Saturday, July 10
11:00a-5:00p
This is our FIRST FUNDRAISER!!
Drop off for wares starting Monday, July 5th, labeled “for the flea market” and leave in the East Garden gazebo.
Raindate: Sunday, July 11 – yes, it’s also a workday, so bring your gardening gloves, too.
Download our flyer to post in your building.
Make Music New York is New York City’s only music festival for the people and by the people!
We are so excited to welcome three acts for this year’s MakeMusicNewYork festival, which happens on the day of summer solstice, June 21st, throughout the city at various locations and is FREE of charge to all.
Below is our full lineup. It all starts at 5PM.
About the Performers:
The SoHarmoniums, New York City’s premiere women’s choir representing three generations, is bound together by the enduring magic of group singing. SoHarmoniums strives to enrich and inspire our diverse communities by championing music of many forms and traditions. The Ukuladies, a SoHarmoniums subset founded in, 2018, has gained new ukulele playing (and singing) members each year. www.soharmoniums.com
The Socially Distant Mini-Orchestra is a group of musicians who found each other online during the pandemic in March 2020, and started playing together in short virtual orchestra concerts. For many of them, this will be their first time playing together in person. Video
Ethan Mann is a master jazz guitarist. He has been an integral part of the New York music scene from the early 1990s. His trio are known for their contemporary versions of jazz standards as well as creative renditions of modern pop. https://myspace.com/ethanguitarmann
For more venues visit the Make Music NY website at https://makemusicny.org
More info will be added as we get closer to the event!
This event is open to non-members!
Links & References
For scheduling updates on this year’s Open Garden Day NYC, please visit our website.
Prospect Heights Community Farm in Brooklyn
Photo by Victor Polanco and Harold Paynter, GreenThumb[/caption]
Open Garden Day NYC
Saturday, June 5, 202111:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. rain or shine
NYC Parks GreenThumb will be hosting the fourth annual Open Garden Day NYC on Saturday, June 5th from 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.(rain or shine). Join us for this special day when community gardens across the city will open their gates to the public on the same day and time with free activities for all to enjoy! There will be more than 70 gardens participating and offering garden tours, workshops on plants, flowers, and composting, music, arts and crafts, yoga, opportunities to paint, listen to music, and garden, and much more! To see where the gardens are located, visit the Open Garden Day 2021 Map.
We are partnering with the United Nations Environment Programme to celebrate World Environment Day who has declared the years 2021-2030 the Decade of Ecosystem Restoration. World Environment Day is celebrated every year on June 5 to raise awareness and generate action on a pressing environmental issue. The Day offers an opportunity to reflect on accomplishments and renew our resolve in overcoming the environmental challenges facing the world today. Join representatives from the United Nations, including Ligia Noronha (UN Assistant Secretary-General and Head of UNEP, New York Office) for a gardener-led tour in the East Village of La Plaza Cultural de Armando Perez Community Garden and 9th Street Community Garden & Park on
Saturday, June 5th at 11:00 a.m.
Harlem Rose Garden, one of the stops on the Harlem Community Garden Bike Tour. Photo by K.C. Alvey, GreenThumb
Saturday, June 5, 12:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.Harlem Community Garden Bike Tour
This historic Harlem bike tour explores the neighborhood’s rich community garden legacy. Along the ride, participants will see diverse food production practices honoring Black southern roots, horticultural beacons, and outdoor educational spaces that are woven into fabric of Central Harlem.
Please RSVP on Eventbrite. Space is limited and registration is required.* Sold Out
NYC Parks GreenThumb partnered with NYC Department of Transportation (DOT) to celebrate Bike Month in May with a series of socially distanced community garden bike tours along with the release of a number of self-guided bike tour maps. Download a bike tour map of community gardens in the South Bronx and Eastern Brooklyn on our website here and DOT’s website. Bike tours of community gardens in Harlem, Western Queens, and Upper Manhattan will be available soon.
Each community garden has its own unique story shaped by its community through time. Tea Arts & Culture invite you to the GreenThumb community gardens on Open Garden Day NYC to take a journey with us this spring, learn more about these vital green spaces, the communities and stories near us and safely reconnect through tea and arts.
Bring your own tea. These events are FREE. Registration is required.
• La Finca Del Sur Community Garden
110 East 138th Street, 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Learn from an Ikebana presentation by Paula Tam and share some quiet tea time with Janelle Galvez.
RSVP on the Tea Arts & Culture website
• East Side Outside Community Garden
415 East 11th Street, 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Learn from an Ikebana presentation by Kristina Bajunaishvili and enjoy live music by Testu Collective, insomniac hotel, and Maria Takeuchi.RSVP on the Tea Arts & Culture website * Sold Out
• Hill Street Community Garden
50 Hill Street, 3:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Embrace the music from The Brooklyn Nomad by Hadi Eldebek and Mohamad Eldebek and have an interactive conversation with the musicians. Share time for a guided tea meditation and story sharing conversation with Erika Houle to connect to yourself, nature, and each other. Enjoy a tour of the garden to learn about the plants and herbs growing in the community garden with Imrana Sayed.
