Rebecca Kolls covers sun protection, Vidalia lollypops (?!) and mulching in the July 2008 issue of “Celebrating the Seasons.” View the complete newsletter at:
http://www.garden.org/celebratingtheseasons/?page=200807newsSeasons
Author - garden
On Friday, July 4th, there will be a potluck BBQ beginning at 5pm. Please bring a dish, soda, water, or other donations (hot dogs, hamburgers, veggies, charcoal — to grill, of course) for the BBQ.
*Please RSVP to Ann Levine, siswi @ aol.com, so we can have an idea of how many are coming.
*Members and their personal guests ONLY!!!
*Please remember garden rules regarding no alcholic beverages in the garden.
Music in the W. 104 St. Community Garden this Saturday, June 21!
Please come to the garden for a day of free music in celebration of the Summer Solstice–part of the Make Music New York Festival. Bring your friends and family!
The program is a great one, including a children’s program, jazz, and classical music.
Please invite all your friends and neighbors. We want to make these musicians, who are playing for free, feel welcome.
* 11 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. – For children and their parents: Classical musician Vita Wallace of Orfeo Duo will teach children and others how to make and play instruments in the garden.
* 1 p.m. – 2.30 p.m. – JAZZ: The Rob Jacoby Quartet, with sax, guitar, base and drums.
* 2.30 p.m. – 4 p.m. – JAZZ: Sam Salinger and friends
* 4 p.m. – 5.15 p.m. – CLASSICAL: Royden Ringer woodwind duo
Make a picnic of it– food will be on sale. The Garden is between Central Park West and Manhattan Ave. — close to the B & C W. 103 stop, and the Broadway 104 stop.
Questions? Please call: Rolando Hudson, 212 865-6112
Hello gardeners!
Many thanks to all you who showed up for the work meeting Wednesday eve, and those of you who emailed. The work session was incredibly productive: a cracker-jack team replaced rotting boards in the gazebo, others mowed lawns, separated rocks from dirt, tied roses and raspberries back, Sarah Kavka and her daughter, new members, worked on expanding the herb garden, with more plants to come, and so much more. Bravo to all.
For those of you who are eager to help out but couldn’t make the session, we’ll send out a separate email of things still needing done. Meantime, please be sure the plants in the communal gardens are watered.
And please support upcoming events: On Saturday, June 21, the garden will be filled with music in a celebration of the summer solstice, all part of Make Music New York. It starts up with a session for kids at 11 a.m. with Vita Wallace, a member and classical musician who will lead kids in a session with instruments they make themselves, followed by jazz (1-4) and classical music (4-5.15).
Again, thanks for your support. Below, you’ll find condensed updates from various committee heads — please take time to read, if you weren’t at the meeting.
All best,
Suzanne Charle’ for the Steering Committee
Budget:
Marcia Berry, Jean and Alan Tenney will be getting together to create a template for the future. Anyone interested should get in touch with them.
A vote is being taken on Julia Soledispa’s proposal that the communal gardens be given $150 each (for a total of $300). Votes sent to Mary Kelly by those who weren’t at the meeting by June 21 will be added to those at the meeting. A decision will be announced soon after the deadline.
Committee updates:
Communal gardens:
A few reminders: In both gardens, please do not store personal seeds (which might attract rodents).
Please don’t store personal gear in the sheds.
If you want to work on the communal beds or put something in the beds, please see the heads of the committees (Lou Ludyny in the East Garden; Julia Soledispa and Suzanne Charle’ in the West) and they’ll be able to point you in the right direction. Each section of the garden has a ‘chief gardener’ who is overseeing that section.
During heat waves, please everyone take time to water a part of the communal gardens–deep, so the roots go deep.
In the East Garden, rocks were separated from the dirt, which has been spread out. Please help bring the remaining rocks behind the sheds in the garden–ask Lou if you have questions.
Herb garden:
Larry Lewis and Florice Peterkin are heading the effort. Please work with them.
Raspberries are beginning to come into season–you might want to have your kids taste a few.
