We ended the Spring Session with the afterschool students releasing Monarch butterflies and celebrating an early harvest. The students prepared a salad with strawberries, cucumbers, tomatoes, chives, Swiss chard, three types of basil, Italian oregano, spearmint, and chocolate mint. The children were introduced to shiitake mushrooms; which they had not eaten before. Here some of…
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The kids have been working in the garden almost every afternoon. They have learned how to plant, how to use the tools properly, how to measure and distribute the plant area correctly, so when plants grow are not so close to each other. They really like to use the weed grabbers and have been cleaning…
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During the last five weeks, the kids have been planting and seeing their seeds grow. We are growing carrots, beets, two different kinds of lettuces, cucumbers, Habanero peppers —these are part a seed exchange program with the Global Partner Junior group in Mexico City, Bok choy, onions, eggplants, chives, strawberries, chocolate mint, parsley, lemon thyme,…
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This week the students began planting using small seed trays and covering the cells with potting mix making sure to fill them to the top. Then made 1/4 inch deep dimple in each cell and placed two to three seeds into each cell. By using this method if all seeds in one cell start to…
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We started our growing season this April First with the help of the New York Restoration Project. The NYRP focuses on building and restoring vacant lots, public parks, schools, sidewalks, and waterfronts in communities of need. The St. John’s Recreation Center had NYRP designing and building our new garden: Planters, trellises, and a compost bin.…
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Collard green, broccoli, beets, and tomatoes were some of the vegetables that the children have been using to prepare salads throughout this fall. As part of the Garden Kitchen Lab program, the kids also covered plant beds with oats and lentil seeds to protect the soil from extreme temperatures. Earth is the foundation of a…
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Urban farming in Crown Heights
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This spring, we started our project as a container garden, now we have six small plant beds and one large raised bed. It has been a fantastic experience to see how our seeds turned into seedlings and soon after started growing exponentially! The tomatoes began giving last week, and so did the peppers, the onions,…
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Serenity was awarded the Katie’s Krops grant, and the Garden Kitchen Lab will be able to start building the garden! The goal of this program is to teach children how to farm, appreciate, and eat what they grow, and give part of the harvest to people in need. It is this experience that little by…
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GARDEN KITCHEN LAB 