The Planting Westchester initiative is to encourage and empower all who live or work in Westchester County to grow more plants so that together we can:
- Grow vegetables and fruits to increase local food security in all our communities
- Plant native plants and trees to conserve and restore local biodiversity, including pollinators
- Protect and plant trees to reduce pollution, flooding, and erosion, and to offer shade and cool our climate
We are providing you with comprehensive tool kits to help you choose, plant and maintain trees, shrubs and flowers, with an emphasis on native plants and trees. And it’s not just about planting. We also have resources to help you learn about your soil, and to protect existing trees and other native plants from invasive species of plants and insects.
Nine topic resource sections
- Trees
- Fruit Trees
- Soil
- Planting by Water
- Community Gardens
- Native Plants
- Backyard Vegetable Gardens
- Container Gardens
- Combating Invasive Species
How did we come up with these resources?
Nearly 100 dedicated and knowledgeable volunteers worked on this project for months. Members of the topic committees collected and selected the best existing resources on their topic--the best how-to articles, books, videos, toolkits etc. that are applicable in Westchester County and our region, with an emphasis on the local organizations that offer such resources. The results of their hard work can be found in the nine topic sections. We are deeply grateful to and acknowledge the volunteers who contributed to this project.
Underlying this project are core principles of inclusive, socially-equitable decision making; community participation, communication, and relationship-building; and the value of healthy natural systems including biodiversity not only to environmental and climate resilience but to human health and well-being.
Planting Westchester information will be updated. We welcome feedback and suggestions. Send us an e-mail at .
Be part of a growing solution
Westchester County is 500 square miles, 14 percent of which is comprised of lakes and streams, and encompasses urban and rural settings and everything in between. Over one third of the land in the County is categorized as open space, which preserves the quality of life in Westchester by protecting its scenic vistas and environmental integrity. The County is home to a numerous and diverse array of flora and fauna that lives in this open space, and is increasingly threatened by invasive species.