Please share the donation link - we have $555 raised so far!
A Small Green Patch:
This weekend at the patch: Saturday we will attempt to plant the seeds for the shade herb garden that will be set up in the window boxes for fresh herbs for the rest of the season. Rain or shine.. unless there's lightening! Sunday blackboard charades, crosswords and brainstorming!
Last Friday - Lauren from the Lower Manhattan Community School brought her 7th Grade class to the lots for a tour - she contacted us through our project on ioby.org. The class met with Isa from Textile Arts Center where they learned about Natural Dyes and they also helped weed. Clare was on hand to get the class to plant radishes and learn more about how Feedback Farms CSA works and the class also helped plant Watermelon and Pumpkin seeds in the front bed on the community side. We hope they will come visit to view the progress later this summer!
Last Friday - Lauren from the Lower Manhattan Community School brought her 7th Grade class to the lots for a tour - she contacted us through our project on ioby.org. The class met with Isa from Textile Arts Center where they learned about Natural Dyes and they also helped weed. Clare was on hand to get the class to plant radishes and learn more about how Feedback Farms CSA works and the class also helped plant Watermelon and Pumpkin seeds in the front bed on the community side. We hope they will come visit to view the progress later this summer!
If anyone would like to bring their school or class into the garden for a tour or event please contact asmallgreenpatch@gmail.com. Or reach out to any of our group members to learn more about their projects! Contact info below :)
Slow weekend at the patch - mostly rain but everything is starting to sprout!
Textile Arts Center:
We’ve have started preparing our Sewing Seeds Natural Dye Garden for its second season. We’ve been starting seedlings, planning garden layout, design labels, and planning our free educational programming for the Summer. Stop by the garden on Saturdays, from 2-4PM to learn more about the project and for some hands-on-gardening. Or learn more at www.textileartscenter.com/sewingseeds
Another insider interview between two of our Artists in Residence. This time, Kate speaks to Eleanor Anderson as they lead up to their final crit for their exhibition Sept 17 at The Invisible Dog. (And don't forget the extended June 1 deadline for the 2013-14 cycle!)
Kellen and Beyonce - Hive Happenings
New bees from Sweet Pines Apiary in Bohemia, Long Island were installed on Saturday morning.
Feedback Farms:
A CSA is a mutually beneficial partnership between a farm and its surrounding community. As a CSA, Feedback Farms relies on the local community for support and in return provides healthy, affordable produce, a direct connection to the food system, opportunities for education and engagement, and a chance to spend time on a working urban micro farm.
If you are interested in our working CSA share - 3 days a month for a June through September share of produce (including honey !) + you learn all we know about farming - send us an email at: info@feedbackfarms.com with the subject: 'working share'.
St Lydia's:
St. Lydia's is a dinner church; we meet every Sunday night to share a sacred meal in Brooklyn. The St. Lydia's Enough for Everyone Garden is an experiment in radical generosity and grows out of our weekly practice of welcoming anyone and everyone to our table. Now that we have finished the 2012 growing season, we are working on our plans for 2013. If you are interested in learning more about St. Lydia's or about the Enough for Everyone Garden, please find us at stlydias.org or email Rachel Pollak at rachel@stlydias.org.
Other local community meetings and events - if you know of any events or groups you would like to share with everyone email us at asmallgreenpatch@gmail.com
596 Acres:
Chicago! An incredible exhibition is opening tomorrow at the Chicago Cultural Center- it's the second time we've been a part of "Spontaneous Interventions: Design Actions for the Common Good." Walk in any day of the week, the Chicago Cultural Center is always free, and it's right at the Northwest corner of Millenium Park. Tell your Chicago friends!
Bronx River Arts Center Exhibition - Friday, May 31 6-9pm is the opening for an exhibition put on by our friends at BRAC called Process and Progress 5: An Exhibition Where Artists, Designers and Community Engages with Systems of Urban Development in the Bronx and Beyond. Check out the event on Facebook. We'll see you there, with lots of Bronx maps and our organizing flow chart for you to take home.
Our Garden & Tea Party & Fundraiser on Sunday June 2nd at the Silent Barn is getting closer! Please join us to support our work and meet your fellow land access advocates in New York City. There will be tea, with or without whiskey! There will be dancing thanks to DJ James Mulry. Cucumber sandwiches. Pay what you can: $10 - $50. We'll also have the last few remaining copies of our book for sale, and some beautiful prints of our Brooklyn map. We like it when you RSVP: https://www.facebook.com/events/355839871198193/ but come even if you don't get a chance to. And bring the rest of your garden community!
Finally - Our next Brooklyn General Meeting is scheduled for June 9th at Myrtle Village Green. The meeting will run from 3 - 4:30pm, and then we will be using the MVG facilities to have a workshop on composting presented by Jennifer Blackwell from the BBG, from 4:30 - 5:30pm.
Halsey Community Garden
Soil Analyzing workshop - DIY techniques for dealing with heavy metals
462 Halsey Community Garden (btw Lewis and Marcus Garvey) - May 25, 2013 @ 3PM
462 Halsey Community Garden (btw Lewis and Marcus Garvey) - May 25, 2013 @ 3PM
Please join 462 Halsey Street as we learn basic techniques that will help urban gardeners and farmers better understand city dirt and just what's in it. Learn pointers for identifying soil textures and what that means, how to test for heavy metal contaminants and what to do if the soil is contaminated. While nothing can replace lab testing, all techniques demonstrated are quite DIY, cheap and easy.