RSVP on the Tea Arts & Culture website
Urban Park Rangers giving a a succulent workshop during last year’s Open Garden Day NYC at Brooklyn Bears Carlton Avenue Garden. Photo by Genea Foster
The Urban Park Rangers will lead composting workshops during Open Garden Day NYC at Red Shed Community Garden in Brooklyn and H.E.A.L.T.H for Youths Skyline Garden in Staten Island. For more details, please visit our website.
A candle making workshop in 2019 led by Bill Pape at Georgia Avenue Community Garden in Brooklyn. Photo by Elena Dubas, GreenThumb
Learn how to create natural insect repellent candles from GreenThumb Outreach Coordinator, Bill Pape, in a workshop at Success Garden, located at 449-461 Williams Avenue in East New York, Brooklyn, from Noon – 1:30 p.m.
Materials will be provided, but supplies are limited.
We will share news and updates on scheduled programming on our social media pages: @greenthumbgrows on Instagram/Twitter and Facebook (@GreenThumbNYC) leading up to Open Garden Day on June 5th.
* Schedule subject to change
If you or your Community Garden are on social media, follow @greenthumbgrows on Instagram and Twitter, and @GreenThumbNYC on Facebook, to find out about the latest workshops, events, and news at GreenThumb.
Hi all — Please see below for information and events from Greenthumb.
GreenThumb Gardeners’ Handbook 2021
The 2021 Edition of the GreenThumb Gardeners’ Handbookis a resource for community gardeners and the general public that covers a variety of topics, including event planning, construction work, accepting donations, selling garden produce, tree pruning, garden bylaws, and much more. The handbook includes many, but not all, GreenThumb, NYC Parks, New York City, and New York State best practices, policies, and laws that pertain to community gardens in the GreenThumb network. Gathering these topics and policies in one place helps gardeners in creating and sustaining these thriving public spaces. Gardeners have informed policies, guidelines, and protocols included in this Handbook, and GreenThumb is grateful for the immense time and grassroot effort community gardeners put into making gardens beautiful, productive, and community-centric for more than 40 years.
The Handbook is available to all garden members and members of the public in digital form here on our website and will soon be available at the same link in multiple languages.
GreenThumb Programming Updates
Open Garden Day 2021 – Sign up to Participate!
Saturday, June 5, 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
We are seeking community gardens across the city that want to participate in our fourth annual Open Garden Day NYC. During this day, gardens open their gates on the same day to invite the general public to explore these local jewels. This year we are celebrating Open Garden Day NYC on Saturday, June 5th (World Environment Day) from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. (rain or shine).
We are asking all gardens who are taking part in Open Garden Day NYC to schedule a free activity or event for the public to enjoy, along with some of our city’s finest community garden spaces. Activities can include tours, arts and crafts, music performances, workshops, or feel free to suggest your own activity. Please note that all gardeners must follow thecurrent health and safety guidelinesfor all activities.
If you would like to participate, please fill out the form at bit.ly/OGDNYC2021. Open Garden Day event submissions will be accepted on a rolling basis until May 26th.The first 50 gardens that sign up will receive a banner for their garden gate.
Please see the attached tipsheet for suggestions on how to host an event or activity during Open Garden Day 2021!
May is Bike Month – Community Garden Bike Tours!
NYC Parks GreenThumb is partnering with the NYC Department of Transportation to celebrate May being Bike Month with a series of socially distanced community garden bike tours, along with the release of a number of self-guided bike tour maps available for download and use.
To learn more about the NYC Department of Transportation’s bike programming, safe cycling resources, and more check out their website!
Read on for more details about our upcoming community garden bike tours. These tours are specifically geared towards people interested in community gardens but are not current members. Please share this information with friends, family, neighbors, anyone interested in joining a garden!
South Bronx Community Garden Bike Tour
Saturday, May 15 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
South Bronx has always been the hotbed for urban expression and innovation. The community gardens highlight this legacy by providing the visitor a glimpse of South Bronx’s unique take on eco-sustainability, community needs provision, youth and senior involvement, entrepreneurship, indigenous spirituality, animal husbandry, and cultural inclusivity. Prepare yourself for a warm South Bronx welcome!
Central Brooklyn Community Garden Bike Tour
Saturday, May 22 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
This tour will take you through Brooklyn neighborhoods which collectively include almost sixty percent of Brooklyn’s GreenThumb gardens. We will start the bike tour at Garden of Life garden in the Bedford Stuyvesant neighborhood. This neighborhood includes 53 GreenThumb gardens. We will then cycle through Brownsville (26 gardens), ending up in East New York (56 gardens). While the predominant use of these gardens is food production, you will be sure to see the beauty of Spring flowers in almost every garden.
Harlem Community Garden Bike Tour
Saturday, June 5 12:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
This historic Harlem bike tour explores the neighborhood’s rich community garden legacy. Along the ride, participants will see diverse food production practices honoring Black southern roots, horticultural beacons, and outdoor educational spaces that are woven into the fabric of Central Harlem.
This event is part of NYC Parks GreenThumb’s Open Garden Day 2021, a day where we celebrate community gardens and where many are open to the public at the same time. This year, Open Garden Day is taking place on World Environment Day.
