Join us at Our October Flea Market!

Please join us for our October Flea Market. Bargains galore!

SATURDAY, October 20
Rain date: Sunday, October 21

West 104th Street Garden FLEA MARKET

Time: 11:00a-4:00p

Location: on 104th Street, between Central Park West and Manhattan Avenue

Join community members as they clear out their closets and offer their wares. All items marked with suggested donations. All proceeds benefit the West 104th Street Garden.

There is a need for donated items for sale:
Contact Beverly Bates: bbates928@gmail.com

Feel free to Download the October 21, 2018 Flea Market Flyer to post in your mailroom.

October flea market flyer

When Lilacs Last In The Dooryard Bloom’D

When Lilacs Last In The Dooryard Bloom’D – Poem by Walt Whitman

from Memories of President Lincoln

1

When lilacs last in the dooryard bloom’d,
And the great star early droop’d in the western sky in the night,
I mourn’d, and yet shall mourn with ever-returning spring.

Ever-returning spring, trinity sure to me you bring,
Lilac blooming perennial and drooping star in the west,
And thought of him I love.

2

O powerful western fallen star!
O shades of night — O moody, tearful night!
O great star disappear’d — O the black murk that hides the star!
O cruel hands that hold me powerless — O helpless soul of me!
O harsh surrounding cloud that will not free my soul.

3

In the dooryard fronting an old farm-house near the white-wash’d palings,
Stands the lilac-bush tall-growing with heart-shaped leaves of rich green,
With many a pointed blossom rising delicate, with the perfume strong I love,
With every leaf a miracle — and from this bush in the dooryard,
With delicate-color’d blossoms and heart-shaped leaves of rich green,
A sprig with its flower I break.

4

In the swamp in secluded recesses,
A shy and hidden bird is warbling a song.
Solitary the thrush,
The hermit withdrawn to himself, avoiding the settlements,
Sings by himself a song.

Song of the bleeding throat,
Death’s outlet song of life, (for well dear brother I know,
If thou wast not granted to sing, thou would’st surely die.)

5

Over the breast of the spring, the land, amid cities,
Amid lanes and through old woods, where lately the violets peep’d from the ground, spotting the gray debris,
Amid the grass in the fields each side of the lanes, passing the endless grass,
Passing the yellow-spear’d wheat, every grain from its shroud in the dark-brown fields uprisen,
Passing the apple-tree blows of white and pink in the orchards,
Carrying a corpse to where it shall rest in the grave,
Night and day journeys a coffin.

Find the entire poem at either:

https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/when-lilacs-last-in-the-dooryard-bloom-d/

or

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45480/when-lilacs-last-in-the-dooryard-bloomd

A classical music version by George Walker, who passed away the week of August 26 is available at Youtube. Mr. Walker won a Pulitzer prize for this piece.

GreenThumb – June 2018 News and Events

GreenThumb’s monthly newsletter of workshops and events not to miss in June!

Access all workshop info and more in: GreenThumb’s Summer Program Guide

Moment NYC Community Band performing at Green Oasis Community Garden at the 2017 Harvest Arts Festival.

Moment NYC Community Band performing at Green Oasis Community Garden at the 2017 Harvest Arts Festival.
Photo courtesy of Maryanne Byington

Top Stories

Share Your “Music in the Gardens” Event

greenthumbinfo@parks.nyc.gov to let us know.

GreenThumb Open Garden Day NYC

Save the Date for Open Garden Day NYC

On Saturday, July 14, 2018 from 11:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. (rain or shine), dozens of community gardens across New York City will open their gates and offer free activities to the public for Open Garden Day NYC!

Join the community gardening movement and tour dozens of community gardens. Enjoy a day of free activities and / or host activities in your garden. Activities will differ from each garden and may include activities like: arts and crafts, a music performance, a ShapeUp class, a food demonstration or an opportunity for the public to get their hands dirty and dig in the soil! Feel free to suggest your own activity as well!

If your community garden would like to participate, please fill out the Open Garden Day NYC form by Friday, June 8, 2018. We are asking all gardeners who are taking part in Open Garden Day NYC to schedule a free activity or event for the public to enjoy in some of our city’s finest community garden spaces.
#OpenGardenDayNYC #GreenThumbGrows

NYC Civic Corps Positions at GreenThumb

2018-2019 NYC Civic Corps application is now open! Each year, as part of its AmeriCorps program, NYC Service places 100 NYC Civic Corps members at City agencies and community-based organizations to lead service-oriented program lasting from September to mid-July. There are three positions with GreenThumb available: Volunteer Program Coordinator and Youth Leadership Council Coordinators. Apply today!

3rd Annual Garden Recognition Awards

GreenThumb will celebrate its 3rd Annual GreenThumb Garden Recognition Awards this fall! If you would like to nominate a GreenThumb garden (including your own) for one of the awards, please fill out the Nomination Form by Friday, July 20, 2018.

More News & Stories

Grants & Opportunities

Workshops & Events

Highlight of the Month:

Tuesday, June 12: Brooklyn: Growing Mushrooms
>6:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m.
UCC Youth Farm

Fungi can be helpful in your garden and delicious in the kitchen. This workshop offers a peek into the fungi kingdom at large and addresses DIY indoor growing and cultivation methods with the option to transfer your fungi to your outdoor garden. In addition to a demonstration of basic propagation techniques, the class offers resources for finding mushroom materials to work with as you set about on your homegrown mycological pursuits.
RSVP here.

Facilitated by Jan Mun, artist and mycologist; East New York Farms! and GreenThumb.

Grow to Learn Workshops

ALL workshops are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted. You can find soil and lumber request forms at ALL GreenThumb-led workshops.

GreenThumb Workshop Survey

Do you have ideas for GreenThumb workshops? Would you like to host a workshop in your garden, share your skills by teaching other gardeners, or simply let us know which workshops you’d like us to offer? Let us know in the GreenThumb Workshop Survey.

Garden Updates: May 18, 2018

Hello West 104th Street Community Garden Members,

Just a reminder:

We have a work day on Sunday, May 20th, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm in the garden.

We are monitoring the chance of thunderstorms, and if there is a change in the work day we will email a notice.

For the full list of our garden 2018 Work Days see our website calendar at:

http://west104garden.org/news-and-events/calendar/

The website has upcoming events, garden news, and social media contacts at

http://west104garden.org/

Including garden twitter:

Twitter: @west104garden

GreenThumb updates:

1)  GreenThumb is hosting a Manhattan Garden Get Together on Saturday, June 2nd from 11 am – 2 pm.  The venue is Recreation Center 54 at 348 East 54th St. between 1st and 2nd Avenues.  RSVP at mngardengettogether.eventbrite.com.

2) GreenThumb will install new signage at all GT community gardens beginning now and continuing throughout this summer.  This new signage will incorporate a welcome, general rules, and dog guidelines.  At the time of installation GreenThumb will remove previous and non-compliant signage.

3) Our portable toilet application and payment for July through December has been submitted to GreenThumb.

Please reach out to Melissa with any GreenThumb questions. Thank you for reading.

Hope to see you all at the work day!

GreenThumb: May 2018 News and Events

GreenThumb Plant Starts Distribution

Get your veggie transplants and native plant starts for your registered GreenThumb garden at our annual Plant Starts Distribution on May 5th from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.. Be sure to visit our registration page to RSVP and learn more.

Collage Garden Exhibition Opening

On May 12th from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m., “Paper Garden”, an international collage show with garden-themed collages from all over the world, will be on display throughout the grounds at 6BC Botanical Garden in the East Village. On view until June 30th.

*Rain Date: May 20th*

Image courtesy from the_collage_garden.

Share Your “Art in the Gardens” Month Event

We are highlighting gardens with sculpture and murals in them, as well as creative and artistic events scheduled for next month.

