Allan Appel Photo
The homeless couple Audrey and Ian who live in this pine and holly-decorated tent were out collecting two-liter bottles — not for redemption but for a winter crop going in near their digs at Occupy New Haven.
The small greenhouse is the creation of Sara Neal, the baker at Book Trader and an experienced gardener and resident of Occupy New Haven.
On Friday afternoon she already had one hooped row of two-liter bottles almost attached over a series of milk crates where she intends to grow garlic in a make-shift greenhouse.
The balance of the work awaited Audrey and Ian to return with the collections from their hunt.
Sara Neal builds her greenhouse at Occupy New Haven
Neal said she had put out the word for the bottles, which, when properly strung, will reflect the light and cause a greenhouse effect. Not enough bottles had been forthcoming.
“None of my friends on Facebook wanted to admit they drank soda,” she joked.
When there are enough bottles, they will be tightly strung over the crates. Neal said she will then fill the crates with rich soil from the compost heap behind her house in Goatville.
She described the soil as dark and ready to go. She has garlic heads from last year, which will go in as her first crop.
Another possibility: snap peas, which grow quickly.
Neal is a long-time gardener, having learned the craft from her mom, who keeps a plot at Edgerton Park.
Assuming Audrey and Ian find enough two-liter bottles, the next need: a pallet on wheels, so that the small greenhouse can be moved around the encampment.
“Follow the sun” is the idea, she said.