Red Shed Garden

Meeting tomorrow April 10th!

2010-04-09T18:51:00.002-04:00

All who are interested -- new members, old members, people of the community -- please stop by tomorrow Saturday April 10th for our first meeting @ 10:30 am. The meeting will be about a half hour and then we'll get to work weeding: )

Fun!

Also, check out our new site that has an events calendar to keep everyone updated:

http://www.redshedgarden.com/

It's still being worked on but a great start I think. Props to Franck for putting it together!

Neighborhood Gardening Institute

2010-04-02T11:48:00.003-04:00

New York Restoration Project and Just Food have teamed up to provide a 4 part workshop series about community gardening in NYC. It's $10 per session or $30 for all 4 and for your convenience it's being offered simultaneously at 3 different gardens in the Bronx, Queens, and Brooklyn.

Here's the info:

Hello New York City gardeners!

Gardening in New York City isn't always easy. Limited bed space, pollutants, weeds and pests make city growing a challenging, yet rewarding labor of love. Learn how to overcome these and other hurdles through NYRP's new Neighborhood Gardening Institute, a series of four workshops for gardeners from all skill levels. Interested participants can join Just Food Trainer Solita Stephens for just one workshop or, for a more complete overview of urban gardening, attend the entire series. Gardeners who attend all four workshops will receive a Neighborhood Gardening Institute Certificate, recognizing their achievement and contribution to local food production. For your convenience, the series will run simultaneously in Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx. Because we want to make sure you're equipped for the season, you'll leave NGI workshops with all the seeds, tools, and other supplies you need to grow a beautiful and successful garden.

Preregistration is required. To register, please contact NYRP Community Outreach Coordinator Charlie Reynoso at creynoso@nyrp.org or call 212.333.2552. There will be a $10 materials fee per workshop or $30 for all four workshops. Scholarships are also available.

Garden Planning 101: Get more from your garden by planting seasonally. Succession planting is the most important tool for maximizing a garden's yield. Come to this workshop with a rough map of your growing space and leave with a garden plan for spring, summer and fall and seeds for early season crops. Take home a trowel, gloves and seeds.

4/7/10, 6:00 PM: BEDFORD STUYVESANT COMMUNITY GARDEN, 94 Malcolm X Blvd, Brooklyn

4/10/10, 2:00PM: TARGET BRONX COMMUNITY GARDEN, 1025 Anderson Avenue, Bronx

4/20/10, 6:30PM: CURTIS "50 CENT" JACKSON COMMUNITY GARDEN, 117-09 165th Street, Queens

Vertical Gardening Workshop: Learn techniques to increase your planting space by growing vertically! We'll demonstrate how to build simple and beautiful trellises for beans, peas, cucumbers and other vining vegetables. Take home materials to build a trellis in your own garden.

5/1/10 2:00PM: TARGET BRONX COMMUNITY GARDEN

5/5/10, 6:00 PM: BEDFORD STUYVESANT COMMUNITY GARDEN

5/18/10, 6:30PM: CURTIS "50 CENT" JACKSON COMMUNITY GARDEN

Maximize YOUR Harvest: Learn how to care for your garden through the summer and fall. We'll identify weeds and pests, learn the best ways to use organic fertilizers for higher yield crops and discuss how you can extend your growing season into the fall and winter. Take home organic fertilizer and a spray bottle.

6/2/10, 6:00 PM: BEDFORD STUYVESANT COMMUNITY GARDEN

6/5/10, 2:00PM: TARGET BRONX COMMUNITY GARDEN

6/15/10, 6:30PM: CURTIS "50 CENT" JACKSON COMMUNITY GARDEN

Tree Care for your Garden and Street: Learn how to provide basic care for the trees in your garden and neighborhood in this interactive workshop. Take home a free tree care kit including a hose or bucket, trowel, weeder, cultivator and gloves.

8/4/10, 6:00 PM BEDFORD STUYVESANT COMMUNITY GARDEN

8/10/10, 6:30PM CURTIS "50 CENT" JACKSON COMMUNITY GARDEN

8/21/10, 2:00PM TARGET BRONX COMMUNITY GARDEN

Starting seeds indoors? Don't forget to "harden off"!

