Rainwater Harvesting/Beekeeping events at Brooklyn Commons

July 29, 2010
by garden
2 min read

If you’re interested in rainwater harvesting or beekeeping, check out these workshops and visit http://thecommonsbrooklyn.org for our full calendar and for more details.

RAINWATER HARVESTING Part 1: presentation with Q&A
Saturday, July 31, 1-3:30 p.m.

RAINWATER HARVESTING Part 2: hands-on workshop
Sunday, August 1, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

This two-part class, taught by Tyler Caruso, a student at Pratt’s Graduate Center for Planning and the Environment, can be taken in combination or separately.
$15 for Saturday alone; $40 for Sunday alone; $50 for both (suggested; pay what you can)

The Saturday afternoon presentation will provide an overview of rainwater harvesting: techniques, active and passive methods of water collection, history, best management practices, and applicability to conserving rainfall as a natural resource.

The Sunday workshop is geared towards do-it-yourself types who want to learn about installing their own rainwater harvesting systems. During lunch there will be an opportunity to meet individually to discuss your rainwater plans and projects.

BEEKEEPING BASICS

This three-part series, taught by the knowledgeable and entertaining James Fischer from the Gotham City Honey Co-op and the NYC Beekeepers Meetup, can be attended as a set or separately. $6 each or two for $10 or three for $15 (suggested; pay what you can)

Session 1: What’s the Buzz?
Thursday, August 12, 7 p.m.

-Why keep bees, who keeps bees, how people keep bees
-Beekeepers’ year: what happens when
-What newbies ought to know

Session 2: Hive Inspection
Saturday, August 14, 10 a.m.

-How to inspect a hive and what’s happening at this time of year

Session 3: Overview of Bee Behavior, Pests and Diseases
Thursday, August 19, 7 p.m.

Understanding the behavior of bees is crucial to nearly every aspect of beekeeping. If you don’t understand their instinctive goals and correctly interpret their actions, you will be working against, rather than with them. Merely keeping one’s bees alive requires vigilance on the part of the beekeeper, but the good news is that New York is separated by the Hudson River from the US mainland, so we have a chance at controlling diseases and pests in NYC if we work together.

http://thecommonsbrooklyn.org

The Commons
388 Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn

If you have questions, contact melissa@thecommonsbrooklyn.org

DIRECTIONS TO THE COMMONS

A, C and G to Hoyt-Schermerhorn; F to Bergen Street; B, N, Q, R, 2, 3, 4 and 5 to Atlantic-Pacific; LIRR to Flatbush Avenue; B63 and B65

More Information

Aug 5, 7pm: Concert in the Garden SAVE the DATE!

July 29, 2010
by garden
1 min read

Dear Gardeners,

We hope you’ll join us for an evening of music on the East Garden Stage next Thursday, Aug 5 7PM-9PM featuring some home grown talent and some new friends! Details will follow soon but please save the date.

Best,
Alan Tenney

Jul 31: Harlem Green community gardens tour

July 25, 2010
by garden
2 min read

Thanks to Lucille Murovich for passing this along to us. Sounds like fun.

For Immediate Release:
FREE EVENT

Harlem Community Gardens are pleased to announce that “HARLEM GREEN,” the 5th Annual Harlem Community Gardens Tour, will take place on Saturday, July 31st(raindate: Sunday, August 1st),2010 from 10:00 am until 3:00 pm. The Tour will begin with a breakfast in the Joseph Daniel Wilson Community Garden at 219 West 122nd Street, and the last stop will be at the William A. Harris Garden on 153rd Street and St. Nicholas Avenue, where Tourists will experience a traditional, home-style Harlem Barbecue.

The Harlem gardens, all managed by community volunteers, are among New York City’s most extraordinary and best–kept secrets. Tourists will discover an amazing variety of trees, vegetables, herbs and f lowers as well as ponds, gazebos, rain-water harvesting systems, and more. The gardens are host to people of all ages. Some are shade gardens where folks can come to relax or cook a meal. The gardens run programs for toddlers, young mothers, youths and seniors; some have tutoring programs and environmental studies workshops for teens and other community folks. There are canning and preserving workshops. Some gardens host Community Supported Agriculture programs– “CSA’s”.