If your garden is having a community art project event in the month of May, please email greenthumbinfo@parks.nyc.gov to let us know.

Request for Proposals

The Fund for Public Health in New York City, on behalf of the Building Healthy Communities initiative and NYC Parks GreenThumb, is currently accepting proposals from art organizations and individual artists interested in developing and installing art in three selected community gardens (William B. Washington Memorial Garden, Central Harlem; Canarsie Neighborhood Alliance, Canarsie; Patrick Van Doren Pocket Park, Bed-Stuy) in order to further activate public space and celebrate the strong history of arts and culture in community gardens. To learn more about this opportunity, view the Request for Proposals page. Deadline for submission is Monday, May 28th, 2018, 11:59 p.m. EST.

Community of Gardens

Community of Gardens, a digital archive hosted by Smithsonian Gardens in partnership with our Archives of American Gardens, are compiling gardening stories from gardeners or anyone who enjoys spending time in community gardens. This project was designed to preserve our country’s diverse garden heritage and they would love to see your stories! You can contribute your images, stories, videos, and oral histories related to gardens and gardening by emailing: communityofgardens@si.edu or sharing your stories through their website.

More News & Stories

• Save the Date for Harvest Fair: Saturday, 9/15 – Location TBD
• 2019 Bylaw Re-licensing Requirements Due
• New Safe Soil Gardening Practices Announced

Grants & Opportunities

Workshops & Events

Grow to Learn Workshops
• May 9, Brooklyn: Potato Planters
• May 12, Bronx: Butterfly Project NYC Native Plant ShareDid you know that ALL our workshops are free and open to the public? You can find soil and lumber request forms at ALL GreenThumb-led workshops.

GreenThumb Workshop Survey

Do you have ideas for GreenThumb workshops? Would you like to host a workshop in your garden, share your skills by teaching other gardeners, or simply let us know which workshops you’d like us to offer? Let us know in the GreenThumb Workshop Survey.

Access all workshop info and more in: GreenThumb’s Spring Program Guide

La Perla Needs Help: Saturday, April 28

Hello 104th st Garden Members,

La Perla garden on 105th needs help! If you can, please lend a helping hand. Below is a message from Robert about helping out at La Perla at noon on Saturday. Some members from 104th st Garden will be attending.

Robert’s message:

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Robert Pollard <ecology2001@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, Apr 25, 2018 at 6:59 PM
Subject: [la-perla-garden] Urgent: Work Day Saturday, April 28 – maybe Sunday too
To: la-perla-garden@googlegroups.com

Friends

I received a call today from Elizabeth Kellner, representing the current owners of 76 West 105th Street, to let us know that the closing date for the sale to the builder will take place on Monday, April 30. and that the builder will install a chain link fence between the properties on that day or very shortly thereafter.

This means that we will need to remove all of our items from 76 W 105th this weekend – including the compost structure, the stone bench, unassembled wheelbarrow, rainwater barrel, etc. Ideally we would also move the sculpture, although it is not clear whether we would be able to move that, and may have to talk to the builder about help and arrangements moving it.

I suggest a starting time around noon on Saturday. Some of the items will require four or more strong helpers.

In case we are unable to move everything on Saturday, we need to be prepared for a second work day on Sunday.

Since moving the items constitutes a major part of the proposed meeting agenda, we might need to consider holding the meeting tomorrow (Thursday) or Friday.

Robert

GreenThumb News and Events – March 2018

GreenThumb GrowTogether 2018

It’s hard to believe, but the 34th annual GreenThumb GrowTogether is a few weeks away! GrowTogether will feature a special keynote address from Karen Washington – a familiar face and tireless advocate for community gardens and food justice, a member of La Familia Verde Community Garden Coalition, and the co-founder of the Black Urban Growers.

This year’s event will take place at the Borough of Manhattan Community College on Saturday, March 31, 2018 from 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m..

Once again, we’ll be offering:

  • 60+ workshops
  • Dozens of greening partners sharing information and resources
  • Networking opportunities with community gardeners across the city
  • Breakfast and lunch
  • And, of course, the 34th edition of the annual GrowTogether t-shirt!

This year’s theme is “Honoring our Roots,” as this year also marks GreenThumb’s 40th anniversary. We are encouraging gardeners to share their old garden-related pictures and documents with GreenThumb to display at GrowTogether to showcase how far the gardening movement has come in the past 40 years. If you have GreenThumb related photos and/or print material from the early days of GreenThumb or your garden, please bring them to GrowTogether. We will have a scanner available, and will help you scan and digitize your materials.

If you are interested in displaying these materials at GrowTogether to help us show how far we have all come in the gardening movement, please contact: greenthumbinfo@parks.nyc.gov or (212) 602-5300.

At a cost of only $5, this is the best buy in all of NYC!

Here is a link to more info and where you can register.
The first 500 people to purchase discounted tickets in advance will receive a special 40th anniversary gift!

News

Spring Supply Distribution

Pick up basic gardening and maintenance supplies for your registered GreenThumb garden at the Spring Supply Distributionon April 14th from 10:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m..

  • On-site pick up only at the dates and locations below
  • One pick up per garden group
  • Carpool with other garden groups that may not have access to transportation
  • We encourage gardeners to take inventory of your toolsheds to see what you already have before taking supplies

Please note: RSVP to pick up supplies from 10:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.. You may only RSVP for 1 distribution site at a time. If you are registering for more than one garden, please enter them one at a time.

Walk-ins will be accepted from 12:30 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. on a first-come, first-served basis, while supplies last.

*Staten Island: Please coordinate with your Outreach Coordinator or attend another borough’s pick up

Locations:
Brooklyn (Hattie Carthan Community Garden, New Vision Garden), Bronx (La Finca Del Sur), Manhattan (Green Oasis Community Garden, Pleasant Village Community Garden)

For more information, including addresses and directions, go to the Events page on our website.

Bylaws Requirements for 2019 Garden Relicensing

All community garden groups under NYC Parks jurisdiction must submit copies of their bylaws to their outreach coordinators to be re-licensed for 2018.

Visit our Bylaws page to learn more and to get started.

GreenThumb Soil Requirements

Growing food in urban soils is a challenge, and we want to make sure that every garden meets the highest standards for food safety. Visit our new Safe Soil Gardening Practices page to learn more about our best practices shared by your fellow gardeners.

2018 GreenThumb Youth Leadership Council

The Youth Leadership Council is a great way to give back to the community, earn volunteer hours, learn new skills, become a leader, and have fun! We are still looking for youth to apply to our 2018 Youth Leadership Council to serve in GreenThumb community gardens across all five boroughs!

The deadline has been extended to March 12th!
Youth Leadership Council Application

Grants and Opportunities

The Awesome Foundation

The Awesome Foundation is a global community advancing the interest of awesome in the universe, $1000 at a time. Each fully autonomous chapter supports awesome projects through micro-grants, usually given out monthly. These micro-grants, $1000 or the local equivalent, come out of pockets of the chapter’s “trustees” and are given on a no-strings-attached basis to people and groups working on awesome projects.

Deadline: Last day of each month
New York City Chapter
Grant Application

Citizens Committee for New York City

View a listing of other grant opportunities, resources, and workshops, like below, on the Citizens Committee for New York City website.

Composting Grant

In collaboration with the Manhattan Solid Waste Advisory Boardand Borough President Gale Brewer, Citizens Committee is awarding grants of up to $750 to start or expand compost projects in NYC.

Groups such as community gardens, schools, tenant associations, and community organizations in all 5 boroughs are eligible for the grant. Grant funds can be used to build compost bins, purchase other compost materials or tools, do outreach and education, and more.

Deadline: March 23
Learn more about the Composting Grant.
Questions? Contact Katie: kgrassle@citizensnyc.org or 212-822-9567

ioby

The Power Up Neighborhood Match, funded by Con Edison, provides matching dollars up to $5,000 for any parks, garden, or street tree project in Con Edison’s service area. Funds are easy to access–there’s no deadline or lengthy application, we just distribute funding first-come, first-served to all eligible projects.

