The DiRT

The DiRT, is an undeveloped, four city lot parcel in East Garfield Park. Since 2022, a handful of local experts have supported the effort to clean it up by removing loads of urban debris and dead trees. The next year, this group further advised on detox of the dirt, by planting rye grass whose long roots pull out toxins while allowing the natural weeds do their work restoring healthy soil. Last Summer, a wide variety of new native plants and trees were put in to further promote a robust environment for bugs, bees, birds and bats, thus helping pollinators and creating oxygen. DiRT, in itself, is fairly useless. The land becoming soil is the goal. What is useful about maintaining The DiRT’s title is its acronym, Doing it Right Together. As this land continues to speak to us about what it needs to progress its good work, we cannot be more excited to watch it bloom on its own time.