There are still some spots that need herbs–please consider buying a plant of your favorite herb and asking Florice or Larry where is best to plant.
Sarah Kavka, a new member, is establishing a beach head in the vinca minor section, so there will be even more herbs.
Compost:
In each garden there are places to put your green material (pls., no weeds and no sticks or branches.) There is a marked garbage barrel next to the composter in the East Garden, and a cage at the back of the shade garden in the West Garden. This material will eventually be shredded and put into the composter.
Please, no food or kitchen scraps, which will attract rats.
Lou will show those interested how to use the composter.
Events:
1) This Saturday, the Flea Market takes place. Julia is the head.
2) Next Saturday, Make Music NY, with free music in the garden, starting with a children’s program at 11. Please contact Rolando if you know musicians who want to play.
3) A Fall Festival planned for Saturday October 18th. This will incorporate flea market, maybe music, apple/pumpkin sales, all in garden. It will replace block party (too complicated) and perhaps Halloween party…to be determined.
4) There will be Jean’s Can-Can (Jean?) holiday/carol event sometime in December.
5) Proposing MayDay party for opening garden season in Spring, with maypole dancing…
Garbage:
Please remember to take out all picnic garbage, food containers and dispose of outside the garden so we don’t attract rats.
Please take out all large boxes that you might bring in.
Lawnmowing Committee:
We have one usable mower and are keeping it in the West Garden shed. A new mower will be bought soon. Please be sure to clean off the blades after you have used the mowers, so the blades remain sharp.
Please don’t cut the grass too short during heat waves.
Membership and monitoring:
Pam Wax has been doing a great job, and has almost completed the membership and committee lists. Some people will be asked to be on other committees, that don’t have enough people. Monitoring times need to be honored; if you can’t, it’s your responsibility to find someone to take your place.Please be sure that you have signed up for two monitoring days. Kitty Crooks has the schedule.
Pruning:
Janice will be pruning the street trees in front of the west garden once the weather isn’t so hot.
Rose Committee update:
Lucille notes that committee has be resetting the maze, and branches have been tied up.
We will be attaching new signs shortly, and fertilizing all plantings when first blooms
have finished to set up repeating cycles on all.
The roses have been particularly bountiful this year. Please take time to smell our roses.
Repairs Committee:
Frank and Jean and their crew repaired rotten floor boards in the gazebo. The shed in the West Garden still needs to have a broken screw drilled out before one of the door can open. Repairs of beds continue apace.
Tree pits:
Alan Tenney has been in touch with the contractor Rob Hoover, who will be building the tree surrounds. Unfortunately, the work has been slowed by a (I hope) mild eye injury to his assistant. Rob hopes to have the tree pits installed by the end of June. Alan will maintain a dialogue with Rob and keep you updated.
Water Barrels:
Only the people on the water barrel committee can fill the water barrels. Please see Lou or one of the other water barrel committee members for instructions if you’re interested in being able to access the hose and fire hydrant.
Website update:
Noreen Whysel, the grand creator of the website reports:
URL: http://www.west104garden.org
Blog site: http://west104garden.wordpress.com (used for news)
Photo site: http://flickr.com/photos/26803601@N05/
Calendar site: Pending, probably will be GoogleApps, since we already have an account there.
We would love more pictures of recent events, photographer & people/subjects identified.
If anyone wants to write a blurb about annual events, the memorial rose arbor or fireman’s plot, let Noreen know.
We also had a request to put in an article about organic composting and pest control, but we don’t have any details. Please send along if you have the information.
Montessori Graduation 6/19 at 8:30am
F.Y.I. : Montessori Graduation time change : FROM 10:30 a.m. TO 8:30 a.m. 6/19
Composting
F.Y.I. : For all you composters. LM
Question: Can you explain “lasagna” gardening? I keep hearing about it, but am not sure what it is.
Rebecca says: Think of lasagna and the layers needed to make it. Now think of a compost pile and the layers of green and brown materials used to make it. Lasagna gardening uses the same principles — but directly in the garden right on top of the soil! This means there’s no digging and no rototilling. And the best part is that it really improves the quality of the soil and encourages beneficial microbes, bacteria, fungi, and other life in the soil.
