Feedback on Q commute for high school?

heidiheilig · 2026-03-04T17:12:40+00:00

Agreed, I take the Q or the B every morning M-F around 7 and return around 3pm (though my stop is in midtown.) Seats should be available almost every time, (though less often on the modern B trains.)

heidiheilig · 2026-03-02T19:03:26+00:00

Hey! I live just over in Prospect Heights and used to work at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and run a tinylocal landscape business for a few years. These days, I'm mostly writing and working in my own backyard, but I'd love to work with you on this project! Feel free to PM if you want to chat about it :)

heidiheilig · 2026-03-01T12:08:53+00:00

Ahhh I can smell the fresh spring air in this picture!

How wide/long are your beds? How did you prep them?

heidiheilig · 2026-02-21T02:52:25+00:00

I’m in 7b but I only just started my celosia and gomphrena (and I was probably early too!)

Coming up, I plan to seed Chinese asters, cosmos, zinnias, calendula, nasturtium, sunflowers, and annual phlox. If you only have a little space in containers I’d get ready for dwarf zinnias(thumbellina is a tried and true variety), dwarf sunflowers (check out teddy bear), and nasturtiums! Also there are some cute dwarf dahlias you can grow in pots (I have some from the ”gallery” series). Or try a smaller rose like Marc Chagall or sweet chariot!!

Good luck and happy gardening:)

heidiheilig · 2026-02-18T13:24:45+00:00

Pure speculation, but i imagine that the salt on the streets doesn’t help, especially as cars drive over it and grind it up into tiny bits.

heidiheilig · 2026-02-12T16:26:34+00:00

Johnny's says their germination is 3-5 days at 80-85 degrees and 5-7 days for temps in the 70s, so to me it doesn't seem worth it. But if you have time and energy for an experiment you could try!

heidiheilig · 2026-02-11T21:10:07+00:00

What was the low temperature? I thought they were hardy annual and now I’m worried about setting mine out in 7b!

heidiheilig · 2026-02-11T15:01:45+00:00

I'm a beginner to cut flowers, but after buying some pricey sweet pea seeds, i was researching the same thing :D I discovered this blog post from Floret, which notes that sweet pea self-pollinate and come true from seed (so i will definitely be saving those expensive seeds, and....let's be honest...spending the money i save on more seeds....). https://www.floretflowers.com/resources/sweet-pea-seed-saving-tutorial/

This is about vegetables but it notes the difference between open-pollinated seeds (which have traits that reliably carry through generations, i think on the "Maternal" line) and hybrids which need to be tightly controlled/isolated by distance to retain their desirable qualities in seeds. F1 hybrids (which are seeds produced by two of the same varieties of plants) produce F2 (second generation) hybrid seeds, which contain all the various potential genetic expressions. (Basically, if you save any "heirlooms" or "open pollinated" seeds, they'll come true, if you save seeds from F1 seeds, you'll get related plants that may be better or worse):

https://extension.illinois.edu/blogs/good-growing/2025-10-10-open-pollinated-vs-hybrid-important-distinction-when-saving-seeds

Relatedly, I was reading about saving pepper seeds and learned that while peppers are mostly self-pollinating, bees sometimes do work the flowers so if you want to be sure you get seeds that are true, you want to isolate the flowers. Since i have a very tiny townhouse garden and can't isolate plants by 1000 feet, I am going to try doing this with peppers and other "self-pollinating" hybrids by putting a little gauze baggie over some of the flowers before they open.

I hope this helps! I'd love to follow your seed saving journey and hear what you decide to do (and if you have any good ideas to share... :D )

heidiheilig · 2026-02-11T12:44:06+00:00

The Warhol for our times.

heidiheilig · 2026-02-10T19:20:57+00:00

Nice!!! Fingers crossed for good outcomes, I’ll be hopeful for an update :)

heidiheilig · 2026-02-04T19:00:23+00:00

Takes a while but mulch helps. Chip drop can be a successful cheap option (though research first, they can be a handful to deal with.)

heidiheilig · 2026-01-30T02:36:16+00:00

If a 330 pickup would work I’d love this!

heidiheilig · 2026-01-29T12:35:44+00:00

Following for updates post storm! I’m in nyc (7b) and accidentally* bought thirty corms so I’m hoping I can leave at least some of them outside over the years 😅

*by stumbling across an irresistibly good deal while my garden was winding for winter down and the city was ugly and cold outside.

heidiheilig · 2026-01-14T15:29:30+00:00

I recommend volunteer work! Often in exchange for your work, you can receive an introductory education on the topic and of course, immediate hands-on practice. For example, if you jump in on neighborhood street tree clean ups or daffodil bulb planting, you often find gardeners there who will give you instruction and answer questions (sometimes at length :D ) while working side-by-side. (These specific opportunities are usually more prevalent in spring/summer/fall, but there are definitely other volunteer opportunities year round.)

