If life finds you strolling through the streets of New York this summer, you might notice people hanging plants from fences, scaffolds . . . almost anywhere. The Woolly Bunch Takes NYC is just one of many initiatives led by Miguel Nelson (MFA 2002) and his company Woolly Pocket to spread passion for the art of gardening.

Woolly Pocket, launched in January 2009, makes modular systems for growing plants. The breathable, multicolored, capacious pockets come in a variety of sizes and can be deployed indoors or outdoors, on vertical walls or as free-standing islands. The sealed indoor version protects walls from water leakage. The outdoor version allows rainwater to pass through. Nelson's "outside-the-pocket" thinking makes gardening an option for people without yards, or those who hate to stop growing things during the winter months. The vertical systems can be deployed even in very constrained interior spaces.

"Plants are so beautiful and mysterious. I wanted to cover my world with plants," says Nelson. "I began by stitching up some pockets that would hold about 200 plants and hung them on my wall, and the plants grew! Next thing I knew, my home and studio were covered. We have a lot of parties, and guests started asking me for pockets. With Woolly Pockets I want to inspire the world to have more fun with plants."

The pockets are made of felted strands of plastic from recycled plastic bottles. The various available shapes and sizes have descriptive yet humorous names, including Wally (living wall pockets) and Woolly Vagabond (a living, breathing handbag). Others have been given personal names appropriate to their size and style: Brian, Lana, Steve, Tina.

Nelson's latest project is Woolly School Garden. "We make do-it-yourself kits for K-12 schools to create their own edible gardens and teach nutrition in a way that doesn't require shovels, bulldozers, red tape, or taxpayer money. We're growing thousands of gardens for schools nationwide." In collaboration with Pepsi's Refresh Everything website, funds have been raised to bring Woolly School Gardens to more than 250 schools across the United States this summer.

Nelson's products and projects have already received international media attention. They have been featured in the L.A. Times, Dwell, Sunset, and Martha Stewart Living. An edible, living gateway made with Woolly Pockets was created at Union Square in New York for this year's Earth Day in collaboration with the New York Restoration Project. And Woolly Pockets made their debut at the Royal Horticultural Society's Chelsea Flower Show in London this past May, when Garden Beet used them in a living wall installation.

Nelson looks back with relish on his years at CCA. "CCAC—sorry I miss that third C—changed my life. It was like being immersed in an art spa where everybody listened and gave me tools to make things. And also like pressing a hyperspace button, propelling me to make work I might not otherwise have made in this lifetime."

Although Woolly Pocket is a booming company in its own right, Nelson considers it an extension of his art practice, a performance of sorts. "My goal is to inspire others to discover new ways to be creative. And of course to garden, and just spend time playing with plants."

Go to woollyschoolgarden.org and vote for Woolly School Garden in the Pepsi Refresh Project. The voting ends July 1, and you can vote once a day.