GreenThumb Webinars
Join us for an ongoing series of online workshops to dig in, grow food, and keep your community garden going while following health and safety protocols.
Did you miss the 2021 GreenThumb GrowTogether Conference? Are you looking for past workshops, and other tutorials from GreenThumb? They are all available on our new NYC Parks GreenThumb YouTube channel! Click here for all the videos. Please subscribe to our channel to be notified of new videos and stay up to date.
Upcoming webinars include:
Please click the link to RSVP and receive information on how to join the webinar.
Saving Seeds in NYC: Local Seed Keeping Initiatives Panel
Tuesday, May 11, 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Keeping seeds connects us to our past and to our collective future. This virtual panel will highlight the various ongoing seed keeping initiatives in and around New York City that community gardeners can get involved with. Learn how to connect with larger ongoing efforts to save and share seeds for food and herbs in our region.
They Only Come Out at Night: Inviting Bats to your Garden
Wednesday, May 12, 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Bats love eating mosquitoes, so we love bats! Join NYC Urban Park Ranger Dan Tainow for a workshop on how to create bat habitat in your garden. We’ll discuss bat house design and installation. Co-presented with GrowNYC Education.
Open Orchard School: Heirloom Apples and Pears
Thursday, May 13, 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
The Open Orchard School series gives participants a hands-on, behind-the-scenes view of the creation of The Open Orchard, a future public orchard containing 100 trees and hundreds of rare and heirloom varieties once grown in the NYC region, but which have disappeared due to climate change and industrial agriculture. In this webinar, artist and orchardist Sam Van Aken will share the often lost or forgotten stories of these rare fruits—stories that are woven into the story of NYC itself. Learn about his decades-long project of collecting these varieties and grafting them onto living trees in order to preserve them, the process that will bring The Open Orchard to life.Facilitated by Sam Van Aken, The Open Orchard.
Planning a Zero Waste Garden Event (Part 1 – virtual)
Thursday, May 20, 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Join Earth Matter NY to learn how to plan a zero waste garden event. As stewards of our earth, we should be mindful of the types and amount of resources we consume and strive to reduce the amount of waste we produce. During this workshop, we will introduce the concept of zero waste and teach you what goes into planning and hosting a zero waste event in your garden.
Open Orchard School: Heirloom Stonefruit
Friday, May 21, 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
The Open Orchard School series gives participants a hands-on, behind-the-scenes view of the creation of The Open Orchard, a future public orchard containing 100 trees and hundreds of rare and heirloom varieties once grown in the NYC region, but which have disappeared due to climate change and industrial agriculture. In this webinar, artist and orchardist Sam Van Aken will share the often lost or forgotten stories of these rare stonefruits (such as peaches, plums, apricots, nectarines, and cherries)—stories that are woven into the story of NYC itself. Learn about his decades-long project of collecting these varieties and grafting them onto living trees in order to preserve them, the process that will bring The Open Orchard to life. Facilitated by Sam Van Aken, The Open Orchard.
Planning a Zero Waste Garden Event (Part 2 – in person)
Monday, May 24, 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Governor’s Island
This workshop will go over the basics composting your garden waste and paper products from events to turn into black gold to apply on your garden beds to promote soil health and vibrant plants. We will take you on a tour of our space on Governors Island and dive into the various components of our Zero Waste Island Initiative, a partnership between Earth Matter NY and the Trust for Governors Island. Space is very limited, and masks will be required. We will be managing a waitlist, so if you register for a ticket and no longer plan to attend, please cancel your ticket or let us know. Participants will be invited to take the 11am or 11:30am ferry to Governor’s Island. Full details will be shared with registrants as the date gets closer.
Saving Seeds in NYC: Basics of Saving Dry and Wet Seeds
Thursday, June 3, 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Keeping seeds connects us to our past and to our collective future. Learn the basics of how to save both dry and wet seeds of common garden veggie crops and herbs. Saving the seeds from the crops you grow can help save money, preserve heirloom varieties, and more. Facilitated by Owen Taylor and Zainab Muhammad, Truelove Seeds.
Updates and Resources from Partners
Working with NYC Parks: How to Build Relationships
Wednesday, May 12, 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m
Community groups who support neighborhood parks and green spaces are most effective when they understand how NYC Parks operates and develop relationships with staff. NYC Parks can be a challenging system to navigate; this webinar will help lay the groundwork for a mutually beneficial relationship so you can best advocate for projects in your community. If you have any questions, contactacademy@cityparksfoundation.org.Join us to learn:
Is 501(c)(3) for Me? For Community Groups Interested in Becoming a Nonprofit
Tuesday, May 25, 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m
The rewards of starting a nonprofit are enticing: tax-exempt status, expanded grant opportunities, and tax-deductible contributions. Beneath these advantages are complicated logistics and costs which often beg the question—does incorporation make sense at this time? This webinar, facilitated by Partnerships for Parks and the Lawyers Alliance for New York, will go step-by-step through the process of incorporation and tax exemption, leaving you with a better picture of whether or not 501(c)(3) is right for you. We will also discuss alternatives to starting a nonprofit, such as seeking fiscal sponsorship.
