Floating food forest

Floating food forest expected to move through the NY Harbor this summer

Swale's floating food forest will allow visitors to forage and see food grown on a floating container in New York City. A floating food forest is being constructed from Port Authority of New York and New Jersey shipping containers. The 50-feet-wide by 80-feet-long diamond-shaped vessel will be pulled from pier to pier, inviting the public to come aboard, and give them to chance to leave with berries, dandelions, bok choy or low bush blueberries that they pick. 

The project was conceived by New York  APT artist and sculptor Mary Mattingly, whose recent public art projects include a wading bridge in a Des Moines park. 

Mattingly said the project, called Swale, is more about getting visitors to think about where their food comes from. The produce is the byproduct.

“Most of [the inspiration] is to think about how we could make what we need instead of always looking for inputs,” Mattingly said. “There are so many more ways to make healthy foods other than spending money or buying what is there. The water seems to be the only place to start a project like this, because growing public food on public land is not legal.”