As many urban farmers know, the soil in NYC is filled with heavy metal contaminants. Unfortunately, sometimes bringing in new soil is not enough. Soil containing things like lead, arsenic, cadmium and chromium can be kicked up on dry days and land in vegetable beds; passing cars and buses constantly send gusts of pollution into our gardens. The workshop will explore the many steps gardeners can take to keep toxins out of our vegetables.
Please join us to continue what doing what we urban farmers do best - growing the healthiest, safest food we can to continue feeding our communities.
As many urban farmers know, the soil in NYC is filled with heavy metal contaminants. Unfortunately, sometimes bringing in new soil is not enough. Soil containing things like lead, arsenic, cadmium and chromium can be kicked up on dry days and land in vegetable beds; passing cars and buses constantly send gusts of pollution into our gardens. The workshop will explore the many steps gardeners can take to keep toxins out of our vegetables.
Please join us to continue what doing what we urban farmers do best - growing the healthiest, safest food we can to continue feeding our communities.
American Littoral Society
Help the American Littoral Society Restore Jamaica Bay!
We need volunteers to plant over 30 acres of salt marsh on Black Wall and Rulers Bar marsh islands.
In addition to improving water quality and protecting the salt marsh, the Marsh Restoration Initiative program preserves migratory stopover and breeding grounds for over 330 species of birds, preserves estuarine nursery and habitat for over 100 species of finfish, and improves the recreational environment for anglers, boaters, and community members. Salt marshes also help protect communities from dangerous tidal storm surges.The health of these marsh islands is critical to the well being of the 20 million people that live and work in this urban region.
Volunteers are needed to plant several acres of marshland. We will be traveling the short distance by boats and planting Spartina plugs.Please sign up to volunteer! Bring neighbors, friends, families, even groups. We need all the help we can get! To register and for more information, click on the dates:
The salt marsh, shorelines, and upland areas in Jamaica Bay are disappearing at an estimated rate of 40 to 50 acres per year. Join us in the first ever community-led marsh restoration in a National Park.
Green Thumb:
Monday, May 27, 2013
MAY27
Grow More Vegetables Certificate Series
6:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m.The Grow More Vegetables Certificate Series is an edible gardening course designed to…
Location: Just Food Office, Manhattan
Cost: Free
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
MAY29
Trellising 101: Save Space and Increase Production
5:30 p.m.–7:30 p.m.Space is in short supply in NYC, and when you can't grow out you need to grow…
Location: Hands and Heart Community Garden, Brooklyn
Cost: Free
Saturday, June 1, 2013
JUN1
GreenThumb Summer Supply Giveaway
10:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.Pick up basic gardening and maintenance supplies for your registered GreenThumb garden.…
Location: GreenThumb Compound, Queens
Cost: Free
Monday, June 3, 2013
JUN3
Grow More Vegetables Certificate Series
6:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m.The Grow More Vegetables Certificate Series is an edible gardening course designed to…
Location: Just Food Office, Manhattan
Cost: Free
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
JUN4
Grow Your Garden Group
5:00 p.m.–6:30 p.m.Grow Your Garden Group Karen Washington, Just Food Trainer Since the weather is…
Location: Bushwick Campus Farm, Brooklyn
Cost: Free
JUN4
School Garden Composting Workshop
5:30 p.m.–7:30 p.m.Over the past few years, Columbia Secondary School students have played an integral role…
Location: Old Croton Aqueduct Gatehouse, Manhattan
Cost: Free
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
JUN5
Planting with Herbs
3:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m.Led by Sara Katz of Bronx Green-Up and Michelle Brown of Community Gardener Explore…
Location: Family Group Garden/latinos Unidos (in Latinos Unidos Garden), Bronx
Cost: Free
Brooklyn Community Gardeners Group
Brooklyn Urban Gardener (BUG) community volunteer certification Brooklyn Botanic Garden
September 2013 – January 2014
Free! Graduates volunteer 20 hours per year to maintain certification.
Deadline to apply: June 7, 2013
Are you called to garden with your community? The Brooklyn Urban Gardener (BUG) program is an intensive, ten-session, "train-the-trainer" course. A series of interconnected workshops and hands-on site visits this fall covers the basics of sustainable horticultural practices and how to advocate for the creation and protection of community green space in the face of intense urban development.
BUG enrolls an intergenerational, multi-cultural mix of adults stemming from diverse economic and educational backgrounds who represent neighborhoods across Brooklyn. They bring with them varying levels of gardening expertise. From mid-September to early November, participants learn about sustainable horticultural practices as well as methods to engage people in community greening projects Working in teams of 4-5 students, BUGs also partner with selected, Brooklyn-based organizations to complete real-life projects.
To achieve certification, each BUG completes: the weekly required reading, approximately 35 hours of in-class coursework, team-project presentations, and 30 hours of project-based community service. Community project hours may extend into January of 2014 when the BUG candidates are expected to graduate. In-class time is designed to meet the needs of working people and is scheduled for eight Thursday evenings (6-9pm) and two weekend dates (to be determined). Project team members, along with their staff mentor, devise a workable community service schedule. Upon graduation, students are equipped with the resources to become part of a BBG BUG volunteer network to continue to assist community greening efforts throughout Brooklyn.
To learn more about this free course and to download an application, visit http://www.bbg.org/greenbridge/bug
For more information 718-623-7250.
