Volunteer Opportunity: Cars and Woodchips

March 22, 2011
by garden
1 min read

Hi gardeners,

We need wood chips to line the paths between beds in the West Garden. We can get these free from Central Park if we pick them up ourselves. With 2 cars and drivers, a stack of garbage bags, and a few more volunteers we can do this in a relatively short time. We know a number of you have cars, but always have trouble getting drivers to volunteer. Please make this the exception! We’ll work with the day and time that is best for you. Anytime before the April 9 workday.

Thanks so much.
Ann Levine
for the Steering Committee

Successful Gardening Resources

March 18, 2011
by garden
1 min read

First Crocuses, photo by Robin Mace
First Crocuses, photo by Robin Mace
Hi Gardeners,

As we await Spring’s arrival (today will do) I’m posting some resources I found online. Bur first, check out what’s blooming in the garden. Robin Mace captured the first crocuses. Beautiful!

From the National Gardening Association,
Mid-Atlantic Regional Gardening Report featuring blight-resistant cherry tomatoes, garden photography and the following reminders for preparing gardens for Spring:

  • Cut Back Shrubby Dogwoods For New Growth
  • Clip Twiggy Leadwort
  • Repair Turf
  • Seed Grass
  • Clean Up Winter Debris

From NC Cooperative Extension’s website, successfulgardener.org:
Be Healthy — Grow What You Eat (PDF)
A brochure describing the benefits of growing your own food to you and your family with tips on preparing a garden, types of vegetables and fruits that thrive in cold and warm climates and more.

Opening Potluck Brunch: Sun, March 13, 1pm

February 17, 2011
by garden
3 min read

Dear Gardeners,

We are pleased to announce that the opening meeting for the 104th Street Garden will be on Sunday, March 13 at 1:00 pm in the community room at the Schneider Apartments, 11 West 102 Street. This will be a potluck brunch, so please bring something delicious to share if you are able.

We will elect the season’s Steering Committee at this meeting and we would like to encourage garden members to participate. The Steering Committee is the democratically elected governing body of the garden tasked with coordinating the communal workdays, solving small problems as they arise and coordinating member votes on more large-scale proposals. In recent years these have included the decisions to install the rainwater harvesting system and new beds to accommodate a growing membership.

Whether you are a new or a continuing member of the garden, we encourage you to volunteer to run for a post on the Steering Committee. New ideas, fresh perspectives, and energy are healthy additions to the administrative well being of our garden community. Even if you are a long-time member of the garden who has served on the Steering Committee in the past, please consider running for Steering once again. Not only do we ask that you consider the impact your experience with the garden could make, but also to embrace the reality that there are a limited number of members in our community. We must all take a turn on a rotating basis and put in some time to keep our garden functioning so that this community resource nourished by you and others continues to thrive. We need you now.

In addition, Pam Wax is leaving the neighborhood and sadly will not be returning this season. We are enormously grateful for the stellar job Pam has done in coordinating the monitoring schedule, and now we need someone to take up the helm on this task. She is happy to explain the system she has devised for tracking and notification to anyone who will volunteer to take over from her.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact any of the current Steering Committee members listed below.

Sincerely,
W. 104th St Garden Steering Committee (2010 season)

Mary Kelly i.marya@verizon.net 212-807-0266
Nikki Kowalski nikster55@verizon.net 212-665-7897
Ann Levine siswi@aol.com 212-866-3378
Paula McKenzie paulatb2@verizon.net 212-222-6337
Shane Nye shanenye@yahoo.com 510-282-1992
Alan Tenney alan.tenney@gmail.com 212-663-1314
Janice Vrana jvrana@verizon.net 212-749-7875
Marcia Berry (treasurer) xanadu@nyc.rr.com 212-865-8630

Green Thumb Program Guide is Out!

February 10, 2011
by garden
1 min read

Green Thumb

The Spring edition of the GreenThumb Program Guide is out! That means the growing season is getting closer and it’s just about time to start planning your crops and starting seeds indoors! Look inside for more information on workshops, giveaways and events for the coming quarter including:

Making Brooklyn Bloom, Saturday, March 12
The GreenThumb GrowTogether, Saturday, April 2
Chicken Health & Husbandry (bilingual English and Spanish), Thursday, May 26

Does your garden need:

  • Seeds
  • Raised Bed Lumber
  • Fruit Trees .
  • Soil /Compost/Cleanfill Request
  • Hydrant Wrenches, Hydrant Adapters, and Hoses
  • Plant Starts
  • City Chicken Guide / Guía de la Ciudad de Pollo
  • Native Plants

Download the Program Guide here or at the bottom of the page for details!

Please note that garden members must attend workshops to receive supplies. All workshops are free and open to the public, with no pre-registration (unless otherwise noted). Workshops are rain or shine, canceled only in the event of lightning or other dangerous conditions. All supplies are for registered gardens only and are available first come, first served, while supplies last.