Deadline: Rolling
Register for Power Up! Crowdfunding for your Neighborhood Webinar: March 21 at 12:00 p.m.

Partnerships for Parks/ioby

The Partnerships for Parks Crowdfunding Challenge provides up to $1,000 of matching funds for any accepted project benefiting NYC Parks properties – including parks, playgrounds, and green streets and street trees!
Learn how to apply here.

Deadline: Rolling

Workshops

Did you know that ALL our workshops are free and open to the public? You can find soil and lumber request forms at ALL GreenThumb-led workshops.

GreenThumb Workshop Survey

Do you have ideas for GreenThumb workshops? Would you like to host a workshop in your garden, share your skills by teaching other gardeners, or simply let us know which workshops you’d like us to offer? Let us know in the GreenThumb Workshop Survey.

Thursday, March 1

Grow your Garden Group
6:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m.
Brooklyn

With spring around the corner, this is a key time to welcome new members to get involved in your garden. This workshop will cover creative and time-tested ways to grow your garden group, with a focus on recruiting new members and retaining existing members. Learn how to build the leadership of garden members and create healthy, effective groups with strong relationships at the core.

Este taller se ofrecerá con traducción al Español.

Register on Eventbrite to attend.

Saturday, March 3

Starting Seeds in a Greenhouse or Indoors
10:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
Bronx

Get gardening early by starting your seeds in a greenhouse or sunny window. We’ll walk you through sowing, growing, and documenting your plant growth from seed to mature crop. In partnership with GreenThumb/NYC Parks, Praxis, and Urban Cultivated.

Please note: Pre-registration required by visiting our Eventbrite page or by calling: 212-602-5300.

Staten Island Garden Get Together
11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
Staten Island

Staten Island community members can gather to learn more about starting, growing, or joining a community garden.

Register on Eventbrite to attend.

Compost Mania
12:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m..
Queens

New York City Compost Project Hosted by Queens Botanical Garden
See decomposers under the microscope, meet our red wiggler worms, mix your own potting soil, sow some seeds, and roll wildflower seed balls! Take home what you make! This family-friendly day is all about compost—how it’s made and used. Find out why recycling food scraps and yard waste creates a more sustainable urban environment!

Register on Eventbrite to attend.

Thursday, March 8

The ABC’s of Event Planning: How to Plan a Successful Event at your Garden
5:30 p.m.–7:00 p.m.
Manhattan

In preparation for Garden Month in June and the summer season, please join us as we discuss and come up with simple, quick, and easy steps to organize garden events. Whether you are thinking about hosting a community volunteer day, or opening the gates to your garden for a garden tour, this workshop will provide resources and information key to hosting a smooth, fun-filled, garden event!

Este taller se ofrecerá con traducción al Español.

Please note: Pre-registration required by visiting our Eventbrite page or by calling: 212-602-5300.

Tuesday, March 13

Organizing for Garden Success: Group Structure (Part 1 of 2)
5:30 p.m.–8:00 p.m.
Brooklyn

Disorganization creates dysfunction. This two-part workshop series is designed to help your garden group build a strong foundation to deal with the many issues that arise in a community space. In this workshop, we will discuss different examples of group structure and how they can help alleviate stressful decision-making. Registered GreenThumb gardeners who attend both sessions will be eligible to receive a free book for their garden.

This workshop will be offered with Bengali translation.

Register on Eventbrite to attend.

Thursday, March 15

Compost for Community Gardens
5:30 p.m.–7:30 p.m.
Queens

Reimagine your garden as one where yard waste and veggie scraps are transformed into a rich soil amendment that creates a lush bounty. There’s no magic involved, only composting! Learn to make compost, pick the bin that’s best for your garden, and set up a management plan. Presented in partnership with GreenThumb and Queens Botanical garden.

Please note: Pre-registration required by visiting our Eventbrite page or by calling: 212-602-5300.

Tuesday, March 20

Microbes and Fungi: The Life of the Soil Party
5:30 p.m.–7:00 p.m.
Manhattan

Get to know the soil in your garden. If we take care of the soil, the soil will take care of our plants and crops. Meet the microbes and other members of the soil food web who recycle nutrients and share best practices for soil care.

Please note: Pre-registration required by visiting our Eventbrite page or by calling: 212-602-5300.

Wednesday, March 21

Plant a DIY Sub-Irrigated Window Box 
6:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m.
Brooklyn

Almost any container can be converted into a water-wise, sub-irrigated planter. Learn how, with the right plant choices, you can keep your window sill looking lush with less work and up to 80% less water than a traditional window box!

Please note: Pre-registration required at Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s website.

Grow to Learn Workshops

Grow to Learn, the citywide school garden initiative, of which GreenThumb is a principal partner, provides workshops and programming for school and community gardeners as well as the general public.

Thursday, March 8

Seed Starting
4:30 p.m.–6:30 p.m.
Bronx

Join us for this workshop on how to start your seeds indoors, including proper timing and planting, care, and transplantation. Registered Grow to Learn school gardens ONLY will receive seed starting kits. Schools can attend one seed starting workshop.

Register to attend on the Grow to Learn Spring 2018 Workshop Registration page.

Thursday, March 15

Building a Bulletin Board From Scratch
3:30 p.m.–5:00 p.m.
Bronx

In this workshop we will construct a weatherized bulletin board for communicating important information to your garden groups and/or the general school community and public. Please Note: the materials for building this bulletin board will not be provided, but lists of the items needed along with plans for the structure will be provided.

Register to attend on the Grow to Learn Spring 2018 Workshop Registration page.

Tuesday, March 20

School Garden Social
4:00 p.m.–7:00 p.m.
Manhattan

Join Grow to Learn and gardeners from across all of New York City to celebrate the growing school gardens movement! This fun event will feature food, cooking demos, prizes, hands-on activities, and lots of chances to connect with other school gardeners from across the city! We welcome as many members of your school community as are able to attend.

Register to attend on the Grow to Learn Spring 2018 Workshop Registration page.

Access all workshop info and more in: GreenThumb’s Spring Program Guide

GreenThumb – January News and Events

Happy New Year Gardeners (and Happy Birthday GreenThumb)!

On behalf of the entire GreenThumb team, I want to thank and congratulate all of our 20,000 community gardeners on another amazing year. Your volunteer efforts – topping one million combined hours – continue to strengthen communities across our City. It goes
without saying that a neighborhood with a GreenThumb garden is one that is greener, healthier, and more united.

Did you know that 2018 marks GreenThumb’s 40th anniversary? GreenThumb was founded in 1978 to support neighborhood activists who had reclaimed vacant lots throughout the City and turned them into green oases. Today, 40 years later, GreenThumb’s mission to support
New Yorkers in coming together through the shared stewardship of open space remains as important as ever. We are thrilled and humbled at the prospect of another 40 years of partnership with you all, and we can’t wait to see what is possible in the decades
to come.

We can’t wait for the next season to begin, and we’re putting the finishing touches on a season-long celebration of our four decades supporting gardeners. Together, we’ll continue to green, beautify and strengthen communities across New York City in 2018.

Thank you so much for all that you do.

My best,

Bill LoSasso
Director, GreenThumb

Save the Date and Register Now!
34th Annual GreenThumb GrowTogether Conference
March 31, 8:30am-4pm
Borough of Manhattan Community College
199 Chambers Street,
New York, NY 10007
Directions:
Subway:
A, C, J, M, 1, 2, 3 to Chambers Street
R to City Hall
Buses:
M20, M22 – Stop outside College
M5 to Broadway and Chambers Street

Join NYC Parks GreenThumb for our annual GreenThumb GrowTogether Conference, where we’ll be “Honoring Our Roots” and kicking-off the community gardening season surprises. Check back in early March for an updated schedule of speakers and in New York City! The
day will be packed with workshops, kids’ activities, and fun workshops.