CitizensNYC All In Neighborhood Grants Available
Grassroots organizations responding to the immediate needs of struggling New Yorkers will receive unrestricted grants of up to $10,000 to open food pantries, distribute surgical masks, arrange elderly check-ins, or design other projects to meet their neighborhoods’ urgent needs amid the COVID-19 crisis. This grant program is a renaming of our keystone Neighborhood Grants program, which for decades has been awarding micro-grants to resident-led groups to improve the quality of life in their neighborhoods. Grants supported projects in arts, health, environmental justice, beautification, tenants’ rights, and more. Groups do not need 501c3 status to apply and receive the funding. CitizensNYC quickly shifted the focus of this program after findings of a survey we conducted of our extensive grassroots network highlighted five urgent priorities across the city: financial assistance, food, care for older adults, mental health care, and physical health care.
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. You can learn more about the grant, sign up for an info session and apply here
High Tunnels for NYC Gardeners, Growers, & Farmers
If you’ve ever thought about incorporating high tunnels or hoop houses into your garden or farm to extend the growing season, or if you’re curious to learn more about these structures, take five minutes to fill out a short survey from Farm School NYC. Your responses will help inform New York City-wide interest in high tunnels for growing more food and developing a roadmap for urban farmer mentoring and training. With help from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Farm Service Agency (FSA), technical support and grant opportunities will be available for planning and funding of materials and labor.
New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets Community Growers Grant
The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets is now accepting proposals for projects of up to $50,000 for their 2021 Community Growers Grant Program. For program overview, proposal format and a budget template, please visit here. Applications should be received no later than July 1st. For any questions about this funding, please contact: Kimberly J. Vallejo, Director – New York City, NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets at 718-722-2668 /kim.vallejo@agriculture.ny.gov.
Green Guerillas is seeking gardeners for their Council of Gardeners
All community gardeners and allies of open spaces are invited to join the Council of Gardeners, an inclusive, cross-borough group of community gardeners coming together to voice their needs, initiate collective action, seek funding opportunities and to build social capital. More information about getting involved and upcoming meetings is available here.
Gowanus Canal Conservancy’s Weekend Plant Sales & Compost Givebacks
Saturday, May 8, 10:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 22, 2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
For spring 2021, the Gowanus Canal Conservancy is thrilled to be holding 3 weekend public plant sales and beginning in April a weekly pick-up day for online orders, on Wednesdays 11am-1pm. Native and urban-adapted plants grown in Gowanus, Brooklyn will be available. All proceeds support Gowanus Canal Conservancy’s mission-based programs. If you are ordering online, at check-out please select a date to retrieve your order using the date picker so that we will have it ready for you. During the weekend plant sales, you can browse the nursery, purchase plants + soil and pick-up limited quantities of free compost from Big Reuse!
Plant sales and pickups are located at our nursery, located at the Salt Lot in Gowanus at 2 Second Avenue, 11215. For more information, please visit the Gowanus Canal Conservancywebsite or email plants@gowanuscanalconservancy.org.
LES Ecology Center has Compost Available
The LES Ecology Center has free compost available for community gardens! Delivery options are available to sites in the Lower East Side. All other gardens would need to coordinate a pick-up from the Ecology Center’s compost site in East River Park in the Lower East Side. Fill out their Compost Request Form to request compost and learn more.
Dear gardeners,
Please see updates from Greenthumb below. We *highly* recommend that as many of you as possible listen in on the rat academy on January 13th. The link to register is below. Keeping the rats at bay is a massive maintenance job and all of us need to be trained.
Thank you!
🌻🌻
Deadline Extended! GreenThumb GrowTogether 2021 Design Contest
Submit your design for the 2021 GrowTogether Conference! While there will, unfortunately, be no GrowTogether t-shirts this year, GreenThumb is still hosting its annual GreenThumb GrowTogether 2021 Design Contest! Artists can submit up to three designs relating to the conference theme of “Gardens of Resilience.” The winning design will be used as a downloadable stencil for a DIY screen printing webinar during the conference and will also be featured during the conference. Please see here for more information about design specifications. Designs can be submitted for consideration to: greenthumbinfo@parks.nyc.gov. The application deadline is Monday January 11, 2021. Designs will be disqualified if guidelines are not met.
In Memoriam
GreenThumb will be celebrating the lives and legacies of the community gardeners we lost in 2019 and 2020 during the 2021 GrowTogether conference. Please help us honor these gardeners by sending us their names, garden, photos, and a brief statement about their lives as gardeners to: greenthumbinfo@parks.nyc.gov.
GreenThumb Programming Updates
GreenThumb Growing Food Toolkit
GreenThumb supports community gardeners in growing food through educational workshops and materials. In the GreenThumb Growing Food Toolkit, you will find most of our workshop handouts and webinar recordings, as well as many resources from partnering organizations, on topics related to food production. We will continue to add to this page and update our educational resources as time and capacity allows.
