New Leaf Restoration
Philipstown Community Garden
In 1984 this verdant pasture, long a source of feed and water for livestock, was protected for conservation by the Osborn family. In 2017 the entire 10.8 acres were donated to the Town of Philipstown by OSI and Scenic Hudson. Framed by trails to Sugarloaf and Castle Rock, its uncultivated but loamy earth is bathed in full sun from April to harvest.
Approved for town-wide community gardens, this uncommon pasture combines agricultural elements rarely found together on the same site. Quenched by an abundant artesian spring and the Arden Brook to the east, the site has all the prerequisites for thriving habitat, productive, varied and successful community agriculture.
Our Partners
Misson
The mission of New Leaf Restoration, Inc. is to plan and implement a restoration of the pasture at the corner of Routes 9D and 403 in the Town of Philipstown, NY, into an intergenerational, collaborative garden and community resource.
New Leaf Restoration, Inc. will fulfill its mission using a team-based approach to planning, creating, and maintaining intergenerational gardens. Our objective is to provide a community resource which supports and promotes the therapeutic and restorative benefits of community gardening and agricultural traditions.
Our Vision
New Leaf Restoration, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization formed in 2021. The current Board of Directors is comprised of seven members. An Advisory Council, with members from different sectors and areas of expertise in the Philipstown community, is also being formed.
New Leaf Restoration, Inc., with input from the Philipstown community and the Advisory Council, will develop a plan to implement and install various types of gardens on the site. Some of the ideas currently being considered include, but are not limited to: perennials, pollinator-friendly plants, a teen garden, community berry garden and individual produce gardens, the last of which would be offered to Philipstown residents for individual usage.
Charter partnerships include the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Putnam County, the Putnam Highlands Audubon Society, Philipstown Pollinator Pathway, Butterfield Library, RPS Solar Pumps, Desmond-Fish Public Library, and Stonecrop Gardens.
Garden Features
Below are some of the ideas we are exploring for the community garden
Town-wide community garden
Modular, fenced garden plots
Solar-powered drip irrigation
Permaculture practices implementation
Pollinator-friendly garden and meandering walk along the brook
Community berry garden
Invasive Species – Eradication
The pasture itself has substantial invasive species including multiflora rose and black swallowwort. The periphery of the field has been colonized by oriental bittersweet, Japanese barberry, multiflora rose, wineberry, and black swallowwort. As a first order of business New Leaf will take an inventory of habitat and invasives. In consultation with professionals and relevant agencies, the Invasive Species Team will propose a plan to the Town Board using best practices to control invasives and restore native flora.