2010-03-12T11:57:00.003-05:00

Like a darn fool, I missed the free Greenbridge "Starting Seeds Indoors" class at BBG last night but I followed up with Lis Thomas, the course instructor, and asked her why so many people have trouble transitioning their indoor starters to their outdoor beds. Apparently it's all about "Hardening Off," see her response below.

"When we talk about seed starting, you often hear the phrase “hardening off.” All that means is giving your little indoor seedlings a chance to get acclimated to the outdoors before leaving them on their own. Wind, nighttime chills, even the full intensity of bright sunlight is enough to send the tender little guys into shock.

I wait until about May 1 or April 15 to harden off my seedlings, and do it gradually. Most likely I’ll move them to a cold frame, where the lid is lifted for ventilation during the day, but closed at night. Another thing that I recommend to gardeners who don’t have cold frames is really easy and works great – take an empty juice or milk jug (I just pull them out of other people’s recycling), cut off the bottom, and you have an individual moisture and heat retainer and wind protector for your plant. The great thing about this is you go in stages – cap can come off for ventilation, and go back on at night or after the first few days. One week is usually sufficient for hardening off in May – two weeks is good in April.

Cheers, and hope to see you tomorrow at Making Brooklyn Bloom!"

So there you have it. Give those lil' guys a bit of a chance to get used to their new homes.

Also, here is a link to the Making Brooklyn Bloom event:

http://www.bbg.org/vis2/2010/mbb/

I'm not feeling well so most likely I won't make it, but I did attend last year and it was great. I highly recommend.

Thanks Lis!

Monthly Gardening Calendar

2010-03-08T20:51:00.001-05:00

Ya'll can thank Julie Hagan for this one:

Ah spring, so close!

I'm sure someone's posted this month-by-month gardening calendar for NYC before, but it's so good I thought it deserved an encore. Start your seed engines.....

http://www.cenyc.org/files/osg/calendar.updated.pdf

2010-01-08T16:54:00.001-05:00

Mulchfest @ McCarren Park tomorow... Remember to strip those branches first.

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2009-11-25T13:41:00.001-05:00

Fall communal bed still going strong.

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2009-11-25T13:39:00.001-05:00

New rainwater harvesting shelter/system.

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2009-11-13T14:59:00.001-05:00

David's make shift organic retaining wall... Looks kind of like an amazonian booby trap to me

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Upcoming Red Shed Halloween Party

2009-10-22T10:37:00.004-04:00

Rainwater Harvesting update

2009-10-02T08:29:00.002-04:00

We had a meeting with the rep from CENYC earlier this week and got some great news about the potential for rainwater harvesting in the garden; chiefly, there is a downspout on our neighbors building that is literally flush against the two properties and perfect for a simple, easy to install 1000 gallon tank.

Also, if our neighbor landlord does not want to work with us and the CENYC -- which unfortunately seems to be the case -- then we have devised a plan B that will result in a 350 gallon tank and a new retrofitted roof for the deck and shelter next to the tool shed.

Plan A is the ideal when it comes to harvesting rainwater from an adjacent rooftop but I wouldn't hold my breathe... either way, after years on the CENYC's waiting list, we're going to figure something out.

2009-08-18T10:58:00.001-04:00

Fresh from the garden

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2009-08-08T13:45:00.001-04:00

Mark's eggplant forest

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2009-07-17T08:17:00.001-04:00

Hell yea son... Triple polinator action

2009-07-16T08:57:00.002-04:00

Container success

2009-07-16T08:56:00.002-04:00

Giant squash!....under the dappled shade of the willow tree.

2009-07-07T11:59:00.002-04:00

I pulled this carrot a bit early... Nevertheless, success!

Prizes! Food! Fun!

2009-07-06T16:35:00.003-04:00

Coming up Saturday – lots of local businesses are pitching in with goodies for the BBQ. We’ll have burgers from Lorimer Market, sausages from Emily’s Pork Store and raffle prizes from Sel de Mer (dinner for two, anyone?), Brooklyn Kitchen , Treehouse , Brooklynski , Abhyasa Yoga Center and Stencil 1 .

You can win big at the Red Shed!

RED SHED PARTY

2009-06-29T11:09:00.002-04:00

2009-06-07T16:22:00.001-04:00

Communal bed 2 is set thanks to some hard work from new members sam and tom... They're recommending lots of cucumber and bell peppers...

