The alleys behind Whittier are half garden already — grape vines on garage walls, peonies leaning into the gravel, and a small square of lawn holding the middle of it. Eco Lawn & Garden LLC keeps both halves going: mowing and trimming the turf, edging where it wants to creep into the beds, and clearing every clipping so nothing lands on the vegetables. Spring cleanup here means cutting back the winter-killed stems and letting light reach the soil early, while the mornings are still cold. In fall the elms drop all at once and hauling the leaves out is most of a day's work. It is close, careful yard work, the kind that fits inside a city lot.