Custer Preserve: Native Plant Garden at The Arboretum

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Custer Preserve native plant garden

Located at 1080 Main Bayview Rd, Southold, NY 11971

Southold Peconic Civic Association - Environmental Advocacy Committee (SPCA EAC) in conjunction with the Town of Southold, ReWild Long Island, the Group For The East End, and the North Fork Pollinator Pathway - Suffolk Alliance for Pollinators (NFPP SAP), joined together for an ambitious project. In early April 2023, four community groups partnered with the Town of Southold to reclaim an overgrown 3500 sq.ft. parcel of the Town of Southold land adjacent to the Custer Observatory. The vision was to transform an area of the Town Arboretum into a native garden by removing non-native invasive plants.

Volunteers used a sheet mulching technique whereby layers of cardboard and newspaper were set out over the space and 50 cubic yards of Town-provided mulch was placed on top. This solarized and smothered many weeds or invasive plant species underneath. During the summer, two things occurred. The sheet mulching decomposed and created rich soil. Additionally, our volunteers continued to eliminate any weeds that tried to gain a foothold. Furthermore, a temporary deer fence constructed with Southold Town materials was erected by volunteers to protect new plants and trees before we planted.

By October, the area was ready for plants. Through the grant from ReWildLI which included $1500 worth of native plants, a design, and irrigation, volunteers worked diligently under the expert guidance of Maggie Muzante to install over 600 plants in one day. Sixteen volunteers from SPCA, Group for the East End and 30 5th and 6th grade students from Southold Elementary School planted on October 23, 2023, along with reporters from local newspapers. Two weeks later, 200 plants donated by LINPI were planted outside the deer fence as a living weed and invasive plant border. These deer resistant grasses and mountain mint will hopefully be a buffer to stop encroaching invasives. Nancy DePas Reinertsen, Deb Kimmelman, Taralynn Reynolds from the NFPP SAP and Ralph Reinertsen from the SPCA EAC oversaw the project from beginning to end. What a success when many community partners get together!

Get involved with the Custer Preserve Native Plant Garden by emailing Ralph@ReWildLongIsland.org or nancydr@rewildlongisland.org → Work parties at Custer occur Wednesdays and/or Saturdays from 10-12,