Join us in the celebration and
get your $5 discounted tickets here
for GreenThumb GrowTogether today! Tickets at the door on the day of the conference will be $10.
The first 500 people to purchase discounted tickets in advance will receive a special 40th anniversary gift!

Call for Workshop Proposals
It’s that time of year again! We’re excited to invite you to
submit a workshop proposal
for the 34th Annual GreenThumb GrowTogether Conference on Saturday, March 31.

Please complete the form here by Monday, January 8th.

All workshops will be confirmed by the first week in February.

Volunteers Needed for GrowTogether Conference
We are seeking volunteers to help with the annual GrowTogether conference! Must be 18 or older.

Register here to volunteer.
Volunteers will assist with making sure the event runs smoothly, helping with a range of tasks from collecting compost to running youth activities
and registration. If you have any questions, please contact:
greenthumbinfo@parks.nyc.gov
Timeframe:
8:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.

News

MulchFest – January 6th & 7th

10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Bring your holiday tree to a designated city park or garden to be recycled into mulch that will nourish plantings across the city. Join the NYC Parks, the

New York City Department of Sanitation
, and

GreeNYC
to recycle your trees into wood chips. These wood chips are used to nourish trees and plants on streets and gardens citywide. Or, take home your very own bag of mulch
to use in your backyard or to make a winter bed for a
street tree
. More than 26,000 trees were recycled last year. Help us top this number!
For
MulchFest locations, please visit here.

Portable Toilet Rentals

GreenThumb has updated its process for reserving and paying for portable toilet rentals at registered GreenThumb gardens, effectively immediately. All orders for rentals from March 2018 – June 2018 must be received by GreenThumb and paid in full no later than
February 9, 2018. Please contact your Outreach Coordinator if you need a Request Form.

Snow Removal

Garden groups are reminded to keep sidewalks, walkways, and curbs inside and adjacent to the garden clean and free of snow and ice as per the

GreenThumb Handbook
and license agreement. Please review

this snow removal guide
to prepare for the winter season.

Bylaws Requirements for the 2019 Relicensing

As we get ready for the 2019 relicensing of all GreenThumb community gardens, we’d like to inform you that GreenThumb will be requiring all community garden groups under Parks jurisdiction to submit copies of their bylaws to their Outreach Coordinators as a
prerequisite to being licensed. We will be offering workshops on group structure and bylaws every quarter during 2018, and we encourage all members of your garden groups to attend these workshops if you haven’t already.
For
more information, please visit here
.

GreenThumb Soil Requirements

Growing food in urban soils can be a challenge, and it is important that all food grown in GreenThumb gardens is done so in the safest manner possible. To help educate and support GreenThumb gardeners in growing food in the safest way, we have summarized GreenThumb’s
requirements and best practices on our
website here
, and in more detail,

in this document
. Please take a look, share with your fellow gardeners, and contact your Outreach Coordinator if you have further questions.

GreenThumb Volunteer Program

We have started a volunteer program to further connect volunteers from the community and beyond, with gardens that need assistance with occasional projects and beautification efforts. Potential projects include assistance with breaking down and building new
raised planting beds or planting bulbs. The continued success of community gardens come from the dedicated gardeners and community members critically up keeping the green space of their neighborhood. If you are interested in recruiting volunteers for your
garden or in volunteering with one of our community gardens please reach out to
Hauwa.Abubakar@parks.nyc.gov
or call 212-602-5315.

2018 GreenThumb Youth Leadership Council

We’re recruiting youth ages 14 to 21 to volunteer in our fourth iteration of GreenThumb Youth Leadership Council (YLC) at these community gardens from May to early August. The YLC is a great way to give back to the community, earn volunteer hours, learn new
skills, and have fun! Youth are required to volunteer at a garden at least twice a month and accumulate at least 20 service hours.

Borough Neighborhood Community Garden
Bronx University Heights Green Patch on Walton
Bronx Melrose Jardin de Roca
Bronx Melrose Melrose New Generation Community Garden
Bronx Melrose Rainbow Garden of Life and Health
Brooklyn Brownsville A Better Community Garden
Brooklyn Park Slope GreenSpace Native Plant Community Garden & Environmental Center
Brooklyn Brownsville Jes Good Rewards Children’s’ Garden
Brooklyn East New York St. John Cantius Parish Community Garden
Brooklyn East New York TLC Sculpture Park Garden
Manhattan Hamilton Heights Dorothy K. McGowan Memorial Garden
Manhattan Hamilton Heights Edgecombe Avenue Garden Park Sanctuary & Sugar Hill Garden
Manhattan Greenwich Village LaGuardia Corner Community Garden
Manhattan Hamilton Heights Riverside Valley Community Garden – Jenny’s Garden
Queens Jamaica Discovery Garden
Staten Island New Brighton HEALTH for Youth, Skyline Playground Community Garden
Staten Island New Brighton Joe Holzka Community Garden

Go
here to apply.

Deadline: March 5, 2018
For more information please email our YLC Coordinators:
Amanda.Groziak@parks.nyc.gov &
Carina.Nieves@parks.nyc.gov

Grants and Opportunities

City
Parks Foundation

View a listing of other grant opportunities, resources, and workshops, like below, on the

City Parks Foundation
website.

Capacity
Fund Grant

Get funding for your park or garden group’s ideas and efforts to improve NYC Parks from our Capacity Fund Grant. If you are an active community park or garden group supporting an NYC Parks property in any of New York City’s five boroughs, you may be eligible
to apply for a small grant of up to $5,000 for park projects including events, tools, websites, and outreach materials.

Next deadline: February 1, 2018
Upcoming deadlines: October 1, 2018
Learn
more about the Capacity Fund Grant

Safe
in the City Grant

The Safe in the City Grant offers funding opportunities designed to support community based actions and activities that will make neighborhoods safer. In addition to funding, applicants will also receive best practices and strategies from the Mayor’s Office
of Criminal Justice’s Public Safety Tool Kit, further empowering them to employ prevention, intervention and trauma response methods while amplifying the voice of community to stand against violence and promote healthy, vibrant neighborhoods.

Deadline: Rolling
Learn
more about the Safe in the City Grant

Community Board Applications are now available for the 2018-2020 term

Please see the links below if you’re interested in learning more or applying:

As hand-on volunteers with deep community ties, GreenThumb gardeners are great candidates to serve on boards, which play an important advisory role on neighborhood issues including land use, city budgets, local service provision, and other community issues.
Community boards are consulted when new gardens are begun, and they identify funding priorities in neighborhoods every year during the City budget process.
Learn
more about Community Boards

NYC
Food Policy and Practice Database

A free, searchable directory of all food-related organizations, groups, businesses and agencies in New York City who are working to create healthier, more sustainable food environments and who use food to promote community and economic development. View more
than 300 food-related and socially minded organizations in the
directory here
.

For more information please contact:
Hunter College NYC Food Policy Center
2180
Third Avenue, New York, NY 10035

info@nycfoodpolicy.org
List your organization by filling out this
Submission Form
.

Food
Metrics Report

The Mayor’s Office of Food Policy recently published its
fifth annual Food Metrics Report
. This report is an annual snapshot of the City’s many initiatives and accomplishments in increasing food security, improving the quality and
nutritional value of food the City purchases and serves, expanding access to healthy food in all neighborhoods, and promoting a sustainable and just food system.
Learn
more here
.

Get on the map!

Did you know that you can add your community garden to Google Maps yourself? Nearly all GreenThumb gardens are already visible, but if not you can suggest it yourself and let the world know about your garden!
Learn
how to get on the map!