Food Inc. The Movie

2009-06-05T12:24:00.003-04:00

I guess I'm all about fighting the power this week. Here's another documentary called "Food Inc." about our nations food infrastructure and big agribusiness:

http://www.foodincmovie.com/

Opens in NYC and SF June 12th... a friend of mine in the food business saw a screening last night and highly recommended it to anyone who's a fan of nutritious, delicious food.

How to Prevent Birds from Feasting on Young Plants

2009-06-04T14:27:00.002-04:00

Hey guys,

So after planting my seedlings I noticed quite a few of my plants were eaten. I started researching some ways in which to prevent the birds from eating all of my lovely veggies before I do and wanted to share. Obviously we can't do all of these, but thought they were good "thought starters":

Step 1

Plant seeds in peat pots indoors instead of directly into the soil. Once the plants have two sets of leaves, plant them outdoors.
Step 2

Cover seed beds with floating row covers. Floating row covers allow light, water and oxygen to penetrate, but act as a barrier for insects and birds. They do need some sort of frame to keep the cover up, off of the soil.
Step 3

Use flash tape to scare birds away from the seed bed. Flash tape is a mylar tape that flutters in the slightest breeze. Some birds find it terrifying, but some don't mind it at all.
Step 4

Hang old CDs in the garden. The flashing disks rotate in the wind and may frighting away some more timid birds.
Step 5

Cover the entire seed bed with bird netting. You may have to release birds from under the net each morning.
Step 6

Plant individual seeds inside milk carton collars. The milk cartons work like a miniature greenhouse and also act as a physical barrier to prevent birds from reaching the plants.

"Water Under Attack" screening at Bushwick Library

2009-06-04T11:26:00.001-04:00

Hey all, wanted to post a great message that one of our members posted in our private google group. Please try to check this screening out:

Please come to the Bushwick Public Library on Saturday, June 6
anytime between 11-4 for a screening of excerpts from Josh Fox's in-
progress documentary:
WATER UNDER ATTACK (www.waterunderattack.com)

The NYC Watershed (Catskills and the Delaware River Basin) has the
purest water in the country and serves 20 million people.

However, gas drilling on a massive scale is planned for our watershed:
up to 50,000 wells have been approved. In other areas where this kind
of gas development has already happened, there have been many issues
with toxic pollution in air, water and soil.

Come to the library for information, watch a few minutes of the video
- and then go see some great art, this is part of Bushwick Open
Studios (see www.artsinbushwick.org).

Library location: 340 Bushwick Ave, just a few blocks from the
Montrose stop.

Many websites with info on the issues; try www.damascuscitizens.org
// www.riverkeeper.org // www.catskillmountainkeeper.org //
www.shaleshock.org // www.nyh20.org

There's a real farm in NYC?

2009-06-03T12:28:00.001-04:00

Yup, and here's a great volunteer opportunity to help out and take it all in:

http://www.slowfoodnyc.org/events/dig-in-the-dirt-june-20th-saturday-queens-county-farm-museum

I'm there, I've got to see this for myself.

The Edible Garden exhibit at the NYBG

2009-06-03T12:21:00.002-04:00

From the NYBG website:

Set throughout The New York Botanical Garden’s spectacular 250-acre landscape, The Edible Garden is a summer-long celebration of growing great food. Through an exciting menu of delectable exhibitions and mouth-watering programs, be inspired to grow, prepare, and eat garden-fresh produce and take advantage of many exciting opportunities to better understand how plants provide the food and drink essential to maintain life and enhance wellness.

The Edible Garden includes two Festival Weekends, seven Edible Evenings, and a Farmers Market on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Family programming in the Children's Adventure Garden and in the Family Garden as well as weekly demonstrations in the Home Gardening Center and daily docent tours make for a fun-filled edible summer.

Discover the broad range of food plants, from heirloom fruits and vegetables to tropical spices and more, on view in the Garden’s collections―from the historic trees across the grounds to the steamy rain forests and dry deserts in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory.

Catch the details here:

http://www.nybg.org/edible_garden/index.php

Our garden has gone purple.

2009-05-25T22:42:00.008-04:00

vegetable progress!!!

2009-05-25T21:49:00.015-04:00

Peas.

Kale.

Purple, white, and green beans.

Brussels sprouts.

