Hi Gardeners!
April is finally here, which means that the GreenThumb growing season has officially begun!
As you create your plan for this season, please take a moment to review the GreenThumb Gardener’s Handbook, which outlines many of the resources available to GreenThumb gardens, as well as the requirements of being a GreenThumb garden. Now is a good time to go over these resources and requirements with your fellow gardeners at your membership meetings so that everyone knows what it takes to be a great GreenThumb garden. As the season gets underway, we’ll be visiting to see all of the great things that you have going on in your gardens, and to see how we can help. In the meantime, feel free to reach out if you have questions or want to share your ideas on how to make this another great season.
Best,
Bill LoSasso
Director, GreenThumb
News
GreenThumb Urban Gardener Profile
Our joint gardener profile participants, Carolyn McQueen and Jacquelyn Mealy, are sisters who founded F.A.R.R. Community Garden in Brooklyn. In this profile, find out how gardening can build strong communities and bring a family together. You can find the story here! If you’d like to have your story profiled please fill out our Urban Gardener Profile form and we will be in touch with you – Urban Gardener Profile.
Parks Build Community Contest: Vote for GreenThumb Gardens
This Earth Month, two GreenThumb community gardens are eligible to win $20,000 to refresh their garden space. Krystal Community Garden in the Bronx and Windmill Community Garden in Queens are participating in the Parks Build Community Contest, a collaboration between the National Recreation and Park Association and the Walt Disney Company, to revitalize and restore parks all across the country. Help a GreenThumb garden win $20,000 by voting for them throughout the month of April here.
Grants
NYRP Gardens for the City Program
TRANSFORM YOUR GREEN SPACE NYRP helps transform a schoolyard. Is there a community space in your neighborhood you’d like to see transformed? If so, apply for help from NYRP below. NYRP provides support for project of various scales–from building a few vegetables beds to large-scale restoration work. Apply here.
Workshops & Events
Saturday, April 2, 2016
GreenThumb Workshop : Potato Planting
12:00 – 1:30 p.m.
Potatoes come in all shapes and colors. Learn the secrets to planting these underground wonders with an opportunity to dig in the dirt. RSVP here.
Location: Edgemere Farm, Queens
Cost: Free
Thursday, April 7, 2016
GreenThumb Workshop : Fruit Tree Pruning
5:00 p.m – 7:30 p.m.
Early April is a great time to prune your stone fruits. Learn how to prune fruit trees to improve production and protect tree health. RSVP here.
Location : Little Green Garden/Rock Garden, Bronx
Cost: Free
GreenThumb Workshop : Vertical Gardening II – Living Walls
6:00 p.m – 7:30 p.m.
In this vertical gardening series you will learn how to make your own living wall pouch to install on your garden fence, wall, or structure. Living wall pouches provide a fantastic way to add green to walls and small spaces. In partnership with Grow to Learn. RSVP here.
Location : LIC Roots Community Garden, Queens
Cost: Free
Friday, April 8, 2016
The Urban Agriculture and Green Careers Fair
1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Stop by to talk with industry professionals, college and university staff, and local community organizations about available career pathways in the field. Attend our short seminars and meet other students and education professionals who are interested in expanding opportunities in this field. Bring photo ID and RSVP here.
Location: The Brooklyn College Student Center
Cost: Free
Saturday, April 9, 2016
Feral Cat Caretaker Certificate
11:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Attending a Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) certification workshop and gain skills you needed to help the feral and stray community cats in your garden. Upon completion of the workshop, you will become a Certified TNR Caretaker. In partnership with the NYC Feral Cat Initiative and the ASPCA.
Location: United Community Centers, Brooklyn
Cost: Free
Monday, April 18, 2016
GreenThumb Workshop: Structure Maintenance
5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
GreenThumb staff will talk about guidelines from the Department of Buildings and how they will impact existing and future gazebos, casitas, shade pavilions and sheds. Staff will also discuss the ways GreenThumb is able to assist garden groups with structures in their gardens and ways to adapt existing structures to meet the new guidelines. RSVP here.
Location: Family Group Garden/Latinos Unidos, Bronx
Cost: Free
Tuesday, April 19, 2016
GreenThumb Workshop: Building SIPs in Raised Beds
6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Learn how to build your own Sub-Irrigation Planting System (SIPS) in a raised bed. SIPS water from below and allow plants to absorb moisture more efficiently, which saves water and helps plants build strong root systems. In partnership with Just Food. RSVP here.
Location: Union Street Garden, Brooklyn
Cost: Free
Friday, April 22, 2016
GreenThumb Workshop: Beneficial Insects
1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
This workshop will uncover insects that play a critical role in the life cycles of your garden plants from those that pollinate your vegetable and fruit crops to others that prey on herbivores and other harmful insects. Participants may receive insects to bring back to their gardens.
Location: City Hall Garden, Manhattan
Cost:Free
Saturday, April 23, 2016
GreenThumb Workshop: Healthy Soils for Healthy Plants
11:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
We will cover soil health basics including different ways of checking to see how your soil is doing based upon special indicators. We will also cover the ways you can amend or prepare your soil differently in order to improve its health, thereby getting your plants well-nourished and viable.
Location: Garden of Love, Manhattan
Cost:Free
Sunday, April 24, 2016
GreenThumb Workshop: Raised Bed Design Part III : Three Tier Planter
5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Learn how to build a three tier raised bed that is more accessible for seniors and those with limited mobility. This workshop will be hands-on and gardeners are welcome to join in.
Location: M’finda Kalunga Community Garden, Manhattan.
Cost: Free
Thursday, April 28, 2016
GreenThumb Workshop: Rodent and Insect Prevention
5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Join an overview of Integrated Pest Management (IPM), focusing on how to deal with insects and rodents in gardens. See what techniques Land Restoration Project/GreenThumb uses, as well as simple things you can do in your own garden. RSVP here.
Location: Townsend Garden, Bronx
Cost:Free
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