Workshops

Did you know that ALL our workshops are free and open to the public? You can find soil and lumber request forms at ALL GreenThumb-led workshops.

GreenThumb Workshop Survey

Do you have ideas for GreenThumb workshops? Would you like to host a workshop in your garden, share your skills by teaching other gardeners, or simply let us know which workshops you’d like us to offer? Let us know in the

GreenThumb Workshop Survey
.

Thursday, January 11

Grant-writing
101

6:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m.
GreenThumb, Partnerships for Parks, Citizens Committee for NYC

During this workshop and info session, we will demystify the grant-writing process by discussing tips for applying for community-oriented grants. We will also share detailed information about Citizens Committee for NYC’s Love Your Block and Neighborhood Grants,
Partnerships for Parks’ Capacity Fund Grant, and other resources offered to community gardens with upcoming deadlines. This workshop is offered in collaboration with Partnerships for Parks and Citizens Committee for NYC.

Location:
A.R.R.O.W.
Field House

35-30
35th

Directions
to this location

QUEENS

Saturday, January 13

Organizing
for Garden success: Group Structure (Part 1 of 2)

11:00 a.m.–1:30 p.m.
GreenThumb

Disorganization creates dysfunction. This two-part workshop series is designed to help your garden group build a strong foundation to deal with the many issues that arise in a community space. In this workshop, we will discuss different examples of group structure
and how they can help alleviate stressful decision-making.

Location:
GreenThumb Office (Please bring photo ID)
100
Gold St.
, Third Floor Grand Conference Room
MANHATTAN

Thursday, January 18

People
Power Within NYC Local Government

6:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m.
GreenThumb, Just Food

Learn about the roles and responsibilities of key city government departments and officials – in particular those who have funding and oversight on issues that impact the work of gardeners. Attendees will explore together how to influence key city government
stakeholders from the ground up. This workshop is offered in collaboration with Just Food.

Este taller se ofrecerá con traducción al Español.

Location:
Pelham Fritz Recreation Center (in
Marcus Garvey Park
)
Directions
to this location

MANHATTAN

Tuesday, January 30

Crop
Planning 101

6:00 p.m.–7:30 p.m.
GreenThumb, NYC Compost Project

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. This workshop is offered in collaboration with NYC Compost Project
and hosted by Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden.

Location:
Snug
Harbor

1000
Richmond Terrace

Directions
to this location

STATEN ISLAND

Grow
to Learn

Grow to Learn, the citywide school garden initiative, of which GreenThumb is a principal partner, provides workshops and programming for school and community gardeners as well as the general public. GTL has a wide variety of topics for you to select, including
learning about soils, carpentry or about how your fellow school gardeners are raising chickens in their gardens. You must register to attend any Grow to Learn workshop- fill out the information below to sign up for one or more workshops of your choice. View
the
Grow to Learn Workshop Calendar
. The sign-up information is there as well. We hope you will come and join us this fall to learn and share skills with us.

Wednesday, January 31

Grant
Writing and Garden Design

9:30 p.m.–11:30 a.m.
5:00 p.m.–7:00 p.m.
Grow to Learn

This introduction to the Grow to Learn mini-grant will give you all the information you need to create an incredible application for a new or expansion garden project. The Spring 2018 Grow to Learn mini-grant RFP is open for applications from January 22 – February
23, 2018.
*You do not need to attend both workshops.

Location:
GrowNYC
(Please bring photo ID)
100
Gold St.
, Third Floor, Suite 3300
MANHATTAN

Access all workshop info and more in:

GreenThumb’s Winter Program Guide

GreenThumb November News and Events

Thank you!

Dear Gardeners:

Congratulations on yet another great season at GreenThumb! Together, you have stewarded over 550 community gardens on nearly 100 acres of open green space, and volunteered over 1 million hours toward the beautification of our city and strengthening of our neighborhoods this year. We at GreenThumb are grateful for your contributions and proud to work alongside you in our collective effort to bring the benefits of community gardening to as many New Yorkers as possible.

So, on behalf of everyone at GreenThumb, thank you so much for all that you do. You are appreciated.

My best,
Bill LoSasso
Director, GreenThumb

News

Winter is Coming!

This is a friendly reminder that all GreenThumb gardens on City-owned property are required to clear the sidewalks in front of their gardens of snow and ice following winter weather events. This is required as per the GreenThumb license, NYC Administrative Code, and DSNY regulations. It is important that all groups fulfill this responsibility to ensure public safety and maintain safe and inviting spaces throughout New York City. To support garden groups in doing this, GreenThumb will once again distribute shovels, calcium chloride, and ice breakers at our Fall Supply Distribution on November 4th. Details are below.

Strategic Planning Survey

GreenThumb has kicked off a 5-year strategic planning process, and we want your input! Help us plot out the next five years so that we can best support our network of 550+ community gardens and 20,000 community gardeners.

Current gardeners can participate here. And here is the Spanish version.

And anyone who is interested can participate here. And here is the Spanish version.

Please share widely. We want to hear from you!

Youth Leadership Council

GreenThumb is excited to welcome Amanda Groziak and Carina Nieves as our new Civic Corps Fellows who will be managing the 4th annual GreenThumb Youth Leadership Council (YLC), our initiative to engage New York City youth in civic service, promote intergenerational learning, and foster the next generation of community garden leaders. This free program takes place during spring/summer of 2018, and we are looking for our next cohort of youth members, and also college mentors. Our application is now open and the Deadline for gardens to apply is November 20th, 2017. For more information on the Youth Leadership Council, visit the GreenThumb websiteor contact Carina by email carina.nieves@parks.nyc.gov.

GreenThumb Volunteer Program

GreenThumb is also excited to welcome Hauwa Abubakar as a Civic Corps Fellow. Hauwa will be creating a volunteer program to connect GreenThumb gardens with New Yorkers interested in volunteering in gardens. More details to come!

Save the Dates!

GreenThumb GrowTogether – March 31, 2018

The 34th annual GrowTogether will be held on March 31, 2017. We have outgrown our past venue, and this year’s GrowTogether will be held at Manhattan Borough Community College. In addition to celebrating the kickoff to another great community gardening season, GreenThumb will be celebrating its 40th birthday! Mark your calendars and stay tuned for more information.

MulchFest – January 6th & 7th

10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Bring your holiday tree to a designated city park or garden to be recycled into mulch that will nourish plantings across the city. Join the NYC Parks, the New York City Department of Sanitation, and GreeNYC to recycle your Christmas trees into wood chips. These wood chips are used to nourish trees and plants on streets and gardens citywide. Or, take home your very own bag of mulch to use in your backyard or to make a winter bed for a street tree. More than 26,000 trees were recycled last year. Help us top this number!

Fall Supply Distribution

Registered GreenThumb gardens can pick up basic winter maintenance supplies, including ice breakers, bags of calciumchloride pellets (salt), and snow shovels for your registered GreenThumb garden on Saturday, Nov. 4 / 10:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.

You must RSVP here or by calling our main line at (212) 602-5300 by October 27, 2017.

Please see below for additional information.

Saturday, Nov. 4

10:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.

10:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m.: Pick-up by RSVP
12:30 p.m.–1:00 p.m.: Walk-ins on a first-come,first-served basis, while supplies last

BRONX

Townsend Community Garden
1735 Walton Ave.

BROOKLYN

New Vision Garden
590 Schenck Ave.

BROOKLYN

Hattie Carthan Community Garden
719 Marcy Ave.

MANHATTAN

Green Oasis Community Garden
382 E. 8th St.

MANHATTAN

Chenchita’s Group Community Garden
1691 Madison Ave.

STATEN ISLAND

GreenThumb will deliver directly to gardens in Staten Island.

Wednesday, Nov. 8

4:30 p.m.–6:30 p.m.

