Welcome to this installment of Field Trip, our series that goes inside gardens and farms across the globe and spotlights the interesting people who keep them alive. Today we’re talking to nutritionist and food policy expert Marion Nestle about her gorgeous Greenwich Village terrace garden.

When I emailed Marion Nestle, I didn’t think she’d respond. After all, the 89 year-old nutritionist is arguably the nation’s foremost expert on food policy, has a new book coming out in September (her 17th) and is readying to appear at the Aspen Ideas Festival on June 30, where she’ll speak on a “wellness” panel with Casey Means, RFK’s withdrawn pick for surgeon general (it’s fair to say that Nestle and Means have more than a few differing views). She’s been on advisory boards and committees for the FDA, USDA and American Cancer Society, to name a few. She’s a public health advocate and an outspoken critic against the corporate lobbying, regulatory loopholes and deceptive marketing practices that cause Americans — especially ones with fewer financial resources — to get and stay stuck in a cycle of poor health. She also updates her own website, Food Politics, with articles and links to new research almost daily.

I first heard of Dr. Nestle back in 2004 when she appeared in Super Size Me, the documentary that followed filmmaker Morgan Spurlock as he exclusively ate McDonalds for 30 days. She was warm and funny and talked about nutrition and the fast food marketing machine in a clear, no bullshit way that let viewers know just how truly knowledgeable she was in her area of expertise. It resonated.

Around this time I was a chubby college kid eating late night cheesy bread slathered in packets of ranch and butter sauce (sometimes as both a late night, post-imbibement snack and again in the morning for breakfast, when it obviously tastes even better). So when I eventually started to prioritize actually feeling good in my body, Dr. Nestle’s philosophy on eating a wide variety of largely plant-based whole unprocessed foods felt incredibly simple and quite rational. Back then, eating “clean” — i.e. organic fruits and vegetables, lean protein, food containing ingredients you could recognize and pronounce — wasn’t a fad (fad diets, unsurprisingly, are not something Dr. Nestle has much patience for). Today, I have a copy of What to Eat Now, Dr. Nestle’s landmark 2006 book that was updated and re-released last fall, sitting on my bedside table.

 

So again, I didn’t think I’d hear back when I reached out to ask if Dr. Nestle would tell me more about the terrace garden she keeps in New York, which she’d mentioned in passing in a Washington Post article I read last year promoting her book. I’ve been thinking about her and her terrace ever since.

But she did respond. And she did so with the exact same gusto and warmth she seems to convey in her writing and her media appearances. “I would be delighted,” she wrote, before letting me know that work was soon starting on her Manhattan apartment building and that the garden photo shoot would have to happen right away. Pictures of Dr. Nestle radiating joy amid her terrace greenery followed almost immediately.

Below, Dr. Nestle dives into her gardening philosophy (“effortless”), how she’s created a productive plot of land in the middle of New York City, and the biggest thing she’s splurged on for her lush outdoor space.

Your terrace is gorgeous — an oasis in the city! What part of Manhattan are you growing your garden in?

Marion Nestle: Greenwich Village on the edge of NoHo on the 12^th floor of a landmarked building built in 1931. The apartment was formerly occupied by Congressman and Mayor Ed Koch. I moved in when he lost the election and moved to a tonier building.

Tell me a little about what’s out there. I see herbs, Sweet Williams, and a Japanese Maple among so many other plants. What are some of the other plants and flowers you have at the moment?

M.N. When I first moved in, I had a view up to 53^rd street, but now I have a bunch of evergreens to block my current view of the building that blocked it. I try to grow as much food as possible, and have dwarf sour cherry and peach trees, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, Cayuga White grapes, lettuce, tomatoes, basil, rosemary, cilantro, parsley, and oregano. I’ve got daylilies, dianthus, and azaleas. I love loosestrife and put some in and now I know why everyone is afraid of it; it has seeded practically every pot and is a big weeding chore. And then the vines: ivy growing up the walls for my neighbors to enjoy, and two kinds of honeysuckle. Several of the trees are volunteers—the hawthorn, for example, and the tall weedy ones. The ivy also makes prolific seeds that sprout everywhere.

