COMPLETE THE 2020 CENSUS NOW
Dear all — please see below for the latest greenthumb announcements. In particular, I encourage everyone to sign up for the Rat Academy! It is more fun than you think to learn about preventing rats in our garden. 🙂 — Bethany
The 2020 Census is critical to the future of New York City. If we don’t complete the census, New York City will lose billions of dollars distributed by the federal government every year for schools, hospitals, health clinics, affordable housing, public transit, and much more. We will also lose up to two seats in Congress and representation in Albany.
The census is easy, safe, and confidential. It can be completed online or by phone, and is just 10 simple questions that can be answered in under 10 minutes. By law, your responses are completely confidential and cannot be shared with anyone — not immigration, not the police, not tax authorities; not even your landlord. There are no questions about immigration, citizenship, criminal history, or income.
All you need is your address – no special code required. Visit my2020census.gov or call 844-330-2020 to complete your census form today.
Invasive Pest Sightings – Spotted Lantern Fly
The Spotted Lantern Fly (SLF) is an invasive pest that was first found in the northeast in 2014 and was confirmed as found in NYC in Manhattan in the latter half of 2019. Since that initial sighting they have been found in many places in Manhattan and other boroughs, unfortunately. The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and the state Department of Agriculture & Markets are conducting surveys currently via inspections. It is important that people report sightings of the SLF as well as their egg masses to spottedlanternfly@agriculture.ny.gov or here https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/a08d60f6522043f5bd04229e00acdd63
The fact sheet attached to this email can help you identify the Spotted Lantern Fly and its egg cases. All sightings should be reported, and the insects themselves should be placed in a baggie or jar to be suffocated so that a DEC or NYSDAM representative can collect it after you report it through the above survey or email address. For egg masses, a small sample should be scraped into a zip-lock bag and sealed. The remainder of the egg mass should be put in a baggie and doused with alcohol or hand sanitizer and then discarded.
GreenThumb Programming Updates
Special Webinar with International Partners
Food for Resilience: Transatlantic Lessons from Community Gardens and Farms
Friday, September 18, 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
This webinar will share lessons from across the pond on how community food growing is building resilience in cities, how they have responded to Covid-19 and reflect on what we can learn for the future beyond Covid-19, for challenges that lie ahead.
Organized by Capital Growth in London, NYC Parks GreenThumb in New York City and Toronto Urban Growers, it will provide a context for how the cities are supporting and organising their networks, and share valuable insights from the gardens.
Harvest Fair Goes Virtual
Saturday, September 26th, 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
GreenThumb’s annual Harvest Fair celebrates the ongoing efforts of GreenThumb community gardeners who have continued growing and producing during these uncertain times. Join us for a day filled with workshops, a virtual tabling with our greening partners, and the announcement of this year’s winning harvest from community gardeners. Stay tuned for the schedule for the day!
If you are a GreenThumb gardener and think you’ve grown an award-winning vegetable or flower, please enter the 2020 Harvest Fair competition! Submit up to 10 photos in total of your best vegetables and flowers. Winners will be announced on Saturday, September 26th during our virtual recording. Winners will receive a virtual certificate or a ribbon for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place. Entries will be judged on condition, quality, uniformity of size, and color.
For more information visit www.greenthumbnyc.org and to enter the competition, please fill out the Harvest Fair Submission Form by Friday, September 16th.
What’s Wrong With My Vegetable Plant? Office Hours with Cornell Cooperative Extension
Thursday, September 17, 12 p.m. – 1 p.m.
What are these spots on my tomatoes? What is this bug, and is it eating or helping my crops? GreenThumb is thrilled to continue our partnership with Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) this fall to help GreenThumb community gardeners have a successful growing season. Please submit your photos and questions in advance (photos from past seasons are welcome if you anticipate recurring issues this season). During the virtual office hours, CCE Urban Agriculture Specialists Yolanda Gonzalez and Sam Anderson, together with GreenThumb staff, will do our best to provide answers, tips, and suggestions! Register to attend the virtual office hours at cce_officehours_sept.eventbrite.com. These sessions are reserved for members of GreenThumb community gardens in good standing. Please submit your photos and questions in advance, by Monday, September 14 at noon.
GreenThumb Growing Food Toolkit
GreenThumb supports community gardeners in growing food through educational workshops and materials. In the GreenThumb Growing Food Toolkit, you will find most of our workshop handouts and webinar recordings, as well as many resources from partnering organizations, on topics related to food production. We will continue to add to this page and update our educational resources as time and capacity allows.