QUEENS

GreenThumb Compound
10-01 Queens Plaza South

Grants and Opportunities

Community Food Projects Competitive Grant Program, USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture

National Institute of Food and Agriculture requests applications for the Community Food Projects Competitive Grants Program for fiscal year 2018. The Community Food Projects Competitive Grants Program funds two types of grants, Community Food Projects and Planning Projects. The estimated total program funding in fiscal year 2018 is approximately $8,640,000.

Deadline: December 4, 2017
Learn more about the Community Food Projects Grant Program

STEW-MAP is Live!

The STEW-MAP 2017 survey is now live! STEW-MAP is a map and searchable database of stewardship groups designed to help understand and strengthen our civic capacity to take care of New York’s neighborhoods. Your response and input helps support a vibrant, connected, and green NYC.

Learn more about STEW-MAP, and contact stewmap.ufs@gmail.com with any questions.

Home Depot Community Impact Grant

The Home Depot Foundation offers grants up to $5,000 to 501(c)(3) organizations that are using the power of volunteers to improve the physical health of their community.

Deadline: Rolling basis until Sunday, Dec. 31, 2017
Learn more about the Home Depot Community Impact Grant

Citizens Committee for New York City: Love Your Block Grant

Love Your Block is an initiative of NYC Service in partnership with Citizens Committee for New York City that provides a unique opportunity for neighborhood groups to transform and improve their 5communities through local action while leveraging City services. Resident-led volunteer groups receive a grant of up to $1,000 and City services provided by the Department of Parks and Recreation, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Sanitation of New York, and the Department of Environmental Protection to help improve their block. In addition to the grant and City services, groups receive project planning and community building assistance as well as support with local media coverage for the project.

Deadline: November 6, 2017
Learn more about the Love Your Block Grant

Safe in the City Grant

The Safe in the City Grant offers funding opportunities designed to support community based actions and activities that will make neighborhoods safer. In addition to funding, applicants will also receive best practices and strategies from the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice’s Public Safety Tool Kit, further empowering them to employ prevention, intervention and trauma response methods while amplifying the voice of community to stand against violence and promote healthy, vibrant neighborhoods.

Deadline: Rolling
Learn more about the Safe in the City Grant

Capacity Fund Grant

Get funding for your park or garden group’s ideas and efforts to improve NYC Parks from our Capacity Fund Grant. If you are an active community park or garden group supporting an NYC Parks property in any of New York City’s five boroughs, you may be eligible to apply for a small grant of up to $5,000 for park projects including events, tools, websites, and outreach materials.

Deadline: February 1, 2018
Learn more about the Capacity Fund Grant

City Parks Foundation

View a listing of grant opportunities and other resources on the City Parks Foundation website.

Workshops

Did you know that ALL our workshops are free and open to the public? You can find soil and lumber request forms at ALL GreenThumb-led workshops.

GreenThumb Workshop Survey

Do you have ideas for GreenThumb workshops? Would you like to 6host a workshop in your garden, share your skills by teaching other gardeners, or simply let us know which workshops you’d like us to offer? Let us know in the GreenThumb Workshop Survey!

Wednesday, Nov. 1

Gardening for Liberation: A Social Justice Roundtable Series GreenThumb (Part 1)

6:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m.

Join community garden leaders for a panel followed by small group discussions where community gardeners will share stories about how they’re using their community gardens in various interconnected movements for liberation.

Moderator: Karen Washington, Farmer at Rise & Root Farm, GreenThumb community gardener at Garden of Happiness

Check the event listing page for an updated list of panelists and for pre-registration which is strongly recommended.

Location: Project Farmhouse
76 E. 13th St.
MANHATTAN

Thursday, Nov. 9

Gardening for Liberation: A Social Justice Roundtable Series GreenThumb (Part 2)

6:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m.

Join community garden leaders for a panel followed by small group discussions where community gardeners will share stories about how they’re using their community gardens in various interconnected movements for liberation.

Moderator: Yonnette Fleming is a lifelong musician, social change catalyst and urban farmer who is committed to advancing systems of knowledge which help people recognize oppression and build health and resilience at the individual, community, and ecosystem levels.

Check the event listing page for an updated list of panelists and for pre-registration which is strongly recommended.

Location: P.S. 262 El Hajj Malik El Shabazz Elementary/Middle School
500 Macon St.
BROOKLYN

Saturday, Nov. 11

Keeping Chickens Part 2: Fall and Winter (Bronx)

11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
Lilly Kesselman, GreenThumb community gardener at Brook Park, and GreenThumb

Learn the nuts and bolts of keeping chickens in the city. This workshop will be the second in a two-part series and will cover maintenance for the fall and winter seasons. Garden groups who attended Part 1 in the summer and attend either location for Part 2 will be eligible to receive a book on keeping chickens.

Location: Brook Park
494 E. 141st St.
BRONX

Saturday, Nov. 11

Putting your Garden to Bed

11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
NYC Compost Project hosted by Snug Harbor

Use traditional techniques to keep soil protected from the elements, experiment with mulch, and sow cold weather crops for next spring.

Register at snug-harbor.org/compost/

Location: Snug Harbor Compost Demonstration Site
For directions visit snug-harbor.org/visit/directions The Compost Demonstration Site is #23 on the map.
STATEN ISLAND

Tuesday, Nov. 14

Organizing for Garden Success: Group Structure (Part One of Two)

5:30 p.m.–8:00 p.m
GreenThumb and Partnerships for Parks

Disorganization creates dysfunction. This two-part workshop series is designed to help your garden group build a strong foundation to deal with the many issues that arise in a community space. In this workshop, we will discuss different examples of group structure and how they can help alleviate stressful decision-making. Registered GreenThumb community gardens will be eligible to receive a free book if members of your garden group attend all three sessions.

Location: GreenThumb Office (Please bring photo ID)
100 Gold St., Third Floor Grand Conference Room
MANHATTAN

Saturday, November 18

Winter is Coming: Prepare for the Off-Season

11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
GreenThumb

Learn how to prepare your garden for winter so you can get a head start on the growing season. We will go over proper storage of tools, winter compost maintenance, and general garden clean-up. Este taller se ofrecerá con traducción al Español.

Location: Townsend Community Garden
1735 Walton Ave.
BRONX

Tuesday, November 28

Share your Story with the Smithsonian

5:30 p.m.–7:30 p.m.
Cindy Nibbelink Worley and Haja Worley, GreenThumbcommunity gardeners at Joseph Daniel Wilson Memorial Garden, Board Members of NYCCGC, author and WHCR Radio Host respectively; Sarita Daftary, Food Dignity Project; and GreenThumb

Bring your garden’s story, and we’ll help you shape, edit, refine, and submit to the Smithsonian’s ongoing Community of Gardens project. You can submit up to 2,000 words about your garden, as well as photos and audio. “By contributing images, videos, and stories to this website, your participation will help others to better understand the meaning and value of gardens to American life–today and in the future. Community of Gardens is the Smithsonian’s digital home for sharing and preserving the stories of gardens and the gardeners who make them grow.” For more information, check out communityofgardens.si.edu, or join us at this workshop.

Location: GreenThumb Office (Please bring photo ID)
100 Gold St., Third Floor Grand Conference Room
MANHATTAN

Thursday, Nov. 30

Organizing for Garden Success: Bylaws (Part Two of Two)

5:30 p.m.–8:00 p.m.
GreenThumb

Disorganization creates dysfunction. This two-part workshop series is designed to help your garden group build a strong foundation to deal with the many issues that arise in a community space. In this workshop, we will discuss garden rules and procedures that assist in decision-making. Registered GreenThumb community gardens will be eligible to receive a free book if members of your garden group attend all three sessions.