 

I’d love to know a bit of the history and evolution of the garden. Did you have any help with the planning or did you do it yourself?

M.N. As should be obvious, I like messy, overgrown gardens. When I first moved in, the super said no plants on the terrace. At the time, it was covered with beautiful Mexican tiles. I wrote a lengthy petition and promised to keep all pots off the tiles, and that’s how it started. It’s evolved over the years, especially after the times the building has to be pointed; the city requires checking for loose bricks every 5-10 years. When that happens, everything goes off the terrace and the equipment goes on it, usually for months. When they are done, I start over.

Is this your first garden?

M.N. I’ve always had gardens whenever I could. This dates back to a summer camp in Vermont that had a fabulous kitchen garden along with wild berries everywhere.

What is upkeep like? How much time and maintenance does it require? I’d also love to know a little about your gardening routine — do you listen to music or podcasts when you garden?

M.N. None of the above. It’s effortless except for getting it going in the spring when I clean out the hanging boxes of mixed annuals and perennials. After that, everything is on its own. I just weed, pinch, and harvest. Everything is in pots. They stay out in the winter and either survive or not. Nothing comes in. They are on their own. There used to be two terrific plant stores within easy walking distance but both have closed so whatever plants I buy come from the Union Square farmers market or from online stores.

I travel a lot and what makes this all possible is a fabulous computerized watering system managed by a really competent company. They turn the system on in the spring and off in the winter and check it all several times in the summer. I can leave anytime and not worry about it.

 

What got me most excited to talk to you — given your line of work, expertise, and areas of advocacy — are the edible portions of your garden. How do you use the edible things you grow, and how do those things contribute to you being able to eat the way you want? Personally, I started my first herb garden because I wanted to have chives, cilantro and basil on hand for my favorite white bean dish that I cook and I didn’t want to have to buy herbs in plastic clamshells. I’m curious if there’s any one meal, dish, etc. that inspired you to start growing your own food.

M.N. Let’s be real. My cherry tree produced three tiny jars of jam. I do go out and pick the berries for breakfast during the weeks they are in fruit, and I pick the lettuce for salads, but we are talking about food for one here.

I just read the guest post on your website about our current food safety crisis due to government cuts (I have been nervous more than once in the last year and a half to eat “triple washed” bagged organic spinach et al). What can we do at home, if anything, to help reduce our risk a bit? How can our gardens play a part in that solve?

M.N. Wash your veggies! Garden vegetables are much less likely to be contaminated with pathogens than industrially produced chopped salad mixes.

I’m not sure how intense the pests are in New York City. But can you suggest any natural pest-control methods that a home gardener should use to ensure they’re not spraying or using pesticides on their crops?

M.N. As I said, my plants are on their own. I had a bad problem with lily bugs this year and didn’t get any regular lilies. The daylilies were OK. Sometimes I will bring in a tomato plant that comes with hornworms. They have to be picked off by hand. Another advantage of a 12^th floor garden: I don’t have to worry about deer or rabbits.

 

From a nutrition perspective, are there any specific fruits and vegetables that you wish more people had on hand in their gardens? What are some powerhouses that we should all try to grow and grab to impact our day-to-day eating habits in a positive way?

M.N. I’m an omnivore. All fruits and vegetables have nutritional benefits. I vote for growing the ones you like best.

I think people who have never before grown their own food are scared to do it if they don’t have “space.” But you’re proving that you don’t need a huge yard or farm to get started. What advice would you have for someone who may have a terrace or balcony? Where should they start?

M.N. Salads are easy. Put in a few lettuce plants. Radishes! I can only grow cherry tomatoes on my terrace; the big ones don’t work. Plants need soil, light, and water. Experiment!

 

What gardening wisdom do you wish you knew when you were just beginning?

M.N. I don’t consider myself a particularly wise gardener. I mostly let the plants do their thing and try to keep the weeds to a minimum. If I get the light right, they will grow. I like to start with small plants and see how they do. That tall elm tree was given to me as a small shoot; the azaleas were from supermarkets; I brought the white pine in a 4 inch pot from New Hampshire. I don’t spend much money on it, except for the watering system—my one gardening luxury.

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