The Ailanthus isn’t the only tree that grows in Brooklyn: an ambitious agriculturalist is giving corn a shot in the streets of Gowanus.

The above photo was snapped last week outside of the Ivy Garden, the Asian market that opened last year at the corner of 4th Avenue and President Street. Two planters — one on 4th Avenue and one on President Street — flank the store’s entrance, each with several corn stalks approaching eye level. A pet project of the store’s proprietors? Some other neighborhood resident with a passion for cereal grains? We can’t say. But while the corn ears themselves aren’t exactly greenmarket quality, we’re impressed that they’re even growing at all. Here’s a close-up:

By the way, if you’ve yet to frequent Ivy Garden, we highly recommend: in addition to being a great place to pick up last-minute standard grocery items of all kinds (milk, vegetables, cereal, ice cream, etc), the sandwiches, sushi and Asian treats they stock during lunch hours are all excellent.