Lasagna gardening starts with a layer of brown corrugated cardboard or newspaper laid right on top of the soil. The additional layers are alternating “brown” and “green” materials. “Green” might consist of grass clippings, kitchen scraps (vegetables and fruits), manure etc. “Brown” includes autumn leaves, shredded newspaper, dried debris etc. These are piled and layered to the height of about two feet and then allowed to decompose and break down. By season’s end your “lasagna” will be transformed into a rich, crumbly soil loaded with life.
Visit Celebrating the Seasons for more from Rebecca Kolls and the National Gardening Association.
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Also, don’t skip this. LM
This is a link to an excellent article on Garden Safety and Children and Pets.
http://www.garden.org/celebratingtheseasons/?page=safety
THANK YOUs to:
GreenThumb for delivery of compost two weeks ago; also, container of gloves.
And to the anonymous donor of dozens of white bags of garden soil.
Rose Committee for re-leveling and reseeding the Maze Lawn.
Pam Wax for revising and reposting updated and corrected membership lists, from five different sources of applications received since November, 2007.
Robin Mace and Cat Crew for the great results, keeping rodents away.
Noreen Whysel for revamping/revising and maintaining the new version of our Garden website:
Lou Ludyny for our handsome new Fence Bulletin Boards which he supplied and updates.
JUNE EVENTS:
Flea Market – 11AM-5PM, Saturday, June 14th, East Garden. Just in time to get whatevers for Dad’s Day the 15th! Call Julie to volunteer to run garden table, help with setup / takedown: (212) 326-2964.
Montessori Graduation — 10:30 AM, Thursday, June 19th, Garden stage. The school staff makes it a festive occasion for all the pre–schoolers, and it’s fun to observe how seriously the youngsters take the event.
Make Music New York Day — Saturday, June 21: times/performers To Be Announced.
This is a citywide event, in all community gardens and city parks. Check Bulleting Boards for details.
OTHER NEWS;
Yours truly is re-registering our Garden for the 2009-2011 seasons, required as part of the Settlement Agreement and Green Thumb regulations — that we continue to obtain various GT goodies and supplies all year.
We are not in danger of losing our Parks land designation so long as we continue to hold open Public Events — such as the three listed above — and maintain our gardens in a kempt manner. We’re considered one of the better-run and maintained gardens in NYC, so thanks to all of you for this accolade.
All for now —
Lucille Murovich, Green Thumb garden contact
NEW YORK TIMES
May 7, 2008
Urban Farmers’ Crops Go From Vacant Lot to Market
By TRACIE McMILLAN
IN the shadows of the elevated tracks toward the end of the No. 3 line in East New York, Brooklyn, with an April chill still in the air, Denniston and Marlene Wilks gently pulled clusters of slender green shoots from the earth, revealing a blush of tiny red shallots at the base….
Read the Full Story
These Area Events will surely interest some. Last year the Garden hosted a ‘Make Music NY’ event with Member David Wilke teaching the guitar to children. Also several of our Garden youngsters are Dance students.
****
MAKE MUSIC NEW YORK on SATURDAY, JUNE 21
Last year, on the summer solstice, Make Music New York organized one of the biggest musical events in the city’s history: 560 free outdoor concerts in an array of genres and locations. Thousands of musicians — from Metropolitan Opera artists to underground MC’s, Tuvan throat singers to high school bands — entertained New Yorkers on sidewalks, streets, parks, gardens, and even cemeteries in the five boroughs. On Saturday, June 21, 2008, Make Music New York is back — and it’s going to be even bigger! For the second annual event, Time Out New York magazine has launched a website to match musicians with locations. Now anyone can find a space for their music… or music for their space. Participating locations on June 21st are invited to:
— Choose musicians from our database, or invite their own to perform.
— Provide electricity for an outdoor performance (for example, running an extension cord out to the sidewalk that day)
— Put up a free, customizable poster in the window during June, promoting the concert.