More Information

Call for Presentations: 32nd annual American Community Gardening Association Conference, August 18-21, 2011

January 19, 2011
by garden
1 min read

Dear all:

Please find attached the Call for Presentations for the 32nd annual American Community Gardening Association Conference to take place at Columbia University, New York City, from August 18-21, 2011.

Downloads:

All proposals must be postmarked by March 15, 2011.

For more information on the American Community Gardening Association please have
visit the AGCA website at http://www.communitygarden.org.

Please circulate this message widely within your networks to anybody who might be
interested in presenting or attending.

More Information

—–

If you would like to contact GreenThumb please visit:
http://www.nyc.gov/parks

Mulchfest this weekend!

January 3, 2011
by garden
1 min read

NYC will be recycling Christmas trees next Sat. and Sun. at 3 nearby locations in the Park. They have chipping machines on site. You can dispose of your tree without just throwing it out and take away as many bags of chips as you can carry! It’s too good an opportunity to miss.

Robin has done this for the Garden in the past but isn’t available this year. Will you step in? We need at least one car and driver plus helpers.

Schedule:

Saturday & Sunday, Jan 8 & 9 10 a.m.- 2 p.m.

Central Park*
63rd Street & Central Park West
Chipping

Central Park*
West 81st Street & Central Park West inside the bridle path
Chipping

Central Park*
East 106th Street & Fifth Avenue
Chipping

Please help out!

For more information and to rsvp contact Ann
siswi@aol.com
(212) 866-3378

Celebrate the Solstice: Saturday Dec 18

December 11, 2010
by garden
2 min read

A Winter Welcome to the Solstice —
The Celebration is Back!

Solstice Neighbors and Gardeners and those of Druidical Inclination:
Mark your calendars and make a point to join us for a warm up to Winter.

Saturday, December 18 at 3:30- 5PM

The W. 104th St. Community Garden.
Between Manhattan Ave. and Central Pk. West

What’s it all about? The Winter Solstice (Dec. 21) marks the shortest day of the year and the true beginning of winter. Many early cultures burnt trees and went nuts with dance and song. This was done in an effort to tease the sun back into showing more of itself so they could get back to planting, raising crops and probably griping about friends and family who weren’t applying themselves enough in the fields.

That being said, we at the West 104th Street Garden, use this event for a means to a good time while showing some real concern for those who don’t have food or fields and are likely not having a very good time at all.

What to expect:

  • A can drive (Donations going to City Harvest)
  • Weird Medieval music
  • A Solstice illumination spectacular
  • A warming fire
  • Plenty of hot cocoa (Yes, with marshmallows… Did you have to ask?) and tea time goodies
  • Burning of the T. E. Jaworek Memorial Solstice Duraflame Log
  • Introduction of the Minnie Mouse Fund for Garden Cat Care
    In memory of our late garden cat, Minnie, we would like to accept your spare change for our garden cats. Purge your home of the change sitting around in dishes, in the sofa, in jars and cans you are never going to cash in. Pennies welcome! Donate to the care and feeding of our exterminatin’ felines.

What to bring: A can of food to donate; Spare change for the cats; Good cheer!

What to wear: Something warm. This is an outdoor event.

Jean Jaworek and the 2010 Solstice Committee
Questions? Call (212) 865-3451

THIS IS A SUN OR SNOW EVENT. WE WILL ONLY CANCEL IF IT RAINS.

Lost Gray Fleece?

December 11, 2010
by garden
1 min read

Dear Gardeners,

Mardi Montgomery found a grey fleece vest on top of the cat houses on December 4. She has put the vest in the west garden shed.

Hope it will reconnect with its owner.

West Garden Private Property Cleanup

December 5, 2010
by garden
1 min read
Dear Gardeners,
In storing the West Garden benches today, we found all sorts of things that do not belong in the garden shed. This shed is for storing community supplies (e.g., cat food), not supplies people use for their personal beds (e.g., plaster of paris). Unauthorized material has been piled outside the shed. (Sorry, there just wasn’t room inside.) Please either take your personal materials home or throw them out. The same applies to things left in the aisles between beds. Do NOT leave things for the garbage crew to deal with; cleaning up after individuals isn’t their job.
 
Thank you for your cooperation.
 
The Steering Committee

Sun Nov 14, Meeting and Potluck Brunch

November 12, 2010
by garden
1 min read

Meeting and Potluck Brunch
This Sunday, Nov. 14
1PM
Schneider Houses
West 102 St., btwn CPW and Manhattan Ave.

THE time to see fellow gardeners before winter sets in.
Bring a favorite dish or beverage to share.
We’ll have applications for the 2011 season. Bring cash or check and sign up now to avoid stamp and mailing. Think about your committee choices and whether you would like to head one of the committees next year, an opportunity to put your inspiration to work.

As an added treat, Green Tumb gave us 100 bulbs. If you’d like some for your bed, bring a bag.

Brief wrap-up meeting after the brunch.

Hope to see you there,
The Steering Committee

PS: WINTER CLEAN UP. Green Thumb delivered a heap of compost this morning, which needs to be distributed through both gardens. Do come out and pitch in. The weather promises to be glorious!