Posts Tagged ‘gardening’

ReVision Urban Farmstand: Thurs-Fri-Saturday

July 28th, 2010

Top-quality fresh veggies offered at low prices!
Much of their produce is grown locally in Dorchester, at The ReVision Urban Farm.

The farmstand is located at 1062 Blue Hill Ave, at the corner of Arbutus and Blue Hill, 3 blocks north of Morton Street
Every Thursday through Saturday—12pm to 4pm

EBT Customers: Receive 50%OFF through Mayor Menino’s Bounty Bucks Program.

For more information 617-822-FARM (3276)

Get Gardening! Plenty of Plots Available in Dorchester’s Community Gardens

July 26th, 2010

community gardenThere are plenty of plots still available in Dorchester’s community  gardens. Contact the garden coordinator for more information about tending your own plot!  Gardens with available plots are listed below.

29 Josephine Street Garden
Contact Nolan Smith, 617-282-5994

33 Bullard Street Garden
Contact Karen Chaffee, 617-542-7696 x19
info@bostonnatural.org

39 Barry Street Garden
Contact Karen Chaffee, 617-542-7696 x19
info@bostonnatural.org

Julian, Judson & Dean Streets Garden
36 Dean Street
Contact Domingos Ramos, dramos@bidmc.harvard.edu

Leyland Street Garden Extension
20 Leyland Street
Contact Pansy Carlton, 617-445-0088

74-76 Lucerne Street, Corner of Balsam
Contact Mary Bleach, 617-436-0282

96 Spencer Street Garden
Contact Eulie Fair, 617-288-4432

To find another community garden in Dorchester, visit BNAN or see the full list after the break. » Read more: Get Gardening! Plenty of Plots Available in Dorchester’s Community Gardens

How to Build Your Own Green Roof

July 22nd, 2010

Last Wednesday, we had the opportunity to attend the Green Roof workshop sponsored by the Urban Ecology Institute and CityRoots.  At the workshop, Filomena from CityRoots installed an extensive green roof on a tool shed at the Claybourne Street Community Garden.  The tool shed had been built last year with the help of YouthBuild with the intention of installing a green roof in the future.

Rooftop gardens can be built on any horizontal or slightly tilted roof, and they have many benefits.  They provide insulation, cooling in hot weather and keeping warmth in during the winter; they reduce pollution caused by excessive storm water runoff, and when installed properly, they prevent roof leaks.

Here’s a quick guide to installing your own extensive (shallow) green roof:

  • Choose a roof that can support between 15 to 30 lbs. per square foot
  • Install a root barrier – a heavy-duty waterproofing layer.  A good choice is a double layer of 20 mil. pond liner.
  • Add a drainage layer – Urban Ecology Institute recommends a lightweight granular medium, such as pebbles, or a synthetic layer that helps retain moisture.  An absorbent old carpet or a recycled blanket can work.
  • Install a filter fabric on top of the drainage layer, with a honeycomb texture that can prevent fine soil particles from passing into the drainage layer.
  • Add a lightweight, easily draining soil medium.  A good guideline is approximately 75% inorganic (such as crushed slate, clay or vermiculite) and 25% organic (compost or clean topsoil).  The picture to the left shows a mixture containing lightweight expanded clay aggregate (LECA) round stones.
  • Choose a hardy and drought-tolerant plant such as sedum, hens and chicks, ice plants, chives, or columbine for the final layer.  Some species of grass are an option if you are planting in a soil mixture deeper than 6 inches.
  • Weed once or twice per year – roots of invading woody plants can damage the waterproof roof lining.

For the full guide to building a simple green roof, written by CityRoots and the Urban Ecology Institute, click here.

Asian Longhorned Beetle Infestation Near Franklin Park

July 7th, 2010

From the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources:

“6 red maples infested by the Asian Long-Horned Beetles were discovered on the property of the Faulkner Hospital in Jamaica Plain.  The trees have already been removed by the US Dept. of Agriculture and the State team.  Everyone is hopeful that this was an isolated infestation but USDA, MADA, DCR and others will be surveying  areas within a 1 1/2 mile radius of the infestation. This means that officials will want to survey trees on both public and private property over the next months.  USDA will provide photo ID’s to all tree personnel.”

