Goatville is a neighborhood in East Rock, New Haven that runs from State Street to Orange Street between Edwards Street and East Rock Park.

Built by Irish immigrants in the 1880s, who often let their goats roam between properties, the name carried a contemptuous tone by outsiders.

Today, Goatville has a transient population that ebbs and flows with the university calendar. As a result, there is a culture of yard sales on Upper Orange Street and people leaving useful things on the curb strip.

Lime green 2x6s neatly stacked on the corner of Nash and Lawrence inspired the “salvage” moniker and my first guerrilla gardening project - a simple garden box on the corner of Nash and Edwards. As I was installing it and fixing the curb stone benches (which are even heavier than they look!) many people commented as they walked their dogs. So, I left sharpies for people sign their dogs’ names to encourage a sense of ownership and community.  RIP Sushi.

I am a gardener and I do most things by hand. I take time to observe sunlight, soil, and patterns of human behavior in a space. I experiment and fail.

This is more of a movement than a business. I’m the anti-landscaper. My goal is to help people shift their perspective about what a “yard” should look like. My hypothesis is that this shift will occur in urban and suburban settings with small yards. We are seeing a tipping point in East Rock where many have already converted their front lawns into (mostly) native habitats or are growing food in raised beds.

If you would like help re-imagining your space, I can teach you about native plants and trees and how to utilize “low energy” and “no dig” gardening methods to create a habitat that will be pleasing to humans but also beneficial for our ecosystem.

Join the re-wilding revolution!

Open your heart and kill the lawn within yourself.

- Brandon

“The Re-Wilder”