GreenThumb Composting Toolkit and COVID-19 Compost Safety Guide
Many GreenThumb gardens host volunteer-run community composting operations or host food scrap drop-off sites. Due to COVID-19, curbside organics collection by the NYC Department of Sanitation is temporarily suspended and some food scrap drop-offs are currently closed. Because of these changes in the composting landscape, GreenThumb gardeners are seeing a growing public interest in composting at community gardens. The COVID-19 Compost Safety Guide provides guidance to existing compost sites on best practices for preventing the spread of COVID-19 during compost drop-offs or during use of the compost area. Gardens that are curious to learn more about the art and science of composting can refer to the Compost Toolkit, a compilation of webinars, videos, and publications from partners and compost experts.
GreenThumb Webinars
Join us for an ongoing series of online workshops to dig in, grow food, and keep your community garden going while following health and safety protocols.
Did you miss some of our past webinars? Webinar recordings are all available to watch online here: bit.ly/GreenThumbWebinars
Upcoming webinars include:
Please click the link to RSVP and receive information on how to join the webinar.
Rat Academy: Keeping the Garden Rat-Free
Wednesday, January 13, 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Learn Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies for keeping rats from wrecking your garden. In this workshop with the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, participants will learn proper rat prevention measures, how to look for signs of rats, and how to correct the conditions that attract rats.
Tuesday, January 26, 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Grow more vegetables by planning ahead. Learn how to map out more than one season of bountiful harvests using planting calendars, knowledge of plant families, plant spacing charts, and more.
Make it Rain: Grants for your Green Space
Thursday, January 28, 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Are you working to improve your local NYC park, community garden, street trees, or other green space in your neighborhood? Come hear from Citizens Committee for NYC and Partnerships for Parks, who provide grants of up to $3,000 for NYC-based community green space projects. Learn about the financial resources they offer and tips to secure funding for your 2021 projects.
This webinar will focus on grant opportunities available only to green spaces in NYC.
Updates and Resources from Partners
Civic Engagement & Leadership Development Virtual Workshop Series
The Civic Engagement & Leadership Development course is a free professional certificate program sponsored by the CUNY School of Labor & Urban Studies. Due to wide interest, those interested must apply for this popular series of Saturday morning sessions, held over seven weeks in January through March 2021. Each session features CUNY faculty and veteran practitioners with years of experience and expertise in civic leadership, electoral politics, the history of mass movements and policy making at the local, state and national levels of government. More information is available here.
Department of Health & Mental Hygiene Rat Academies
Rat Academies have gone Virtual! Attend a session to learn more about safe and effective rat prevention techniques. Upcoming sessions require RSVP at these links:
ThriveNYC’s COVID-19 Community Conversations: Mental Health, Equity and Resilience
A 60 minute informational virtual presentation on potential mental health impacts, relevant coping skills and available resources. This session will cover topics such as grief, trauma, coping and resilience in addition to mental health tips.
To RSVP for any of the upcoming sessions, please click here.
Distance Learning from our Partners
GrowNYC’s Education programs are providing weekly reads and activities using upcycled, easy-to-access materials for children and adults at home. Learn how to build your own tiny greenhouse in your apartment, a tasty recipe for mugwort, and more by visiting: https://www.grownycdistancelearning.org/
New York Restoration Project is also posting webinars on their YouTube page on different topics including climate change, green infrastructure and soil health.
Food and Agriculture Anti-Racism Resources
FoodTech Connect compiled this list of resources to help with better understanding systemic racism in the food system. They also included Black-owned farms, businesses and organizations to support. Learn more.
GreenThumb GrowTogether 2021 Design Contest
Submit your design for the 2021 GrowTogether Conference! While there will, unfortunately, be no GrowTogether t-shirts this year, GreenThumb is still hosting its annual GreenThumb GrowTogether 2021 Design Contest! Artists can submit up to three designs relating to the conference theme of “Gardens of Resilience”. The winning design will be used as a downloadable stencil for a DIY screen printing webinar during the conference and will also be featured during the conference. Please see here for more information about design specifications. Designs can be submitted for consideration to: greenthumbinfo@parks.nyc.gov. The application deadline is Friday, December 11, 2020. Designs will be disqualified if guidelines are not met.
In Memoriam
GreenThumb will be celebrating the lives and legacies of the community gardeners we lost in 2019 and 2020 during the 2021 GrowTogether conference. Please help us honor these gardeners by sending us their names, garden, photos, and brief statement about their lives as gardeners to: greenthumbinfo@parks.nyc.gov.
COVID-19 Policy Update Reminders:
GreenThumb Programming Updates
GreenThumb GrowTogether Workshop Proposals 2021
Due to COVID-19, the GrowTogether will be fully virtual this year, and spread out over multiple days. We’re inviting a wide range of workshop/webinar proposals about community gardening, seeds, composting, biodiversity, ecology, resilience, food and racial justice, herbalism, group development, community organizing, native plants, climate change, intergenerational gardening, garden/crop/movement histories, and more. We’re grateful for your offer to share your knowledge at our 37th annual conference, in an ongoing tradition of uplifting and celebrating community gardening in NYC since 1984.
The conference will take place Saturday, February 20 through Saturday, February 27 in a virtual format. Due to budget constraints during the pandemic, we are sadly unable to provide workshop materials or t-shirts this year.