What you can do:

  • Inform yourself. See this site for how to recognize the beetle.  It is very important to be as informed as possible now that the beetle has been found on the Faulkner Hospital grounds, next to the Arnold Arboretum and not far from Franklin Park and Forest Hills Cemetery.
  • Attend public meetings like the one at the Franklin Park Golf Clubhouse on Tuesday, July 13th at 6:00 pm to discuss strategies with the Parks Department and the USDA so you can pass all necessary information on to your friends and neighbors.

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More from the Mass. Deprtment of Conservation & Recreation, 7/16/2010:
FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL OFFICIALS HOLDING ADDITIONAL PUBLIC MEETINGS TO DISCUSS ASIAN LONGHORNED BEETLE PRESENCE IN BOSTON
WHAT: Officials from the US Department of Agriculture, the MA Department of Conservation and Recreation, the MA Department of Agricultural Resources, the town of Brookline, and the city of Boston have scheduled two public meetings in Brookline and one in Boston this month to discuss the recent discovery of Asian longhorned beetles (ALB) in Jamaica Plain and the eradication efforts, which began immediately.
Over the July 4th weekend, six trees on the grounds of Faulkner Hospital were found to be infested by ALB. The trees were removed on Tuesday morning, July 6, and ALB project workers immediately began surveying trees within a 1.5-mile radius of the infested trees to
look for evidence of additional beetles. Since then, no further infestation has been found in Boston.
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Information materials on the ALB are available at the following Boston and Brookline public library branches:
Boston:
West Roxbury Library, 1961 Centre Street, West Roxbury
Connolly Branch Library, 433 Centre Street, Jamaica Plain
Roslindale Library, 4238 Washington St., Roslindale,
Egleston Square Branch Library, 2044 Columbus Avenue, Roxbury
Jamaica Plain Library, 12 Sedgwick Street, Jamaica Plain
Brookline: Putterham Branch Library 959 West Roxbury Parkway
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PUBLIC MEETINGS:
Brookline
WHEN: Wednesday, July 21 and Thursday, July 29
6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. each night
WHERE: Brookline Public Library
Hunneman Hall, 361 Washington St., Brookline
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Boston
WHEN: Saturday, July 31
10 a.m.-Noon
WHERE: Curtis Hall Community Center, 20 South Street, 2nd floor, Jamaica Plain

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Dorchester House Farmers Market Opens Today

July 6th, 2010

Wondering what to make for dinner?  Pick up some fresh food at the Dorchester House Farmers Market and get a free food sample from the UMass nutritionists while you’re there!  Today, from 11:30 am to 1:30pm, visit the Dorchester House Farmers Market at Dorchester House Multi-Service Center, 1353 Dorchester Avenue (map).

Find fresh produce from Flats Mentor Farm, ReVision House Urban Farm and Serving Ourselves Farm (at Long Island Shelter), all farms connected to socially-responsible programs.

Flats Mentor Farm still has Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) shares available and you can feel good about buying from them, since FMF “assists and supports small farmers of diverse ethnic backgrounds with the land, farming infrastructure and marketing assistance needed to promote and sustain successful farming enterprises”.

Victory Programs’ ReVision Urban Farm is locally based in Dorchester, and has transformed “over an acre of abandoned lots into productive and vibrant farmland”. The ReVision Urban Farm provides job-training for youth and Boston’s homeless, and partners with Victory Programs’ Revision House shelter in Franklin Field to promote healthy eating and sustainable farming while providing residents with free produce to use in their family meals.

The Farm at Long Island Shelter (Serving Ourselves Farm) is located right in Boston Harbor, each year producing nearly 30,000 pounds of high-quality vegetables, flowers, and herbs for the over 850 homeless individuals served each day. The Farm provides hands-on job training, work-readiness skills, life skills and education for homeless individuals as part of the Serving Ourselves Job Training Program. Individuals in the Culinary Arts track of the program have gone on to gain permanent, gainful employment in restaurant, food, horticulture and landscaping industries using skills they developed at the Farm.