Category: Uncategorized

Fall Seed Saving Workshop

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The Prospect Heights Community Farm crew welcomed the official changeover from summer to fall with a seed saving workshop. Our master gardener Traci led the group through a two hour session on how to make origami seed packets with the chance for everyone to take home seeds.

Seed saving is an important way to maintain and safeguard seed and heritage varieties, which are important for a robust and diverse ecosystem and food culture. In the last century or so, the world has lost 75% of its edible plant varieties. Seed saving also makes sense economically. Saving seeds is free and seed libraries and exchanges are a great way to offer seeds at a lower price (or free) to folks who need them.

Some featured seeds from the garden’s workshop were Zinnia, Cosmos, Okra, Fennel, and Arugula!

If you’re curious about saving seeds, check out these resources:

Open Garden Day: Compost 101

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Author: Judith Sackoff

PHCF hosted a Compost 101 Workshop on Open Garden Day 2021, an annual event sponsored by GreenThumb.  The workshop covered the basic science of composting and then treated people to a tour of our 4-bin system which takes in about 20,000 pounds of food scraps each year and turns them into compost, aka black gold, the gardener’s best friend.

New Bee Condos in the Garden

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Author: Judith S.

Prospect Heights Community Farm is now home to two native bee condos courtesy of The Bee Conservancy.  With the help of garden members and their families, we installed the homes in two bee-friendly locations in the garden with plenty of morning sun and ample bee forage. Native bees are different from honeybees. They don’t produce honey or wax, they live solitary lives (no queens here!), don’t sting and are even more efficient pollinators than honeybees.

Come visit the condos and see who has checked in.  We are expecting several varieties of native bees including mason, leafcutter, and carpenter bees.

See the photos from the event and of the bee condos

Last Day of the Plant Sale

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Come out today to stock your garden, windowsill or tree pit! Annuals, perennials, herbs, vegetables, flowers and shrubs are all available at the pharm at great price to support your community garden.

plant sale sign

PHCF Composting in the news

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The Earth Day episode of DiverseCity TV featured the PHCF Composting Program and the expansion that has gone on during the pandemic. Watch it here!

22nd annual Pumpkin Smash: 2020 edition

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Dear neighbors –

The Prospect Heights Community Farm (PHCF) welcomes you to this year’s edition of our annual Pumpkin Smash on November 7th from 12-4 pm.

Because of the unprecedented times and to preserve the safety of community members, we will not be having our usual potato bake or refreshments this time around. However, you are still welcome to bring your pumpkins to smash your COVID blues away and to enjoy the garden.

Hope to see you there!

Changes to Food Scrap Drop Off at The PHarm

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Starting next Sunday, October 11, 2020, while our 10-12 pm drop off is still operational, the off-site operation that has accepted our overflow is no longer available. Until we find a replacement, the PHarm will need to limit our intake (roughly 25 people or 200 lbs). Please check back here, phcfarm.com, or visit our social media for updates.

Where else can you take your food scraps?   ➤ http://bit.ly/NYCdropofftracker

While NYC cut it’s composting budget by over 90%, there is a growing number of citizen lead and community based organizations who have stepped up to fill the gap.
Visit the bit.ly link above for FAQs, Food Scrap Drop Off Sites & Residential Pick Up Services.  

Compost Limit

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Due to the overwhelming demand for community composting services, our  relatively small, volunteer-run compost system has been overwhelmed. We must therefore reduce the amount of compost we can accept from community members on Sundays from 10-12.
We can accept a total of 150 pounds of compost from the community and will have to end our collections when we reach that amount.
We are currently advocating with other community gardens to open up similar no-contact community compost collection and will post the locations of any other gardens accepting compost as they get set up.
Thank you for your understanding!
PHCF compost team

Face Covering Required Garden hours

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Starting Friday, May 1 a few periods of time each week will be set aside as “Face Covering Required” hours, meaning that during those times everyone in the garden is required to wear a covering over their mouth and nose the entire time they are in the garden, even if no one else is there. 

The covering must be on and in use, not simply around one’s neck or in one’s pocket.

We hope that this will allow members wishing to take additional precautions to stop the spread of Covid-19 to feel safe spending time in the garden. These times are not age-restricted.

We are adopting this on a trial basis, and the board welcomes your feedback.

In an effort to provide at least one time each week for a variety of schedules, these hours will be in effect on:

  • Saturdays 10:00 am – Noon
  • Mondays 8:00 – 10:00 am
  • Wednesdays 5:00 – 7:00 pm, and 
  • Thursdays Noon – 2:00

Please continue to maintain a 6-foot distance between yourself and other gardeners, even during these “face-covering required” hours, and use personal gloves when handling shared tools.

Covid-19 Garden Update

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OPEN HOURS:
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the garden will be closed to the public through April 2020. Check back with us in May for an update of our open hours status.

COMPOST ETIQUETTE:
During the COVID-19 closure period, the garden will not be accepting compost drop-offs. Please do not leave compost outside the gate when the garden is closed.

We share your disappointment in reducing access to the gardens, especially during a crisis, but it is imperative that we all work together to help protect public health and keep our fellow New Yorkers safe. 

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to contact@phcfarm.com