“Harlem Green” is supported by the Green Guerillas of NYC; Greenthumb; HUG (Harlem United Gardens);The NYC Community Gardens Coalition (NYCCGC); the Parks and Recreation Department of NYC ; Project Harmony, Inc., and the William A. Harris Garden.

Parks is providing transportation for those who would rather ride than walk.

For more information call 212.662. 2878 or 917.288.8053.

Annual Peach Harvest this Sunday, July 25th at 6 pm

July 22, 2010
by garden
1 min read

Dear Garden Members,

It’s time for peaches. The Annual Peach Harvest will be held on Sunday evening, July 25th starting at 6 pm. There will be plenty for everyone. If you aren’t able to come and would like us to reserve some fruit kindly email Alan Tenney (alan.tenney@gmail.com).

If you can attend please bring along a basket or bag and your patience. It may take a while to remove the fruit. For this reason your sturdy ladders (say 4 to 8 feet tall) are also invited.

A Farming Concrete weigh station will be in operation so we can record the harvest. These peaches will contribute mightily toward our federal grant weight goal!

Sincerely,
Janice Vrana
Steering Committee Member

Rainwater Harvesting Info Session this Weds, July 21, 7:30PM‏

July 19, 2010
by garden
1 min read

Dear Gardeners,

This Weds, July 21 at 7:30 our Green Thumb Contact, Lou Ludyny, is hosting an information session on the rainwater harvesting system in the West Garden . We are delighted to have Robert Pollack, a gardener at La Perla Community Garden (W105th St and Amsterdam), visit our Garden and share with us their experience (now in its 7th year) of harvesting rainwater from adjacent rooftops. If you have a specific question but can’t attend, feel free email it to Alan Tenney (alan.tenney@gmail.com) and we’ll get Robert’s input. Thanks to Lou for organizing this event!

-Steering Committee

Reserve Your Space on the GreenThumb ACGA Bus!‏

July 11, 2010
by garden
1 min read

Get on the BUS!

Thanks to generous donations by Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi, The American Community Gardening Association, and The GreenThumb community Fund, Inc., we are able to provide discounted travel, conference registration, and lodging for registered GreenThumb community gardeners who want to attend the ACGA’s annual conference. For $200, you receive conference registration including most meals, a shared hotel room, and round trip bus transportation from Manhattan to Atlanta.

You must pay $100 ($99 + fee) in advance to reserve a space, first come first serve. Balance due in the form of a check or money order when the bus departs August 4th.

To reserve your space go to http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/118394.

For more information and the password for the discount, call (212) 788-8070.

You must be a member of a GreenThumb community garden.

Once you register there, GreenThumb will send you a conference registration form to complete.

For information on the conference offerings please go to www.communitygarden.org.

YOU DO NOT NEED TO REGISTER on the ACGA WEBSITE, your conference space is reserved once you sign up here.

More Information

Farming Concrete – Record your edibles!

July 11, 2010
by garden
1 min read

Dear Garden Members,

There are now loose leaf binders in the garden that contain the sheets for recording what edibles you grow in the garden. Both are contain the basic Farming Concrete information as well as the sheets. One is stored in the shed of the west side and the other under the gazebo on the east side. There is presently one scale which is also in the gazebo. We plan to have another scale for the w/s as soon as possible.

We hope that Annette Jochum, from Farming Concrete, will be able to swing by this Saturday at the General Meeting (10 am-noon) to speak about the program and to start the data collection.

Happy recording,

Janice Vrana
SC Member

July 4th Garden Party‏

June 23, 2010
by garden
1 min read

Greetings to All W. 104th St. Garden Members,

I’ve taken on being organizer for a July 4th party, so please, everybody who’d like to participate, let me know ASAP:

1) what you are up for contributing;
2) also indicate whether it’s OK to assign/request a specific item, in case you’re the 5th
person offering a vegetable, and there’s no meat or dessert spoken for;
3) whether you’d play, or bring, music;
4) if you will work the grill;
5) anything else you want to mention.

