Blog

Fall Workshops

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We’ve already had an excellent workshop on medicinal herbs and a great Gardener’s Mic on beneficial weeds (more on those in a future post).

Next up is a crochet workshop on Saturday, September 27 from 11:30am – 1pm, led by PHCF member Traci Nottingham.  Traci is a spinner, fiber farmer, and crocheter that has been exploring the fiber arts for over 20 years.  This class is ideal for those who have always wanted to learn crochet or simply pick up a new hobby.  Free!  No registration required.

Then Saturday, October 11 from 11:00am – 3pm, there will be an Indigo and Woad workshop with Liz Spencer aka the Dogwood Dyer.  Learn about the precious few plants in nature that yield a blue pigment.  We’ll be working with three different processes including the ‘organic sugar’ vat that requires no chemicals, and fresh leaf dyeing with woad grown in the garden!  This is no ordinary natural dye workshop so sign up ASAP!  Register at phcfdye.brownpapertickets.com

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Wild Brooklyn!

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Whether you’re stressed out, have low energy, or just want to learn about some of the edible and medicinal plants that surround us, this workshop is for you!  PHCF member, herbalist, activist, trainer, and teacher, Vanessa Chakour, will be discussing the healing power of local plants on Saturday, September 6th, 11am at the garden.  The introduction lecture is free and open to all.

Workshop participants will then be led on a guided walk, learn how to identify and responsibly harvest seasonal medicinal herbs, and then complete the day by making their own herbal tinctures and infusions.  There is a tour and materials fee of $30; please click here to register

See you then!

Spring in bloom

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It’s finally here! The wait this year has been a long one, but Spring is, at last, in full swing. Enjoy the photos below.

These first few are from a few weeks ago at dusk. The end of the day, but the beginning of the year.

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Plant sale this weekend

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Our annual plant sale will begin this weekend on Sunday the 4th of May and continue through Saturday and Sunday the 10th and 11th of May. Each day we’ll run from 10am to 6pm to give you lots of time to stop by. There will be a wide variety of vegetables, flowers, herbs and perennials available along with expert advice! Once again, timed to coincide with Mother’s day! Whether you’re in Prospect Heights or elsewhere in Brooklyn, we think you’ll find something worthy of stopping by!

Where: 252-256 Saint Marks Ave., Brooklyn, NY.
When: Sunday the 4th, Saturday the 10th and Sunday the 11th of May, 10am-6pm.

Check out the gallery below for some of the plants we had available last year including vegetables like tomatoes, basil, zucchini, oregano, rosemary, lettuce, peppers, brocolli and kale, perennials such as aquilegias, hollyhocks and creeping jenny as well as annual flowers like snap dragons, cosmos and marigolds.

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Mulch your Christmas tree at the garden

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Bringing your Christmas tree to the garden will guarantee it’s continued use in the form of mulch which will be used in the garden and around the neighbourhood. Don’t let your tree end up in the trash!

TreeCycle/Mulch Fest 2014 is part of an annual, city wide program organised by New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, the New York City Department of Sanitation, and GreeNYC to recycle your Christmas trees into wood chips. For more info on the program, go to the MulchFest site.

Prospect Heights Community Farm will be one of the many places to drop of your Christmas tree throughout the city. We’ll be collecting trees and chipping them into mulch on Saturday and Sunday the 11th and 12th of January from 10 am to 2 pm. That gives you a few days from twelfth night on the 6th of January to lug your tree over to the garden.

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Spring bulb planting recap

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We had a successful bulb planting day earlier this month. Big thanks to everyone who braved the cool weather!

Many daffodils, anemones, muscari, alliums, hyacinths, crocus, and tulips were planted. The dark winter days will certainly be getting brighter come March and April!

We recorded our notes and instructions so that those planting bulbs in the future can use them as a guide. They are available in the gardening guides section of the website.

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Photos by Brian Thompson.

Fall is here!

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And that means leaves are everywhere! PHCFarm would love to accept your bagged leaves on the next three Sundays: November 10, 17, and 24 from 10am-2pm. Please ensure no twigs, branches, or trash are mixed in.

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You’re invited to our 15th annual Pumpkin Smash Potato Bake Bash

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photo and history courtesy of Traci Nottingham

photo and history courtesy of Traci Nottingham

Come to Prospect Heights Community Farm this Saturday, November 2 from 12:30 to 4:30pm! Compost your tired jack-o-lanterns and have a baked potato, cider, and other treats too. Enjoy music starting at 1:30pm by the talented folk singer/songwriter Jennifer Richman, multi-genre vocalist Lexy Casano, and folk guitarist Stan Baum.

Be a part of history!

Fall 1997: The semi-abandoned community garden was reorganized and much of the mugwort, japanese knotweed, and dumped trash (car parts, sofas, etc) was cleared out

Spring 1998: Cleaning and planning continued

Memorial Day weekend 1998: Raised beds were built in the layout that we see today, marking PHCF’s very first gardening season

Fall 1998: To celebrate all of our hard work and accomplishments, we decided to have a shin-dig and thus the Pumpkin Smash Potato Bake Bash was born

Fall 2013: Bring your pumpkins and help us celebrate our fifteenth year in the garden!

FREE

(rain date November 3)

Upcoming: Natural Dye Workshop With Tannins

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The dye workshop went so well last time, we are hosting another! On Saturday, October 26th from 2-5pm, Liz Spencer will guide us through the marvelous color combinations of cellulose fibers and tannins. Participants will be working with organic cotton, fair trade hemp, and one of the coolest plant fibers…hand spun nettle (we promise there will not be any stinging!).

The local dyestuffs, including acorns, black walnut, sumac and iron, have a rich palette perfect for the autumn season. Participants will also learn about mordanting naturally to reap the bounty of our surroundings and dye without store-bought assists.

Each participant will receive one piece of cloth and two skeins of yarn to experiment with at the workshop. The sliding scale fee is $35-50 and anything you can contribute to help the garden is greatly appreciated! Register now at www.phcfarm.com/dye.

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