The Make Music New York organizers will then:
— Secure and send you all necessary permits
— Coordinate your concert with others in the neighborhood
— Promote your establishment as a concert location in all programs, on timeoutnewyork.com, and in an 8-page amNewYork newspaper supplement running on June 20th. There is no charge to take part — everything is completely free. All concert arrangements must be finalized by May 1st. To get started, go to www.timeoutnewyork.com/makemusic. In a parallel section of the site, restaurants, bars, shops, gardens, block associations, management companies and others can sign up to make their outdoor space available for musicians on June 21. Each will list its location, a description of the space, the availability of electricity, ways in which they will promote the concert and what type of music they prefer. The website will then show possible matches based on each participant’s choices, with contact info (through the site or offline). Once a venue and a performing act have made a match, information is routed to *Make Music New York*’s organizers, who confirm concert details and secure the necessary permits. Not long after the site is launched, a map showing existing concert locations will be added, making available (and unavailable) sites visible at a glance. The new site will allow *MMNY* to grow even bigger, giving participants more freedom to create the concerts they want to have. *Make Music New York*’s own website serves as a source of information. Visit www.makemusicny.org. Aaron Friedman, President, Make Music New York makemusicny@gmail.com. I hope that locations in the 6th Council District will sign up!
****
YOUNG CHOREOGRAPHERS INITIATIVE-Competition for The 2008 Susan Braun Award. Dance Films Assoc. is offering an opportunity for a choreographer between the age of 16-25 living in New York City to create a short dance film and/or adapt a stage choreography for the camera with a young filmmaker with grant from DFA. Named after DFA’s founder, the late Susan Braun, the award is cash and guidance from mentors who are dance and film professionals. Deadline to enter: May 9, 2008. The entry form is available at: http://dancefilms.org
Enjoy, Lucille M.
F.Y.I. : You Video Shooters may be interested. LM
—– Original Message —–
Sent: Friday, May 02, 2008 12:30 PM
Subject: LOOKING FOR GARDEN VIDEO!
>
> ————————————————-
>
> A neighbor asked that i pass this on to those creating videos on garden
> issues…
>
> —–Forwarded Message—–
>>From: Lisa Guido
>>Subject: LOOKING FOR VIDEO!
>>
> …please pass this along to your gardening compadres, especially the
> media types, and by all means forward to me anything you think fits the
> bill.
>
> We are a brand new show, in old and new media. (The next email you get
> from me might be from *UnscrewAmerica*, or *GritTV*.) The host and driving
> force of the project is Laura Flanders <http://lauraflanders.com/>,
> currently of RadioNation on Air America. Laura will be conducting
> interviews and hosting debates in studio, but a full quarter of the
> program will be viewer and partner-generated material: commentaries, news
> pieces, satires, documentaries in progress and how-tos. We’ll post the
> segments on line for a while with a link back to your site, as well as
> embed it in the daily show.
>
> I would love to see radical gardeners represented, so send me your tapes!
> If you’ve produced a piece for your website about composting, or community
> gardens, let me know. Send me a link! Your submissions and suggestions are
> very welcome.
>
> Please feel free to pass my information along to anyone with work already
> made or in production that you think fits the bill. There’s a regular
> segment of works-in-progress from documentary makers and social
> justice-minded producers of culture.
>
> The studio element is a mix of community activists, authors, the biggies
> in progressive politics, thinkers of all sorts. We’ll cover a very broad
> range of topics.
>
> The show will air weeknights on FreeSpeechTV (Dish Network — and
> community access cable and college stations) right after Democracy Now,
> and daily, noon, on political blog Firedoglake.com
> <http://firedoglake.com/>. (and, when it launches, on Robert Greenwald’s
> new web channel.)
>
> I think it will provide excellent exposure to some new audiences —
> especially the web outlets.
>
> Warmest Regards,
>
> Lisa Guido
> 212 871-8254
> Video Producer/Editor
> The Laura Flanders Show
> 641 6th Avenue
> 4th Floor
> NYC, NY 10011
> www.lauraflanders.com
>