Please complete this form no later than Wednesday, December 9, 5:00 p.m.
GreenThumb Growing Food Toolkit
GreenThumb supports community gardeners in growing food through educational workshops and materials. In the GreenThumb Growing Food Toolkit, you will find most of our workshop handouts and webinar recordings, as well as many resources from partnering organizations, on topics related to food production. We will continue to add to this page and update our educational resources as time and capacity allows.
GreenThumb Composting Toolkit and COVID-19 Compost Safety Guide
Many GreenThumb gardens host volunteer-run community composting operations or host food scrap drop-off sites. Due to COVID-19, curbside organics collection by the NYC Department of Sanitation is temporarily suspended and some food scrap drop-offs are currently closed. Because of these changes in the composting landscape, GreenThumb gardeners are seeing a growing public interest in composting at community gardens. The COVID-19 Compost Safety Guide provides guidance to existing compost sites on best practices for preventing the spread of COVID-19 during compost drop-offs or during use of the compost area. Gardens that are curious to learn more about the art and science of composting can refer to the Compost Toolkit, a compilation of webinars, videos, and publications from partners and compost experts.
GreenThumb Webinars
Join us for an ongoing series of online workshops to dig in, grow food, and keep your community garden going while following health and safety protocols.
Did you miss some of our past webinars? Webinar recordings are all available to watch online here: bit.ly/GreenThumbWebinars
Upcoming webinars include:
Please click the link to RSVP and receive information on how to join the webinar.
Documenting and Preserving Garden Legacies: Part 2
Wednesday, December 2, 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Join GreenThumb for our two part workshop series on oral history and community archiving. Community gardeners have shaped the history of New York City and it is critical that their experiences and legacies are preserved for future generations. Part 2 will focus on methods to archive and make community garden stories accessible using digital platforms such as wikimedia, social media, and online web exhibits. Participants will be provided with an introduction on how to conduct a community archive project design, identify record organization strategies and sharing their garden’s legacy with the greater public.
Troubleshooting for Advanced Composters
Tuesday December 8, 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Are you passionate about composting in your garden but not quite sure how to speed up your processing effort? Not sure how to compost beyond using tumblers? Have questions about composting in the off-season? Share your questions with GreenThumb staff who will assist you with some troubleshooting basics to improve your composting skills.
The Ultimate Houseplant Starter Guide For Beginners
Wednesday December 16, 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Bring the garden home with you this winter! This workshop will teach all eager houseplant learners basic houseplant care, such as lighting, watering, and humidity. Explore 10 of the best houseplants for beginners that we don’t usually see on a typical beginner houseplant list. Participants will get the best tips and tricks to ensure houseplant growth success.
Facilitated by Cristian Gilces, student at the Agriculture Program at John Bowne High School in Queens, NY, who has accumulated over 25 houseplants in his indoor greenhouse.
Organizing for Garden Success: Group Structure (Part 1 of 2)
Thursday, December 17, 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
This two-part workshop series is designed to help your garden group build a strong foundation for your group’s leadership and decision-making structures. In this webinar, we will discuss different styles of group structure and share examples with one another around the good, the bad, and the ugly of garden governance issues.
This webinar will be interactive and we encourage everyone’s participation. We will not be recording.
Updates and Resources from Partners
The Urban Farmer-to-Farmer Summit
Saturday December 5, 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
RSVP at this link for full details
The growing of food is an act of resiliency and sustainability, often led by People of Color, specifically Black, Indigenous, and Latinx communities. We acknowledge that during this current health pandemic, issues of food access, sovereignty, justice and inequity have been exacerbated.
The Urban Farmer-to-Farmer Summit has been created in solidarity to provide more structure for the NYC Urban Farm Community to come together. In community and collaboration, we aim to share resources, reflect on misadventures, strengthen connections, and highlight new opportunities to rise to the challenges of our times. Our hope is to make this an annual farmer-driven event with a low barrier to participate.
CitizenNYC Live: Neighborhood Chat
RSVP at this link for full details
Join CitizensNYC’s CEO, Dr. Rahsaan Harris in an open discussion on quality of life issues faced by New Yorkers. This new series provides an opportunity for grantee partners, nonprofit partners, funder partners, and elected officials to come together to discuss how they can be all in for rebuilding New York City.
Department of Health & Mental Hygiene Rat Academies
Rat Academies have gone Virtual! Attend a session to learn more about safe and effective rat prevention techniques. Upcoming sessions require RSVP at these links:
ThriveNYC’s COVID-19 Community Conversations: Mental Health, Equity and Resilience
A 60 minute informational virtual presentation on potential mental health impacts, relevant coping skills and available resources. This session will cover topics such as grief, trauma, coping and resilience in addition to mental health tips.
To RSVP for any of the upcoming sessions, please click here.
Partnerships for Parks Webinars & Volunteer Opportunities
Partnership for Parks provides support to neighborhood volunteers to advocate and care for parks and green spaces. They are offering a variety of webinars that may be of interest to community gardeners and have many opportunities to volunteer in your local parks. Details about upcoming webinars and volunteer opportunities are available here.
