Gardening events--this weekend!

Here are a few upcoming events happening around the city that you may want to attend.  I will be attending the first two, and may attend the morning sessions of the Greenthumb conference.

1. Lasagna Mulching  workshop, Sat April 2, 1-3:30, Secret garden, Bushwick, $5, registration required  

 http://www.bbg.org/learn/class/lasagna_gardening/

2. Organizing for Community Greening,  Brooklyn Botanic Gardens, April 6, 6-8 p.m., free, registration required http://www.bbg.org/learn/class/organizing_for_community_greening/

3. Greenthumb 27th Annual Grow Together Conference

http://www.greenthumbnyc.org/gardenevents.html?qs=2011/04/02/27th-annual-greenthumb-growtogether1

The soil testing lab run by Prof. Cheng (ESAC), will be hosting a table at the Greenthumb conference. His team is looking for more people to staff it and will reimburse the registration fee ($3), to those who do. 

Fundraising and Scrounging for Materials Project Group

We would like to build a 3-bin composting system and we have several plans, lots of suggestions for building, materials to use, ways to rodent proof, etc.  But we need money to build it.  Some of you may be interested in experimenting with projects on Kickstarter or IOBY, Which I've seen can be really successful. A friend of mine in Pittsburgh was fully funded for a dress startup within a few days after posting on kickstarter. I think it would work.

You would need to cost out all the materials, write a purpose for the project, etc.

Anyone interested?

We also have to contact Greenthumb who gives away materials and tools and Build it Green.  And there's lots to be had poking around on craisglist and freecycle.  We were offered a donation of bricks after I posted under the "wanted" link under "for sale."

Building Paths Project Group

We have a donation of bricks!

On the weekend of April 9-10, Dean Hainline and I will be driving up to Harrison, NY(just north of New Rochelle) to pick them up.  The owners have been very patient and cooperative, the brick are red-brick, ~ 20 years old and in excellent condition.  they will be combined with other bricks from the old garden to create our new pathways.

There are over 1,100 bricks to move from the pile to the pick-up, then off the pick-up into wooden pallets inside the garden.  here's what we need:

• 1 person who is very strong to come with us
• someone to get 3 wooden pallets from a construction/ commercial area.  I've heard from other Brooklyn gardeners that the commercial strip on Coney island Avenue will give you as much as you want.
• 2-3 people to be at the garden when we return and help us pile up the bricks

So far, one member will be meeting us when we return to unload. We need 2 more people to help her and another one to make the drive upstate with us. Anyone available?

Streetscaping Project Group

List of resources:

• In order to work on Street trees of tree pits, you must obtain a permit from NYC Parks Dept.  Milliontrees NYC offers a tree care workshop. After attending, you receive a membership card.  I have one as I attended a workshop 2 years ago, I will find out if it is expired.  I do have printed material I received but have to find it, I think the Treelc handbook has the same info.  I can be around and work with you in the beginning, until you get your own stewardship permit card.  Read up here:

http://www.milliontreesnyc.org/html/programs/stewardship_corps.shtml

What to do:

• Take before and after pictures of each tree pit
• Read the info from BBG Greenbridge:
• http://www.bbg.org/greenbridge/street_trees/

Caring for Tree beds and TreeLC handbook from MilliontreesNYC

• Count the number of tree pits with no paving stones and start with them
• We have compost from LESEC but are planning to use it for lasagna mulching, we may be able to get other compost from NYC Wasteless

• There are 7 trees On Campus Road from Ave H to East 21^st Street on the college side of the block. They end with a European Hornbean planted in Fall 2007.  The Parks Dept tags need to be cut off of this tree or it will become embedded into the branches.
• Adopt trees online, planted after 2007 under milliontree stewards Adopt-A-Tree interactive map
• follow the care instruction sin the Tree LC handbook and from BBG Greenbridge street tree stewardship resources  
• We can start caring for trees in pits that have no Belgian blocks. For the ones with belgian blocks, we need a permit.
• Very Important!! The rule for planting: no planting done within 18” of the trunk of the tree to avoid disturbing the established root system.  Plants/ flowers should have a shallow root system to prevent high levels of competition with the street trees.

• Follow the TreeLC care guide which has tasks to do month by month.  We can get going with March and April.
• The third tree from the security post needs pruning.  We have to find a citizen tree pruner to do that.
• List of tools: refer to handbook
• We have Christmas tree mulch in garbage bags inside the garden for trees.
• Create tree bed guard.  Pablo Garcia is interested in drawing plans for guards and maybe for which plants to include
• Create signage.  Milliontrees has ideas and I think we should include something about becoming a member of the BC Garden
• Plants:  we can move crocuses from the garden to pits. After plants die back, we can dry the bulbs and store in mesh bags till fall planting.  Find out where to get free annuals from Greenthumb

For Future:

•   For the pits with Belgian blocks, I just found out what to do.  We have to call 311 for information on getting a no-fee permit to remove the blocks from the street tree pit. We have to outline the entire situation to the Parks Department when requesting permit, including the approximate distance between trees and the approximate distance from the blocks you will be removing and the parking meters. We won’t be removing any blocks between tree pits. 
• Sources for tree mulch:

o       Refer to handbook

o       Free wood chips from Greenwood cemetery in the fall

o       Cunningham Park, Queens.  I don’t know what their supply looks like right now, but there were mounds in January.  You can go any time to pick it up, but bring bags/ container and shovels

·              Become citizen tree pruners through Trees NY

·              Arrange with facilities for future planning: in winter, please spread sand along sidewalks, instead of de-icing agents