A big thank you to all the residents who contributed to Saturday’s wonderful Potluck Party & Garden Fundraiser. The food was fabulous, and we had a nice time in the community room despite the windy, wet weather outside.
While you’ve been generous already, we’d like to ask for your recipes. If you made and shared something, and you are willing to share the recipe, please send it via email to cvearthlab@gmail.com for publication on this blog. Thanks.
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Sharing this information from the NYC Parks Department… Upcycle your tree if possible, please! The resulting mulch could go to good use in our play area, nourishing our soil and plants and protecting our kids from head injuries (the untreated wood chips and mulch serve as safety surfacing around the slide and climbing wall, but only if we maintain a whopping 9 inches depth by replenishing it several times a year). Families: if you haven’t contributed your two-three bags of mulch to the play area, now is a great time. Thanks! –Denise Saturday and Sunday, January 10 and 11, 2015 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Bring your holiday tree to a designated city park to be recycled into mulch that will nourish plantings across the city!
Join the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, the New York City Department of Sanitation, and GreeNYC to recycle your Christmas trees into wood chips. These wood chips are used to nourish trees and plants on streets and gardens citywide. Or, take home your very own bag of mulch to use in your backyard or to make a winter bed for a street tree. More than 30,000 trees were recycled last year. Help us top this number!
How to ‘Chip In.’
This year, MulchFest will take place on January 10 and 11, 2015. It’s easier than ever to chip in! There are two ways you can help.
Chipping Locations
You can bring your tree to a chipping location on January 10 and 11 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. We’ll chip your tree, and give you your very own bag of mulch!
Drop Off Locations
Or you can bring your tree to a drop-off site from Saturday, January 3 through Sunday, January 11. Leave your tree with us, and we’ll recycle it for you later! The NYC Department of Sanitation will also be conducting special curbside collections for mulching and recycling of Christmas trees from Monday, January 5, 2015 through Friday, January 16, 2015.
Garden winterization is overdue! Some gardeners will be outside this afternoon to clear, clean up and pack up the garden for the cold weather season. Feel free to pitch in! We’ll also be planting daffodil bulbs around the play area; probably around 130pm.
Do you have any pots in the raised bed area of the garden? We’re cleaning these out and storing them before it snows. Please note that any unclaimed pots and containers will be discarded after December 1st. Thanks!
Look in the upper lefthand corner–I think it’s an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail!
Such excitement this afternoon! I spotted this butterfly around 1230pm Friday afternoon, while I was walking from the play area toward Adams Street. My smartphone photos aren’t great, but upon inspection, I think this is an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail. Thoughts?
As we’ve seen firsthand, these and other butterflies like to lay eggs on host plants like our carrot, fennel, and dill so the newly hatched caterpillars have food to eat. (Before they start their transformation into pupae/ crysalis. )
I’m so happy to see all the growth in the garden, and the results of some of the Joe Pye, Goldenrod, Aster and other butterfly nectar and butterfly host plants we’ve planted. I hope to be able to label them all (along with images of the butterflies they support) in time for the garden fundraiser party on June 21st. –Denise
The butterfly isn’t squashed, she’s just got her wings extended in flight over the sidewalk behind 215 Adams.
There’s much that’s new to celebrate. The new snap peas and lettuces and growing tomatoes and basil (most of which we grew from seed!), to be sure, but also:
This is the work of donations and volunteer labor (thanks especially to Lee, Keith, Karin, and Judy for their assistance and supplies this season so far!), so let’s celebrate it!
We need more members to support this amazing, self-funded resource! We ask members to donate $10 per person (or $25 per family) to help us with the costs of keeping our garden safe, functioning, and growing (in addition to the bigger projects above, seeds, plant supports, compost — it all adds up!). We also need volunteers to help water and supply more mulch.
Join us to celebrate and learn more about what we do and what we need! Click here to RSVP to cvearthlab@gmail.com. Thank you.
We are transplanting the seedlings we planted in March TODAY, Sunday, at 3pm.* Bring your plants (or your gardening hands and spirit) to the communal garden inside the children’s play area this afternoon. All residents are invited to join this garden event, to become members of the garden or support CVearthlab’s efforts in other ways. Thank you!
*While many gardening events must be rain or shine, we may postpone the planting for an hour or so if it is pouring at 3pm. Check this space for updates!
Do you know what you’re making for the harvest potluck? Sunday’s party is quickly approaching. If you’d like to incorporate some super-local flavor into your dish, there’s garlic, basil, lemon balm and other herbs available in the garden. Feel free to post your planned dish in the comments.
Need inspiration? Popular past dishes: pasta, herb-infused olive oil for dipping, mint-flavored drinks, and salsa. Not sure if you can cook, but want to make a contribution? Consider bringing a staple such as French baguettes, fruit salad, tortilla chips or crudité. Or a drink. Wine counts as fruit!
What it Take To Keep The Garden Going The harvest party marks the season’s end but also the beginning of our next one. Thanks in advance for helping the garden budget grow with your donations. We need soil, seeds and a drink-safe hose, among other things. Cash donations or checks payable to CVOI may be brought to the event or left to the attention of Donna Chaiet (230 Jay St). Checks can also be submitted to the office. Thank you.
Concord Village EarthLab 