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Announcements –
BBG Handbook, Easy Compost, book launch and
composting demo
Sunday, August 11
Visit the NYC Compost Project in Brooklyn at the Garden Shop and Compost Exhibit Site | Drop in 12–3 pm
Special Offer: First 50 participants to purchase Easy Compost during the event get a free, one-pound bag of BBG compost.
NYSDEC Soil Remediation Survey
Concerned about soil contamination in your community? Interested in cleaning up your patch of urban soil? The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) is interested in helping neighborhoods address soil contamination using bioremediation -- and they’d like your feedback! Help guide NYSDEC in creating community-based bioremediation resources for urban gardeners by taking this 5-minute survey!
Greenest Block in Brooklyn Press Event – You’re Invited!
See the 1st-place residential block for yourself, and celebrate all the Greenest Blocks, at a press conference to be held on this year's Greenest Block in Brooklyn:
Wednesday, August 7 | 10 am
Rain or shine.
For the location, call or email Nina 718-623-7209!
Volunteer opportunities --
League Treatment Center Garden in East Flatbush
This adult day habilitation services center on Rogers Ave. has a beautiful new garden in need of expertise and direction. Help create a planting plan and teach a workshop or two!
Contact: Anna Cullen at acu...@leaguecenter.org
400 45th Street Block Association in Sunset Park
Help this friendly, super-motivated block locate the resources to plan 1-2 work days this fall to improve their street tree beds with bulbs, compost, and mulch. Spanish-speaker a plus.
Contact: Elizabeth at eln...@gmail.com
Yeshiva Ahavas Torah in Marine Park
This 250-student, PreK-8, boys’ religious school hopes to enhance its health and nutrition curriculum. With no in-ground space, it seeks a gardening volunteer to create and implement a school container garden. Feel free to start very small!
Contact: Leah Zylberberg at lzylb...@yahoo.com
Ataret Avot Senior Residence in Midwood
Create an on-going, on-site gardening project for seniors. Design hands-on activities to engage a group of about 20 residents. Time commitment is flexible.
Contact: Alan Magill at pr2...@aol.com
BUG in a jar…
Jay Smith.
Jay (BUG ’12) considers himself a perennial student of urban agriculture, permaculture, and food distribution. Besides community gardening at both Prospect Farm and the new Maple 3 Garden, Jay is a beekeeper, an active member of the Prospect Heights/Crown Heights Food Allies, and an organizer of the Black Urban Growers’ Black Farmers Conference being held this November. It’s amazing he had time to attend the recent GreenBridge workshop “Building Soil for Health and Fertility,” but as an experienced soil remediator, Jay was a welcome and insightful participant!
Q: What else have you been up to?
A: In February I started teaching a community gardening workshop I've entitled, "Gardening the Earth, Cultivating Community." We're doing it at the home of a Lefferts Gardens resident who dedicates his home to community activism – it’s called the Village House. Because the Village House’s garden soil tested high for lead, we decided to do a bioremediation project involving trench composting and phytoremediation (using sunflowers, mustard greens, and ornamental cabbage) covering a roughly 80-square-foot area. After about a year, we'll retest to see what improvements have been made. This is an exciting project, and the regular participants in the workshop seem to be enjoying it.
Q: What is your gardening tip for August?
A: We've reached the time of year where hungry little critters may start chewing up the crops we've so patiently grown. For whiteflies and aphids -- apart from biological and companion planting controls -- here's a non-toxic garden spray recipe that works…. Just remember, these ingredients can cause painful skin and eye irritation. Wear rubber gloves and keep the mixture well away from your face!
1. Chop, grind, or press one garlic bulb plus one small onion
2. Add 1 tsp. powdered cayenne pepper
3. Mix with 1 quart water.
4. Steep 1 hour, then strain through cheesecloth.
5. Add 1 Tbsp. liquid dish soap to the strained liquid and mix well.
6. Spray your plants thoroughly, including leaf undersides.
7. Store the mixture for up to 1 week in a labeled, covered container in the fridge.
Thanks, Jay! And thanks to all the BUGs who have volunteered already this spring!
The mission of the BUG program of Brooklyn Botanic Garden is to train community members to become certified BBG BUG volunteers who donate time to community greening projects in Brooklyn for a minimum of 20 hours each year.
To maintain your certification and help ensure continuation of the BUG program, regularly submit descriptions of your BUG volunteer projects, with photos whenever possible, along with the hours you’ve given them to Maureen O’Brien, at mob...@bbg.org or 718-623-7385.
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