Distance Learning from our Partners
GrowNYC’s Education programs are providing weekly reads and activities using upcycled, easy-to-access materials for children and adults at home. Learn how to build your own tiny greenhouse in your apartment, a tasty recipe for mugwort, and more by visiting: https://www.grownycdistancelearning.org/
New York Restoration Project is also posting webinars on their YouTube page on different topics including climate change, green infrastructure and soil health.
Food and Agriculture Anti-Racism Resources
FoodTech Connect compiled this list of resources to help with better understanding systemic racism in the food system. They also included Black-owned farms, businesses and organizations to support. Learn more.
LES Ecology Center has Compost Available
The LES Ecology Center has free compost available for community gardens! Delivery options are available to sites in the Lower East Side. All other gardens would need to coordinate a pick-up from the Ecology Center’s compost site in East River Park in the Lower East Side. Fill out their Compost Request Form to request compost and learn more.
Hi All Members,
A reminder that the westside garden grill & terrace are available for reservations as well as the small grill, picnic tables and gazebo on the eastside, anytime for members.Â
Current status:
Reserved Monday Labor Day (4-8 pm) – westside grill & terrace
Reserved Monday Labor Day (6-8 pm) – westside grill & rose arbor Â
Write to w.104.garden@gmail.com anytime for reservations.
Have fun!!
COMPLETE THE 2020 CENSUS NOW
Dear all — please see below for the latest greenthumb announcements. In particular, I encourage everyone to sign up for the Rat Academy! It is more fun than you think to learn about preventing rats in our garden. 🙂 — Bethany
The 2020 Census is critical to the future of New York City. If we don’t complete the census, New York City will lose billions of dollars distributed by the federal government every year for schools, hospitals, health clinics, affordable housing, public transit, and much more. We will also lose up to two seats in Congress and representation in Albany.
The census is easy, safe, and confidential. It can be completed online or by phone, and is just 10 simple questions that can be answered in under 10 minutes. By law, your responses are completely confidential and cannot be shared with anyone — not immigration, not the police, not tax authorities; not even your landlord. There are no questions about immigration, citizenship, criminal history, or income.
All you need is your address – no special code required. Visit my2020census.gov or call 844-330-2020 to complete your census form today.
Invasive Pest Sightings – Spotted Lantern Fly
The Spotted Lantern Fly (SLF) is an invasive pest that was first found in the northeast in 2014 and was confirmed as found in NYC in Manhattan in the latter half of 2019. Since that initial sighting they have been found in many places in Manhattan and other boroughs, unfortunately. The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and the state Department of Agriculture & Markets are conducting surveys currently via inspections. It is important that people report sightings of the SLF as well as their egg masses to spottedlanternfly@agriculture.ny.gov or here https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/a08d60f6522043f5bd04229e00acdd63
The fact sheet attached to this email can help you identify the Spotted Lantern Fly and its egg cases. All sightings should be reported, and the insects themselves should be placed in a baggie or jar to be suffocated so that a DEC or NYSDAM representative can collect it after you report it through the above survey or email address. For egg masses, a small sample should be scraped into a zip-lock bag and sealed. The remainder of the egg mass should be put in a baggie and doused with alcohol or hand sanitizer and then discarded.
GreenThumb Programming Updates
Special Webinar with International Partners
Food for Resilience: Transatlantic Lessons from Community Gardens and Farms
Friday, September 18, 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
This webinar will share lessons from across the pond on how community food growing is building resilience in cities, how they have responded to Covid-19 and reflect on what we can learn for the future beyond Covid-19, for challenges that lie ahead.
Organized by Capital Growth in London, NYC Parks GreenThumb in New York City and Toronto Urban Growers, it will provide a context for how the cities are supporting and organising their networks, and share valuable insights from the gardens.
Harvest Fair Goes Virtual
Saturday, September 26th, 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
GreenThumb’s annual Harvest Fair celebrates the ongoing efforts of GreenThumb community gardeners who have continued growing and producing during these uncertain times. Join us for a day filled with workshops, a virtual tabling with our greening partners, and the announcement of this year’s winning harvest from community gardeners. Stay tuned for the schedule for the day!
If you are a GreenThumb gardener and think you’ve grown an award-winning vegetable or flower, please enter the 2020 Harvest Fair competition! Submit up to 10 photos in total of your best vegetables and flowers. Winners will be announced on Saturday, September 26th during our virtual recording. Winners will receive a virtual certificate or a ribbon for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place. Entries will be judged on condition, quality, uniformity of size, and color.
For more information visit www.greenthumbnyc.org and to enter the competition, please fill out the Harvest Fair Submission Form by Friday, September 16th.
What’s Wrong With My Vegetable Plant? Office Hours with Cornell Cooperative Extension
Thursday, September 17, 12 p.m. – 1 p.m.
What are these spots on my tomatoes? What is this bug, and is it eating or helping my crops? GreenThumb is thrilled to continue our partnership with Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) this fall to help GreenThumb community gardeners have a successful growing season. Please submit your photos and questions in advance (photos from past seasons are welcome if you anticipate recurring issues this season). During the virtual office hours, CCE Urban Agriculture Specialists Yolanda Gonzalez and Sam Anderson, together with GreenThumb staff, will do our best to provide answers, tips, and suggestions! Register to attend the virtual office hours at cce_officehours_sept.eventbrite.com. These sessions are reserved for members of GreenThumb community gardens in good standing. Please submit your photos and questions in advance, by Monday, September 14 at noon.