For all of you that have little holes in the leaves of their plants from birds...(See Brussels Sprouts)
A tip I heard is to put a little cayenne pepper in a water bottle and spray the leaves.
They don't like it and will leave your plants alone.

2009-05-24T14:28:00.001-04:00

ms. j. Enjoying her favorite activity in the garden

2009-05-24T14:24:00.004-04:00

Peach tree stump...

2009-05-24T14:24:00.003-04:00

David r. and father in law mike s. Working on the peach tree stump... I think they're bonding or something.

2009-05-24T14:21:00.001-04:00

Nicole b. By the roses... Aren't they pretty?

2009-05-24T14:18:00.001-04:00

Sarah p. And her premature radish

More pictures, courtesy of Julie Hagan

2009-05-19T12:48:00.005-04:00

Friend of the garden- Irene's dad. Hard at work.
Thanks for the help!

New members-Annie and Hattie.

2009-05-18T13:30:00.002-04:00

New climbers up against the fence.

Emily's Pictures

2009-05-13T13:13:00.003-04:00

Anita Lee's 5 year old niece, Emily took these photos.

photos

2009-05-10T21:44:00.007-04:00

vegetable progress

2009-05-10T21:36:00.006-04:00

brussel sprouts

leeks.

kale.

peas.

communal progress

2009-05-10T21:16:00.006-04:00

A lot of changes at the garden this weekend. New communal bed is up and running!
great work.

The raise bed looks great. Lots of new plants.

2009-05-09T15:24:00.002-04:00

Communal bed 1 is semi planted already. Here we see rob roping off an area for some more plantings for members who weren't here today

2009-05-09T14:59:00.001-04:00

Stephen and irene installing new wood with irene's parents mike and sheree From Shenandoah valley...

2009-05-09T14:44:00.002-04:00

Good work day today... A spot for a bench? The jury is still out...

2009-05-09T14:42:00.002-04:00

first communal bed is done and planting has begun!

2009-05-06T14:15:00.001-04:00

Huge mutant earthworm found in Lauren B's plot.

The Hops Are Climbing

2009-05-05T15:35:00.000-04:00

After building a new bed for one of beer's tastiest ingredients, the hops appear to be well on their way to a fruitful growing season! I can't wait to smell them in the fall!

2009-05-04T19:26:00.000-04:00

The beginnings of a carrot... Its going to be delicious in roughly 50 days

NYC Wildflower Week

2009-05-04T18:11:00.001-04:00

Hey Ya'll,

My first post!

For all you gardening wildflower-loving maniacs out there, this is NYC Wildflower Week:

http://nycwildflowerweek.org/

I attended the panel discussion "Creating Sustainable Landscapes" at The New School this morning and it was really good. Lots of information from all different viewpoints -- public (both federal and local officials), private, (shout out to Marni from Alive Structures!), non-profit (Gaia Institute), and even university professors (the panel consisted of many Doctors).

A particularly curious theory that stuck with me was that of Dr. Cameron Tonkinwise, Co-Chair of the Tishman Environment and Design Center at The New School, a self deprecating Aussie -- twice he mentioned that he had a very thick and obvious Australian accent, which of course was the first thing any human being could have noticed -- who suggested that part of the climate change solution is to disengage from the consumption lifestyle.

And he didn't just mean using refillable water bottles instead of plastic, he specifically referred to the act of community gardening as a low carbon activity alternative to, say, watching Forgetting Sarah Marshall on your 46" Sony Bravia flat screen with your significant other. Presumedly, this is both a waste of energy (the electron kind) and time, while community gardening uses no energy and produces the added bonus of local food!

The good Doctor even suggested going out to see a film as an adjustment of our consumption lifestyles, at least this is a shared experience with a lot of people attending one screening. Unless of course that movie is Forgetting Sarah Marshall in it's second week, because then it's probably just still you and your significant other.

I think the point is that we all need to get a hobby and unplug during our free time.

And on that note, I'm off to drop off my compostables at the garden. I'm also going to test out the mobile blogging capabilities of my free cell phone so we'll see how that goes...

Just Starting

2009-05-04T16:38:00.000-04:00

Spring is here

2009-05-04T16:28:00.000-04:00

Red Shed Community Garden Is located at 266 Skillman Ave, Brooklyn, NY
Come by and visit!