Location: GreenThumb Office (Please bring photo ID)
100 Gold St., Third Floor Grand Conference Room
MANHATTAN

Grow to Learn Fall 2017 Workshop Registration

Grow to Learn, the citywide school garden initiative, of which GreenThumb is a principal partner, provides workshops and programming for school and community gardeners as well as the general public. GTL has a wide variety of topics for you to select, including learning about soils, carpentry or about how your fellow school gardeners are raising chickens in their gardens. You must register to attend any Grow to Learn workshop- fill out the information below to sign up for one or more workshops of your choice. View the Grow to Learn Workshop Calendar. The sign-up information is there as well. We hope you will come and join us this fall to learn and share skills with us.

Access all workshop info and more in GreenThumb‘s Fall Program Guide

GreenThumb October News and Events

News
GreenThumb Harvest Fair and Garden Recognition Awards recap
GreenThumb‘s annual Harvest Fair at Brooklyn Bears Pacific Garden in Brooklyn was huge success! We welcomed thousands of New Yorkers and hundreds of community gardeners to celebrate another gardening season and award ribbons in the annual Harvest Competition. We also celebrated the 2nd annual GreenThumbGarden Recognition Awards. Please join us in recognizing this year’s winners below.

Lifetime Achievement Award (Individual)
Jenny Benitez – Jenny’s Garden (Manhattan)

Lifetime Achievement Award (Garden)
Liz Christy Community Garden (Manhattan)

Greening Partner Award
Citizens Committee for New York City

Sustainability Award
462 Halsey Community Farm (Brooklyn)

Landscape Design Award
Clinton Community Garden (Manhattan)

Rookie of the Year
Windmill Community Garden (Queens)

Community Engagement Award
Joe Holzka Community Garden (Staten Island)

Youth Programming Award
McKinley’s Children Garden (Queens)

Public Art Award
Children’s Magical Garden (Manhattan)

Urban Agriculture Award
Taqwa Community Farm (Bronx)

Membership Updates are Past Due!
All registered GreenThumb community gardens should send an updated complete list of all their members to the respective Outreach Coordinator via email or US Mail. Download the submission template. Membership lists allow GreenThumb to identify gardens that can accommodate new members. This list is a GreenThumb requirement, and no service requests can be processed until this is met.

Winter is Coming!

This is a friendly reminder that all GreenThumb gardens on City-owned property are required to clear the sidewalks in front of their gardens of snow and ice following winter weather events. This is required as per the GreenThumb license, NYC Administrative Code, and DSNY regulations. It is important that all groups fulfill this responsibility to ensure public safety and maintain safe and inviting spaces throughout New York City. To support garden groups in doing this, GreenThumb will once again distribute shovels, calcium chloride, and ice breakers at our Fall Supply Distribution on November 4th. Details are below.
Strategic Planning Survey
GreenThumb has kicked off a 5-year strategic planning process, and we want your input! Help us plot out the next five years so that we can best support our network of 550+ community gardens and 20,000 community gardeners.

Current gardeners can participate here. And here is the Spanish version.

And anyone who is interested can participate here. And here is the Spanish version.

Please share widely. We want to hear from you!

New Grow to Learn Director!
Green Thumb is excited to welcome Kristin Fields as the new Director of Grow to Learn, the citywide school gardening initiative. Kristin was formally introduced to food and farming at the Queens County Farm Museum, where she started as an educator and later managed all educational programming. As a high school teacher, she integrated environmental sustainability into her English Language Arts curriculum before transitioning back to non-traditional learning spaces, most recently at the New York Transit Museum. Kristin is thrilled to join Grow to Learn and continue to build upon the amazing work already in progress.
Learn more about Grow to Learn here.
Youth Leadership Council
GreenThumb is excited to welcome Amanda Groziak and Carina Nieves as our new Civic Corps Fellows who will be managing the 4th annual GreenThumb Youth Leadership Council (YLC), our initiative to engage New York City youth in civic service, promote intergenerational learning, and foster the next generation of community garden leaders. This free program takes place during spring/summer of 2018, and we are looking for our next cohort of youth members, and also college mentors. Our application is now open and the deadline for gardens to apply is November 20th, 2017. For more information on the Youth Leadership Council, visit the GreenThumb website or contact Carina by email carina.nieves@parks.nyc.gov.
GreenThumb Volunteer Program
GreenThumb is also excited to welcome Hauwa Abubakar as a Civic Corps Fellow. Hauwa will be creating a volunteer program to support GreenThumb gardens with New Yorkers interested in volunteering in gardens. More details to come!

Save the Dates!

GreenThumb GrowTogether – March 31, 2018 
The 34th annual GrowTogether will be held on March 31, 2017. We have outgrown our past venue, and this year’s GrowTogether will be held at Manhattan Borough Community College. In addition to celebrating the kickoff to another great community gardening season, GreenThumb will be celebrating its 40th birthday! Mark your calendars and stay tuned for more information.

MulchFest – January 6th & 7th 
10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Bring your holiday tree to a designated city park or garden to be recycled into mulch that will nourish plantings across the city. Join the NYC Parks, the New York City Department of Sanitation, and GreeNYC to recycle your Christmas trees into wood chips. These wood chips are used to nourish trees and plants on streets and gardens citywide. Or, take home your very own bag of mulch to use in your backyard or to make a winter bed for a street tree. More than 26,000 trees were recycled last year. Help us top this number!
Fall Supply Distribution
Registered GreenThumb gardens can pick up basic winter maintenance supplies, including ice breakers, bags of calcium
chloride pellets (salt), and snow shovels for your registered GreenThumb garden on Saturday, Nov. 4 / 10:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.

You must RSVP here or by calling our main line at (212) 602-5300 by October 27, 2017.

Please see below for additional information.

Saturday, Nov. 4 
10:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.

10:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m.: Pick-up by RSVP
12:30 p.m.–1:00 p.m.: Walk-ins on a first-come,
first-served basis, while supplies last

BRONX
Townsend Community Garden
1735 Walton Ave.

BROOKLYN
New Vision Garden
590 Schenck Ave.

BROOKLYN
Hattie Carthan Community Garden
719 Marcy Ave.

MANHATTAN
Green Oasis Community Garden
382 E. 8th St.

MANHATTAN
Chenchita’s Group Community Garden
1691 Madison Ave.

STATEN ISLAND
GreenThumb will deliver directly to gardens in Staten Island.

Wednesday, Nov. 8 
4:30 p.m.–6:30 p.m.

QUEENS
GreenThumb Compound
10-01 Queens Plaza South

Grants and Opportunities

Community Food Projects Competitive Grant Program, USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture
National Institute of Food and Agriculture requests applications for the Community Food Projects Competitive Grants Program for fiscal year 2018. The Community Food Projects Competitive Grants Program funds two types of grants, Community Food Projects and Planning Projects. The estimated total program funding in fiscal year 2018 is approximately $8,640,000.

Deadline: December 4, 2017
Learn more about the Community Food Projects Grant Program

STEW-MAP is Live!
The STEW-MAP 2017 survey is now live! STEW-MAP is a map and searchable database of stewardship groups designed to help understand and strengthen our civic capacity to take care of New York’s neighborhoods. Your response and input helps support a vibrant, connected, and green NYC.

Learn more about STEW-MAP, and contact stewmap.ufs@gmail.com with any questions.

Home Depot Community Impact Grant
The Home Depot Foundation offers grants up to $5,000 to 501(c)(3) organizations that are using the power of volunteers to improve the physical health of their community.

Deadline: Rolling basis until Sunday, Dec. 31, 2017
Learn more about the Home Depot Community Impact Grant

Citizens Committee for New York City: Love Your Block Grant 
Love Your Block is an initiative of NYC Service in partnership with Citizens Committee for New York City that provides a unique opportunity for neighborhood groups to transform and improve their communities through local action while leveraging City services. Resident-led volunteer groups receive a grant of up to $1,000 and City services provided by the Department of Parks and Recreation, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Sanitation of New York, and the Department of Environmental Protection to help improve their block. In addition to the grant and City services, groups receive project planning and community building assistance as well as support with local media coverage for the project.