Hope to hear from you,

Margaret S. Dabney

The Safety of Rainwater Harvesting in NYC

June 21, 2010
by garden
1 min read

In response to some gardeners’ concerns about the safety of the cistern water in the 104th Street Community Garden, we are providing the following links to websites with relevant information.

Grow NY website
http://www.cenyc.org/openspace/rainwater

Grow NY manual for water harvesting
http://www.cenyc.org/files/osg/RWH.how.to.pdf

Rutgers Extension page for water harvesting
http://water.rutgers.edu/Stormwater_Management/rainbarrels.html

Rutgers facts sheet re maintaining water harvesting systems
http://njaes.rutgers.edu/pubs/download-free.asp?strPubID=FS1118

SC study about runoff water
http://us.mg202.mail.yahoo.com/dc/launch?.partner=vz-acs&.gx=1&.rand=6k1s6l3uopuaf

6/17 Garden Mtg Recap‏

June 21, 2010
by garden
4 min read

Dear Members,

The meeting on Thursday was a really productive one. Thanks to all the members who turned out on both the 9th– when we worked after the rain–and on the 17th. A bench was built, communal beds were cleaned and earth was moved (!),

Thanks in advance to all the members who couldn’t make it who will perform their make up tasks in the next 2 weeks.

Here’s an overview of the meeting.

A BUDGET. With the growth of our membership and our healthy coffers the idea that we should begin to keep a budget was well received. We plan to have a working template ready for the 2011 season. So far we have 2 volunteers who will help us devise the budget. Any other volunteers are more than welcome and are encouraged to contact a Steering Committee Member to do so. In the meantime, SC members plan to work with their respective Committee Heads to develop sketches of the financial needs for each committee.

The issue of testing the WATER TESTING in the runoff tank on the W/S for growing vegetables has been pursued by SC Member, Nikki Kowalski. She has found that Rutger’s Univ. seems to be @ the vanguard of the issue and that the testing of the water requires repetitive and costly analysis to be considered conclusive. At this point, Nikki intends to approach Green Thumb to see if they may be interested in funding the analysis. In the meantime two of the water barrels on the W/S will carry only hydrant water and will be labeled as such.

FARMING CONCRETE. Those lucky enough to have attended the short meeting on the 9th–when it poured promptly @6pm–heard what Annette Jochum had to say about this organization that measures food production in NYC Community Gardens. On Thursday, the membership voted to give it a go. By dint of our relatively large size, it is likely that we would qualify for a federal agricultural subsidy. FC coordinates the collection of the data. Find in-depth info @ www.farmingconcrete.com

Starting in 2011 the membership renewal form will carry a new choice for committee participation, GARDEN SUPPLIES. This may be of particular interest to the avid gardener, raring to go at the beginning of the season or, for folks who are often out of town in the summer. What it will entail is making an inventory of garden supplies such as tools, watering cans et al. It will coordinate procurement of needed items and see to the repair of equipment such as watering cans, wheel barrows, hose, etc. in a timely manner at the beginning of the season.

Repair of footing for the ROSE ARBOR is under consideration. At present various materials are being considered for repair.

SPECIAL EVENTS Committee tasks will be managed by individuals on an event-by-event basis. Alan Tenney is covering the musical events. Lou Ludyny will handle the Halloween Party. Margaret Dabney will handle the July 4th Barbeque & she’s looking for volunteers to help with the event. We look forward to any persons who are interested in pursuing educational speakers regarding aspects of gardening, food production, etc… The door is also open to anyone who would like to manage a new event or, events that have been held in the past such as the Autumn Harvest Festival. Kindly contact a SC Member to volunteer.

CAR CARAVAN committee still needs members for occasional assignments

Removal of the SMALL PEACH TREE after peach season. This runt is relatively non-productive and in the way–esp. with the new rain collection barrel system that is coming soon to the E/S garden. Members voted to cut it down.

Our next meeting is on Saturday July 10, from 10-12am.