What grows on my block?
A simulator for which plants will actually grow where you live in New York.
- Status
- Planning · data first
- Year
- 2026
- Role
- Solo
- Area
- Side projects
In plain English
Gardening advice usually comes per climate zone, yet a shady Midtown balcony and a backyard in Astoria live in very different worlds. This simulator will answer two questions for one specific spot: what will grow well here, and what happens if I plant this anyway? New York is the prototype because its open data is so rich.
How it works
- Gather climate history and soil data for the location.
- Use real building footprints and sun angles to work out how much light the spot gets, down to the building next door.
- Pick any plant, even tomatoes in October.
- Run it forward three, six or twelve months outdoors and see how it does.
What I did
It is a solo project. Right now I am working on the data: which measurements matter, where to get them and how to keep them honest.
What I learned
The simulation is the fun part, and the data is the real work. Keeping the model to outdoor growing keeps the question sharp, since indoor and greenhouse setups can be controlled.