Deadline: November 6, 2017
Learn more about the Love Your Block Grant

Safe in the City Grant
The Safe in the City Grant offers funding opportunities designed to support community based actions and activities that will make neighborhoods safer. In addition to funding, applicants will also receive best practices and strategies from the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice’s Public Safety Tool Kit, further empowering them to employ prevention, intervention and trauma response methods while amplifying the voice of community to stand against violence and promote healthy, vibrant neighborhoods.
Deadline: Rolling
Learn more about the Safe in the City Grant

City Parks Foundation
View a listing of grant opportunities and other resources on the City Parks Foundation website.

Workshops

Did you know that ALL our workshops are free and open to the public? You can find soil and lumber request forms at ALL GreenThumb-led workshops.

GreenThumb Workshop Survey
Do you have ideas for GreenThumb workshops? Would you like to host a workshop in your garden, share your skills by teaching other gardeners, or simply let us know which workshops you’d like us to offer? Let us know in the GreenThumb Workshop Survey!

Tuesday, Oct. 10

Composting with Bokashi 
5:30 p.m.–7:30 p.m.
Shig Matsukawa, community gardener at El Sol Brillante, and GreenThumb

Learn about the bokashi composting method, how to ferment all food waste, how to use fermented food waste in soil, to feed earthworms, or to add to your existing composting setup, and how to make your own bokashi fermentation starter.

Location: El Sol Brillante Community Garden. 526 E. 12th St. MANHATTAN

Wednesdays, Oct. 11, 14 and 18

Soil is Alive Series 
October 11: 6:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m.
October 14: 10:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
October 18: 6:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m.

Bronx Green-Up of The New York Botanical Garden
This three-part workshop will focus on maintaining and building healthy soil, vital to any productive garden, whether you grow vegetables or flowers. Learn what soil is, how to enrich it the organic way, and what concerns exist for urban soils. Parts 1 and 2 will take place at The New York Botanical Garden, and Part 3 will be hands-on at a community garden. Pre-registration is required. Priority will be given to Bronx community gardeners, but others are welcome if space allows. To register or for more information, call 718.817.8026 or e-mail bronxgreenup@nybg.org.

Location: New York Botanical Garden – Watson Education Building. Enter through the Mosholu Gate entrance. BRONX.

Thursday, Oct. 12

Triangular Double Raised Bed Design 
5:30 p.m.–7:30 p.m.
GreenThumb

Need a raised bed for a corner or just looking for interesting raised bed designs? Come learn how to measure angles and put together a triangular, double-height raised bed.

Location: 462 Halsey Community Garden 462 Halsey St. BROOKLYN

Saturday, Oct. 14

Soil Reboot: Compost and Green Manures
11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
NYC Compost Project hosted by Snug Harbor

Explore cover cropping strategies that return fertility back to the land and hand-sow a fall cover crop mix to shelter and enrich the soil. Register at snug-harbor.org/compost/

Location: Snug Harbor STATEN ISLAND

Compost Demonstration Site For directions visit snug-harbor.org/visit/directions/. The Compost Demonstration Site is #23 on the map

Tuesday, Oct. 17

Keeping Chickens Part 2: Fall and Winter (Brooklyn) 
5:30 p.m.–7:30 p.m.
Alex LaMond, GreenThumb community gardener at Tranquility Farm, and GreenThumb

Learn the nuts and bolts of keeping chickens in the city. This workshop will be the second in a two-part series and will cover maintenance for the fall and winter seasons. Garden groups who attended Part 1 in the summer and attend either location for Part 2 will be eligible to receive a book on keeping chickens.
Register at snug-harbor.org/compost/
Location: Tranquility Farm 267 Throop Ave. BROOKLYN
Thursday, Oct. 19

Gardening in a Changing Climate: What to Expect and How to Adapt 
6:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m.
Dr. Darcy Telenko, Cornell Cooperative Extension, El Puente, and GreenThumb

Mild winters, summer droughts, and heavy storms are impacting growers throughout the region. More garden pests and diseases are surviving the winter and weed issues are changing. Come share what you’ve been experiencing with the changing climate in your garden and discuss what to do about it with Dr. Darcy Telenko, regional vegetable extension specialist for the Cornell Vegetable Program, who currently serves twelve western New York counties, where she focuses on fresh market vegetable production, weed management, and climate change resiliency. Join us beforehand for a tour of Espíritu Tierra Community Garden at 5:00 p.m. before the workshop, located at 203 South 2nd St., weather permitting.
Location: El Puente 211 S. 4th St. BROOKLYN
Tuesday, October 24

Season Extension and Cover Crops 
5:30 p.m.–7:00 p.m.
GreenThumb

Harvest your greens and root veggies well into December with low tunnels and row cover. We’ll discuss and build some simple season extension methods. We’ll also discuss and plant a cover crop seed mix. Registered GreenThumb community gardeners will be eligible to receive row cover and cover crop seeds, while supplies last!
Location: Howard Garden 750 Howard Ave. BROOKLYN
Wednesdays, Oct. 25, Nov. 1, Nov. 8, and Nov. 15

Pruning Series 
6:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m.
Bronx Green-Up of The New York Botanical Garden The New York Botanical Garden • Watson Education Building

The Pruning Certificate course has been designed to help you learn to prune properly and improve your community garden. This course is ideal for community gardeners who want to keep their gardens in good shape. The focus of the class will be on pruning small trees and shrubs, with a full class devoted to fruit tree pruning. To receive a pruning certificate you must attend the four class dates listed above and demonstrate your pruning skills through 8 hours of practice at community garden workdays. Pre-registration is required. Priority will be given to Bronx community gardeners. To register or for more information, call 718.817.8026 or e-mailbronxgreenup@nybg.org.
Location: New York Botanical Garden – Watson Education Building Enter through the Mosholu Gate entrance. BRONX
Thursday, Oct. 26
Pumpkin Painting (Bronx)
5:30 p.m.–7:00 p.m.
GreenThumb It’s that time of year to use your creative chops and turn pumpkins into festive decorations. GreenThumb will have pumpkins and paint ready – please bring any other supplies and decorations to add to the beauty of your seasonal creation. This is a great workshop for the whole family! Este taller se ofrecerá con traducción al Español.
Location: United We Stand Garden 627 E. 137th St. BRONX
More Details

Saturday, Oct. 28

Pumpkin Painting (Brooklyn)
11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
GreenThumb It’s that time of year to use your creative chops and turn pumpkins into festive decorations. GreenThumb will have pumpkins and paint ready – please bring any other supplies and decorations to add to the beauty of your seasonal creation. This is a great workshop for the whole family! Este taller se ofrecerá con traducción al Español.

Location: Berry Street Garden 303 Berry St. BROOKLYN
More Details

Saturday, Oct. 28

Bulbs: Design and Planting 
10:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m.
The Battery Conservancy Participants will learn about different types of bulbs, how to properly plant them, and how to design a beautiful spring display full of flowers. Pre-registration required attbcevents.eventbrite.com.

Location: The Battery. Enter at the corner of State St. and Broadway. MANHATTAN
More Details

Grow to Learn Fall 2017 Workshop Registration
Grow to Learn, the citywide school garden initiative, of which GreenThumb is a principal partner, provides workshops and programming for school and community gardeners as well as the general public. GTL has a wide variety of topics for you to select, including learning about soils, carpentry or about how your fellow school gardeners are raising chickens in their gardens. You must register to attend any Grow to Learn workshop- fill out the information below to sign up for one or more workshops of your choice. View the Grow to Learn Workshop Calendar. The sign-up information is there as well. We hope you will come and join us this fall to learn and share skills with us.

Access all workshop info and more in GreenThumb‘s Fall Program Guide