There are two upcoming grants from the Office of Sustainability and DSNY/ The Citizens Committee for New York City that you should apply for! Details below…
Have you ever been to the Genovesi Environmental Study Center in Brooklyn? These D75 students have! They are participating in a six week study, making predictions, observations, and collecting data about aquaponic and hydroponic growing systems. They are also working the farm and hanging with the Turkeys in their spare time.
This class at 721R is part of the Garden Partnership with Snug Harbor. Check out how teacher Joe Calcagno is using the Phenology Calendar to help students make observations about the trees outside their window. Joe also planted the seeds for the native grasses that you see sprouting in the foreground at the teacher workshop at BBG. Great work 721R!
The Grow to Learn Mini Grant deadline is approaching. October 26 is the last day to submit your garden grant for $500-$2000. Don’t miss out!
Our first official PLG workshop of the year happened last Friday at our very own BedStuy Fresh Garden at 373K. Do we even need to say that the harvest season is on and popping at our favorite Brooklyn oasis? I spy… the first D75 ginger crop, a giant red okra, a new lemon tree, swiss chard, squash, corn, tomatoes, peppers, collard greens, and pounds and pounds of callaloo.
Are you as excited about the new partnership with Snug Harbor as we are? Some of the coaches went for a visit to scope out the grounds and here is a taste of what we saw. Can you spot the prickly baby cucumber and the yellow bamboo?
Here are some photos from the 373R Elementary school site. They transformed an empty space into a beautiful vegetable/sensory garden.
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- Garden Before
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- Garden After
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- Replanting
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- Tending
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- Growing
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- Admiring
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- Harvesting
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- Sensory Garden
Thank you to Mary Jean Lotito and Pamela Kominoski for the photographs.
A few weeks back, over 60 volunteers from Google (yes, Google!) in partnership with Citizens Committee for New York City and Grow to Learn NYC came out to 373K to help with a major garden expansion project. Not only did they stay until the greenhouse was completed, but alongside the students, they helped transform a segment of the old parking lot from asphalt and gravel to brand new garden space. Thank you, Ms. Maura Flanagan and all of the volunteers and students who participated in the day.
What an amazing spring it has been! There is so much PLG news to catch up on… Let’s start with a small garden in Brooklyn that made it to the local news:
Congratulations to 53K for their amazing garden ribbon cutting celebration last week. The school won a $5,000 grant from the Budding Botanists Organization to build and maintain an edible school garden. 53K was one of seven schools nationwide to win the award, and the only school in New York to do so. Students sang songs, delivered speeches, and took invited guests on a tour of their garden. In addition to City Councilman Carlos Menchaca being at the ceremony, local news covered the event with a segment found here. Thank you to Teachers Chris McKeon and Nicole Aniello, and Principal Heather Leykam for their dedication in making the school garden a reality!
More news to come!
Here is the press release and a photo of the 811X students with their “big check” from Apples4Ed. Paula Lucas and Sandy Helms, who run the school’s greenmarket, wrote the grant to start the “Be Healthy, Snack Smart” program. Congrats, 811X on your latest healthy eating venture!
d75plantlearngrow.com 