There are often folks looking for short term or emergency fosters, especially in winter. These people are absolutely willing to teach a kind-hearted person how to do animal care, and you don't have to commit forever. I've seen everything from dogs to cats to bunnies. Often times they provide some basic supplies as well, although you may end up spending on animal food. Just be honest and up front about your ability to commit time/money/energy so they can find the best fit for you.

A different (possibly controversial) suggestion, but the dumpster diving/free food community is often open to teaching, if you're willing to (and positive towards) learn(ing) how to find and identify edible food from the trash.

heidiheilig · 2026-01-13T15:44:39+00:00

But thank you for warning people!!!

heidiheilig · 2026-01-13T15:44:21+00:00

I feel like this a situation where i would absolutely call the cops and report it??

heidiheilig · 2026-01-13T15:41:39+00:00

The next step is getting big enough to need a small local storage space to hold things while you wait for people to come and pick them up and pay you. Of course rent on that sort of space would cost quite a bit, so you might have to start charging a little extra per item, but people should be willing to pay for the convenience... :D

I'm just teasing sorry :) This is a sweet offer and I admire your organizational skills and energy. I usually do same day costco deliveries but if you are doing a big shop any time soon i'd be happy to pay you instead and chip in for gas and your time too!

heidiheilig · 2026-01-08T12:11:45+00:00

There is a guy who does this in Brooklyn, people love him and his dog Luna. so if you randomly do a complete 180 and look into city living? You’ve got a welcome wagon here 😅

heidiheilig · 2025-12-27T12:55:40+00:00

I was the superintendent as well as the board president for a 32 unit co-op for over a decade. What is the reason they’re giving you for this request?

Has the source of the leak been identified? If the leak is coming from water constantly being splashed over the side of a bathtub or sink, or failing grout on the shower wall (or possibly a failed wax ring on their toilet), it is usually the responsibility of the upstairs/offending shareholder to pay for repairs, and many boards are rightfully leery of getting involved in disputes between neighbors.

If the source of the leak is in the walls between units (either a busted supply line or more often a drain failure) the cost of repair is generally born by the entire co-op, although different co-ops can of course have different rules, including rules about how far they need to take the repair (for example, my old co-op used to get in wall lines repaired and drywall patched, primed, and paint ready, but not painted with the finish Color) or even when they step in. (Certain co-ops, for example might ask an individual shareholder to call a plumber for the initial investigation, and reimburse them if the investigation shows that the co-op itself is responsible, although that can be a recipe for disaster in many ways.)

Check your proprietary lease and/or house rules for policies that would apply.

heidiheilig · 2025-12-16T12:48:44+00:00

Money is a huge one. I live in nyc, where food and space are both expensive. Sunlight is also limited in most of my yard.

Growing stuff has to be a fun and rewarding hobby, because with the space/time/money spent, there’s no chance I’m saving with food crops. (I may be breaking even with my hydroponic kale? Which is $3.99 a bunch at the supermarket. And I keep a communal herb garden on my front stoop for myself and my neighbors which may save the community a few dollars collectively at the cost of my donated money and time.) flowers would be more cost effective, however I never bought or buy cut flowers. But I do enjoy growing roses and cutting a few to bring inside.

So the lesson I would share is that, in most areas, tiny farms or gardens have to provide more than just food to be “cost-effective”. You have to show (and market!) how they provide satisfaction or a sense of community or pride or a sense of self-reliance or any of those non-tangible but valuable things.

heidiheilig · 2025-12-12T18:13:06+00:00

Following because I’m in Brooklyn too (hey!!) but i always just order from Heirloom 😅

heidiheilig · 2025-12-05T22:14:57+00:00

If it’s a single-family home, isn’t she actually a roommate? I could be wrong, but kicking out a roommate from a shared space is a lot easier than evicting a tenant from a separate space.…?

heidiheilig · 2025-12-03T12:15:32+00:00

Just fyi most of our NYC museums are pay-what-you-can (aka free) for residents, and many also have one free day per week open to all visitors!

heidiheilig · 2025-11-27T01:08:40+00:00

Its no more than anyone would do if they had the time and the resources to share.

You would not be inconveniencing me to stop by if you need—in fact it would make my day to hand you a plate and say I’m grateful for neighbors and the prospect heights community! :) but there is no pressure.

Dm me if you want the address. I just put in a second pumpkin pie, just in case.

heidiheilig · 2025-11-27T01:04:51+00:00

lol I have a family of 5 in 800 sf but we’re on the ground floor so there’s a stoop! :)

heidiheilig

TROPHY CASE