The tree pit outside Murray’s Cheese Shop on Bleecker St. has an edge over its counterparts. The roughly 3-foot-by-4-foot space is now home to lemongrass, zebra grass and prairie grass, as well as a variety of herbs, such as sage, basil, rosemary and mint for Murray’s chef to use. Nina Planck, former New York City Greenmarket director, founder of Local Foods and of London’s Farmers’ Markets, planted the garden at Murray’s owner Rob Kaufelt’s request. The plants — chosen for their heartiness — were purchased from local farmers and then planted in soil enriched with compost from the Lower East Side Ecology Center in East River Park. “So, it’s a nice bit of New York City ecology,” Planck said. “New York farmers bring the food down, New Yorkers eat it, they recycle it, it gets turned into compost, and it goes into New York City gardens.”