GreenThumb Webinars
Join us for an ongoing series of online workshops to dig in, grow food, and keep your community garden going while following health and safety protocols.
Did you miss some of our past webinars and are interested in learning more about that topic? Did you miss our great keynote speakers on Earth Day? They are now available to watch online here: bit.ly/GreenThumbWebinars
Upcoming webinars include:
Please click the link to RSVP and receive information on how to join the webinar.
Conflict Transformation Circles: Orientation
Wednesday, September 9, 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
How can we hold space for and resolve conflict within our groups? In these monthly sessions, mediators Skye Roper-Moses and Michelle Jackson will facilitate discussion circles for community gardeners to bring their challenges to the group and collectively generate solutions. This one hour orientation is important to attend for all future sessions.
Conflict Transformation Circles for Community Gardeners
Wednesday, September 23, 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
How can we hold space for and resolve conflict within our groups? In these monthly sessions, mediators Skye Roper-Moses and Michelle Jackson will facilitate discussion circles for community gardeners to bring their challenges to the group and collectively generate solutions.
Demystifying Mental Health Care with ThriveNYC and the Department for the Aging
Thursday, September 24, 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Tune in for a discussion on ThriveNYC and NYC Dept. for the Aging’s services and resources, and how they can support community gardens across the city. Come with your questions!
Organizing for Garden Success: Group Structure
Wednesday, October 7, 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
This two-part workshop series is designed to help your garden group build a strong foundation for your group’s leadership and decision-making structures.
Updates and Resources from Partners
Department of Health & Mental Hygiene Rat Academies
Rat Academies have gone Virtual! Attend a session to learn more about safe and effective rat prevention techniques. Upcoming sessions require RSVP here:
Partnerships for Parks Webinars
Partnership for Parks provides support to neighborhood volunteers to advocate and care for parks and green spaces. They are offering a variety of webinars that may be of interest to community gardeners. Details about upcoming webinars are available here.
Distance Learning from our Partners
GrowNYC’s Education programs are providing weekly reads and activities using upcycled, easy-to-access materials for children and adults at home. Learn how to build your own tiny greenhouse in your apartment, a tasty recipe for mugwort, and more by visiting: https://www.grownycdistancelearning.org/
New York Restoration Project is also posting webinars on their YouTube page on different topics including climate change, green infrastructure and soil health.
Soul Fire Farm is hosting Black womxn farmers every Friday on Facebook Live to discuss gardening, livestock, agroforestry, plant medicine, and food preservation. Anyone is welcome to join, but please create space for centered folks to speak and ask questions. Learn more.
Food Resource Guides:
In this difficult time, we understand that food insecurity is a growing concern. Please see these food access resource guides from partner organizations.
Coronavirus NYC Neighborhood Food Resource Guides: To help connect community members in need with food resources during this challenging time, the Hunter College NYC Food Policy Center is constantly updating Coronavirus NYC Food Resource Guides for each NYC neighborhood. Each resource guide includes information related to food access within the community, such as meals for students and seniors during this time, delivery services for people with disabilities, and resources for immigrants. Resource guides will be published and updated as rapidly as possible, in order of the NYC neighborhoods most impacted by poverty and food insecurity. For more information, visit: https://www.nycfoodpolicy.org/coronavirus-nyc-food-reports/.
GrowNYC COVID-19 Schedule Changes & Resources: Most Greenmarkets and some Farmstand locations are open and operating on schedule, changes to the schedule are listed here. In addition, many Greenmarket producers are offering a variety of ways to purchase their products, from allowing customers to pre-order and pick up at a market, to direct home delivery and shipping products from their online stores. All of that information is available in one place at GrowNYC Greenmarket Alternative Sales Directory 2020. For more information, visit: https://www.grownyc.org/blog/schedule-changes.
Cooperative Extension Survey about Urban Agriculture
The survey available at this link will help Extension educators and researchers at your local land grant university better serve urban farmers and gardeners. NYC Parks GreenThumb is not affiliated with this research. We are sharing it in case gardeners want to get involved.
Food and Agriculture Anti-Racism Resources
FoodTech Connect compiled this list of resources to help with better understanding systemic racism in the food system. They also included Black-owned farms, businesses and organizations to support. Learn more.
LES Ecology Center has Compost Available
The LES Ecology Center has free compost available for community gardens! Delivery options are available to sites in the Lower East Side. All other gardens would need to coordinate a pick-up from the Ecology Center’s compost site in East River Park in the Lower East Side. Fill out their Compost Request Form to request compost and learn more.