GreenThumb Growing Food Toolkit
GreenThumb supports community gardeners in growing food through educational workshops and materials. In the GreenThumb Growing Food Toolkit, you will find most of our workshop handouts and webinar recordings, as well as many resources from partnering organizations, on topics related to food production. We will continue to add to this page and update our educational resources as time and capacity allows.
GreenThumb Webinars
Join us for an ongoing series of online workshops to dig in, grow food, and keep your community garden going while following health and safety protocols.
Did you miss some of our past webinars and are interested in learning more about that topic? Did you miss our great keynote speakers on Earth Day? They are now available to watch online here: bit.ly/GreenThumbWebinars
Upcoming webinars include:
Please click the link to RSVP and receive information on how to join the webinar.
Conflict Transformation Circles: Orientation
Wednesday, September 9, 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
How can we hold space for and resolve conflict within our groups? In these monthly sessions, mediators Skye Roper-Moses and Michelle Jackson will facilitate discussion circles for community gardeners to bring their challenges to the group and collectively generate solutions. This one hour orientation is important to attend for all future sessions.
Conflict Transformation Circles for Community Gardeners
Wednesday, September 23, 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
How can we hold space for and resolve conflict within our groups? In these monthly sessions, mediators Skye Roper-Moses and Michelle Jackson will facilitate discussion circles for community gardeners to bring their challenges to the group and collectively generate solutions.
Demystifying Mental Health Care with ThriveNYC and the Department for the Aging
Thursday, September 24, 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Tune in for a discussion on ThriveNYC and NYC Dept. for the Aging’s services and resources, and how they can support community gardens across the city. Come with your questions!
Organizing for Garden Success: Group Structure
Wednesday, October 7, 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
This two-part workshop series is designed to help your garden group build a strong foundation for your group’s leadership and decision-making structures.
Updates and Resources from Partners
Department of Health & Mental Hygiene Rat Academies
Rat Academies have gone Virtual! Attend a session to learn more about safe and effective rat prevention techniques. Upcoming sessions require RSVP here:
Partnerships for Parks Webinars
Partnership for Parks provides support to neighborhood volunteers to advocate and care for parks and green spaces. They are offering a variety of webinars that may be of interest to community gardeners. Details about upcoming webinars are available here.
Distance Learning from our Partners
GrowNYC’s Education programs are providing weekly reads and activities using upcycled, easy-to-access materials for children and adults at home. Learn how to build your own tiny greenhouse in your apartment, a tasty recipe for mugwort, and more by visiting: https://www.grownycdistancelearning.org/
New York Restoration Project is also posting webinars on their YouTube page on different topics including climate change, green infrastructure and soil health.
Soul Fire Farm is hosting Black womxn farmers every Friday on Facebook Live to discuss gardening, livestock, agroforestry, plant medicine, and food preservation. Anyone is welcome to join, but please create space for centered folks to speak and ask questions. Learn more.
Food Resource Guides:
In this difficult time, we understand that food insecurity is a growing concern. Please see these food access resource guides from partner organizations.
Coronavirus NYC Neighborhood Food Resource Guides: To help connect community members in need with food resources during this challenging time, the Hunter College NYC Food Policy Center is constantly updating Coronavirus NYC Food Resource Guides for each NYC neighborhood. Each resource guide includes information related to food access within the community, such as meals for students and seniors during this time, delivery services for people with disabilities, and resources for immigrants. Resource guides will be published and updated as rapidly as possible, in order of the NYC neighborhoods most impacted by poverty and food insecurity. For more information, visit: https://www.nycfoodpolicy.org/coronavirus-nyc-food-reports/.
GrowNYC COVID-19 Schedule Changes & Resources: Most Greenmarkets and some Farmstand locations are open and operating on schedule, changes to the schedule are listed here. In addition, many Greenmarket producers are offering a variety of ways to purchase their products, from allowing customers to pre-order and pick up at a market, to direct home delivery and shipping products from their online stores. All of that information is available in one place at GrowNYC Greenmarket Alternative Sales Directory 2020. For more information, visit: https://www.grownyc.org/blog/schedule-changes.
Cooperative Extension Survey about Urban Agriculture
The survey available at this link will help Extension educators and researchers at your local land grant university better serve urban farmers and gardeners. NYC Parks GreenThumb is not affiliated with this research. We are sharing it in case gardeners want to get involved.
Food and Agriculture Anti-Racism Resources
FoodTech Connect compiled this list of resources to help with better understanding systemic racism in the food system. They also included Black-owned farms, businesses and organizations to support. Learn more.
LES Ecology Center has Compost Available
The LES Ecology Center has free compost available for community gardens! Delivery options are available to sites in the Lower East Side. All other gardens would need to coordinate a pick-up from the Ecology Center’s compost site in East River Park in the Lower East Side. Fill out their Compost Request Form to request compost and learn more.