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!
We are grateful to our farmer-friends, The Kokas family of Upstate Farms, which is located in Tivoli, NY – https://upstatefarmsny.com/ – for their generous donations of local eggs, fruits, and vegetables. Their kindness has allowed us to increase our selections of offerings, and to reach a greater number of our neighbors as we fulfill our mission to grow and distribute extra produce to help our community members who are facing food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic.
On Sunday, October 11, 2020, we celebrated our 12th week of Victory Garden harvest and distribution. From our member plots, we harvested a variety of crops: Callaloo, assorted Bush & Pole Beans, Cabbage, Ground Cherries, Mustard & Radish Greens, Tomatoes, Chili, Frying & Poblano Peppers, French Sorrel, Okra, Bronze Fennel, and Mini-pumpkins. Since July 5th, we have grown & distributed over 220 pounds of our home-grown PHCF produce. Can’t get more local than that!
If you would like to volunteer to help with the Victory Garden please contact us at contact@phcfarm.com.
After losing our overflow site last week, PHCF has started a new relationship, working in collaboration with the NYC Compost Project to fill the void left by the City’s 90% cut in funding to citywide compost services.
IT’S ON! Bring us your food scraps on Sundays from 10 – 12 in October (and HEADS UP… soon to be shifting to 12 – 2 in November!).
Reminders of what to and what not to compost here.
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.
After being closed for much of the spring and summer due to Covid and following a successful trial opening in early September, the garden has now expanded Open Hours through the end of October. We look forward to seeing you in the garden!
Tuesday: 4:30 – 6:30 pm
Wed: 10 – 12 noon
Friday: 2 – 4 pm
Saturday: 12 – 2pm and 2 – 4 pm
As you may know, the garden has been closed to visitors during the pandemic for safety reasons, following the guidelines of NYS on pause. Beginning in September, we will begin offering a limited number of trial Open Hours on Wednesday mornings and Friday afternoons with hopes of offering an expanded schedule soon. During the times listed below, we will welcome a limited number of visitors to enjoy the garden. Face coverings will be required. We look forward to seeing you!
The hours will be:
Visitor Guidelines
– The Farm
On Sunday, July 5, 2020, we conducted our first Victory Garden distribution. From our greenhouse and member plots, we harvested a variety of crops: kale, Swiss chard, herbs, radish greens, purslane, lettuce, and tomatoes , collecting 12.28 pounds of food to feed four families.
Since then we have harvested each Sunday collecting a total of 49.46 pounds of food and served 23 households! The next harvest and distribution will be tomorrow (August 2nd)
Recognizing the pandemic could result in food insecurity, PHCFarm organized a team to grow veggies for our community! Several members have offered up space in their boxes and members are tending to them to help fulfill our Victory Garden mission to grow and distribute extra produce to help our community members who are facing food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Wondering where to compost? Bring it to the Farm!
Now with the generous support of NatureBased, we are able to significantly expand the amount of food scraps we accept on Sundays. So, bring us your Food Scraps, Sundays 10 – 12 noon.
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