we just need a little bit of metaphorical mulch to get the ball rolling.
Is it legal to plant in tree beds in the city?
Yes! NYC Parks is aware of this project (we have a recurring call with their stewardship team) — and we are operating completely within their public planting guidelines. Parks and Recreation ultimately has jurisdiction over all street trees.