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June is GreenThumb Garden Month
June will once again be GreenThumb Garden Month. We’re asking all of our gardens to plan free community events in the month of June to show neighborhoods across NYC the full benefit of being home to a GreenThumb garden. Let us know about all of your events so that we can post them on our website.
GreenThumb Harvest Fair and Garden Recognition Awards
GreenThumb’s annual Harvest Fair will be held on Saturday, September 16th in Brooklyn, where we’ll be awarding ribbons to the winners of the annual Harvest Competition and also celebrating the 2nd annual GreenThumb Garden Recognition Awards.
You can nominate a garden or gardener for a Garden Recognition Award here.
Port-o-San rentals
GreenThumb has updated its policy on port-o-san rentals for registered community gardens. Portable toilets are available for rental nine months per year only (March through November), and must be reserved and paid in advance during one of three Open Enrollment Periods in February, May and August. Please contact your Outreach Coordinator for more information.
Garden Signage
All community gardens located on NYC Parks property will be receiving new signage this season. The current routed signs will be removed, and garden groups can retain them and hang them internally if they would like to keep them. GreenThumb Outreach Coordinators will be in contact with gardens in the coming months.
2017 Site Inspections
GreenThumb Outreach Coordinators will be completing annual site inspections during May and June. Gardens will be evaluated for compliance with the GreenThumb license in a variety of categories, so now is a great time to do that spring cleaning! GreenThumb and Outreach Coordinator will be in touch soon with more info.
Grants
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, December 31, 2017
Creativity Connects, National Endowment for the Arts Grants
Creativity Connects is an initiative that shows how the arts contribute to the nation’s creative ecosystem, investigates how support systems for the arts are changing, explores how the arts can connect with other sectors that want and utilize creativity, and invests in innovative projects to spark new, collaborative ideas, including in the field of agriculture. Funding amount: $20,000 – $100,000
Deadline: May 04, 2017
Capacity Fund Grant – Partnerships for Parks
The Partnerships for Parks Capacity Fund Grant supports community groups with small grants up to $5,000 to dedicated to parks and gardens with funding for projects to build their capacity through supporting the group’s self-awareness, ability, and sustainability.
Deadline: June 1, 2017
Captain Planet Foundation: Environmental Education Grants
The mission of the Captain Planet Foundation is to give the next generation of environmental stewards an active understanding and love for the natural world in which they live. The Captain Planet Foundation primarily makes grants to U.S.-based schools and organizations with an annual operating budget of less than $3 million. Funding range: $500 to $2,500.
Deadline: September 30, 2017
Other Resources
The Department of Sanitation is hosting a Compost Giveback Event at DSNY Freshkills Headquarters on Sunday, May 21 from 9:00am to 5:00pm. While supplies last.
New York Restoration Project will be giving out native trees such as Tulip Poplar, Serviceberry, Black Tupelo and more! In order to receive a tree you must agree to plant it in one of the five boroughs in either your yard or community garden, and keep it properly watered and maintained. Giveaways are at multiple locations throughout the city.
Date: Weekends, April 22- May 6, 2017
You can 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 also now request soil and lumber request forms at ALL GreenThumb-led workshops.
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 this survey!
Wednesday, May 3, 2017
Planting Potatoes & Sweet Potatoes
5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Potatoes and sweet potatoes come in all shapes and colors. Learn the secrets to planting these underground wonders with an opportunity to dig in the dirt.
Location: Rockaway Student Farm, 514 Rockaway Ave., Brooklyn
Thursday, May 11, 2017
5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
GreenThumb Herbs are powerful in treating common sicknesses as well as other aspects impacting our quality of life. Let us explore the ancient art of herbs for arthritis, asthma, diabetes, blood pressure, even beauty care and much more. Presented in partnership with Sebert Harper.
Location: Bronx Sunshine Garden 1768 Bryant Ave., Bronx
Saturday, May 13, 2017
Plant Giveaway / Perennial Workshop at The Battery
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
The Battery Conservancy The Battery is home to 134,000 square feet of beautiful perennial gardens grown without the use of pesticides, herbicides, or synthetic fertilizers. Hardy, bare-root perennials and grasses harvested directly from the gardens in The Battery will be available while supplies last for participants who sign up in advance. There will also be a workshop at 11 a.m. where participants will learn how to care for perennials and grasses from The Battery Conservancy’s Chief Horticulturalist. RSVP required; registration will open in April. Please register at: http://www.tbcevents.eventbrite.com.
Location: The Battery. Enter at the corner of State St. and Broadway, Manhattan
1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
GreenThumb/Smiling Hogshead Ranch Fungi can be helpful in your garden and delicious in the kitchen. This class 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.
Location: Smiling Hogshead Ranch 25-30 Skillman Ave., Queens
Wednesday, May 17, 2017
Making Creative Structures from your Existing Rubble
6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
GreenThumb This workshop will show the creative uses of existing garden rubble like used bricks, stones, concrete chunks, broken tiles, metal scraps, and gravel. Join us to learn how to mix mortar and lay bricks to build small garden structures, including berms, retaining walls for terraces and planters.
Location: Patchen Community Square 142 Patchen Ave., Brooklyn
Sunday, May 21, 2017
Vertical Gardening 2: Pallet Planters
11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
GreenThumb and Grow to Learn In this vertical gardening series you will learn how to transform recycled pallets into vertical gardening structures. Pallet planters provide a fantastic way to add green to walls and small spaces.
Presented in partnership with Miguel Hernandez. Sunday,
Location: Hooper Street Garden 375 S. 5th St., Brooklyn
Wednesday, May 24, 2017
Direct Sow & Transplant Workshop
6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Bronx Green-Up/The New York Botanical Garden Want to grow more food in less space? Tired of struggling and/or stunted transplants? Join Bronx Green-Up/The New York Botanical Garden & GreenThumb this spring to learn how to transplant and seed crops fast and easy as we demonstrate “Production Style” transplanting and seeding in the Bronx. This workshop will focus on the prep, seeding, transplanting and care of your plants to maximize production. Vegetable seeds will be available to participants to be used in schoolyards, community gardens and other public spaces while supplies last. Pre-registration is required.
To register, email us at bronxgreenup@nybg.org or call 718.817.8026
Location: 138th St. Community Garden 638 E. 138th St., Bronx
Thursday, May 25, 2017
6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
GreenThumb Join us for a walk in the garden and beyond the garden gates to look at trees. Learn how to successfully cultivate and care for the trees in your garden. This workshop will cover multiple topics including tree identification, choosing the right tree for the right site, as well as ways to keep your trees healthy and vigorous. We will explore the ornamental features of selected species and touch on cultural practices such as pruning, mulching, watering and other characteristics such as salt-, drought-, pollution-, and compaction-tolerance.
Presented in partnership with Ronen Gamil.
Location: Union Street Garden 970 Union St., Brooklyn
Grow to Learn Spring 2017 Workshop Registration
See the Grow to Learn Spring 2017 Workshop Calendar and registration. They have lots of topics for you to select, and will be adding to this form as the season goes on, check back regularly to the events calendar for more workshops from Grow to Learn and other partner organizations. 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
Access all workshop info and more in GreenThumb’s Spring Program Guide
