Inside Urban Green

The Disconnect Between Botanical Gardens And The Public Need

Jonathan Alcorn for The New York Times - Laila Romero, a sous-chef, preparing appetizers at the Camellia Lounge at Descanso Gardens.

The New York Times reported this week on the steady decline in attendance at botanical gardens across the country.

It is no surprise. My regular monitoring of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and the New York Botanical Garden among others shows clearly that they have lost their way. For example, instead of teaching urbanites how to grow food they waste time showing them how to cook it. We already have enough celebrity chefs doing that in other more appropriate venues.

Instead of teaching current day core subjects botanical gardens are teaching plant-growing methods from a prior rural century. They seem unaware that gardening in the dirt is not the path of modernity in the 21st century. Unfortunately, they all too often receive fawning adoration from dirt gardeners who simply don't know better.

In my view, the root cause is our horticultural education system that is badly in need of overhaul. The land grant colleges clearly need a makeover, starting with curriculum and new progressive teaching staff. It is no easy task to change the direction of this monolithic system.

Highlighting this problem is very timely. It is precisely the reason why the Center for Urban Greenscaping (CuGreen) is embarking on an education program to teach city dwellers about modern methods such as sub-irrigation systems.

The kick-off event is the free introductory seminar being held tomorrow evening at the Gowanus Studio Space in Brooklyn. It promises to be a lively and well-attended event.

More information and a seminar registration link.

via www.nytimes.com

Youth Run Urban Farm Opens In Newburgh

Questions?

• Is there any type of barrier at the bottom of these raised beds?
• Was a soil contamination test done on this lot? What were the results?

From the entire list of organizations listed at the bottom, is there even one person who has expertise on the subject of sub-irrigated planter systems (SIPs)?

Is there even one person who knows that the productivity of these beds could be doubled while using in the range of 90% less water by simply sub-irrigating? There will also be no water seepage into the ground.

There is trouble in river city my friends. When are we going to wake up from our Rip Van Winkle sleep?

Come to the introductory SIP seminar on Thursday and you will leave knowing more about modern methods of growing food and foliage in the city then the vast majority of our supposedly professional horticulturists.

via www.midhudsonnews.com

NEWBURGH, NEW YORK – It’s called la Vida Garden, a youth run urban farm at 59 Chambers Street in Newburgh.

The once garbage strewn lot has been transformed into an organic farm and cultural center by inner city youth. It now is filled with seven organically grown beds of tomatoes, eggplants, arugula, basil, mescaline mix, hot and sweet peppers, peaches and cherries, raspberries, grapes, flowers and herbs.

We're Havng A SIP Seminar And You're Invited!

Recycled Soda bottle SIPs - the start of something big

The Center for Urban Greenscaping (CuGreen) is offering the first in a series of informative sessions about modern sub-irrigated methods of growing plants. It will be held next Thursday, July 29 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Gowanus Studio Space here in Brooklyn.

The seminar is free but registration is required. Enter your email address in the box to the left or follow this link for more information and to register.

The first seminar will be an overview of 21st century urban greenscaping using sub-irrigated systems (SIPs). Greenscaping with SIPs covers growing both decorative and edible plants in the built environment. They may be growing indoors, on rooftops, balconies or paved surfaces. Adequate light and a source of water are the only requirements.

Speaking of rooftops, one of the most progressive rooftop gardens in the New York area is the Slippery Slope Rooftop Micro Farm created by Frieda Lim. She will be a special guest at the seminar and available to answer questions at the end.

The seminar will elaborate on the fact that SIPs describe the irrigation/aeration system rather than the planter. The planter is a housing (a container) for the sub-irrigation system. SIPs are analogous to the plumbing in your kitchen and bath that is hidden from view. The same is true of SIPs.

Any watertight container can be a SIP with the addition of some simple “plumbing”. One of the simplest methods is to use corrugated plastic (HDPE) drain pipe. Even traditional raised beds can be SIPs using this method.

The simplest way to learn how SIPs work is to grow some herbs or houseplants in recycled soda bottle SIPs. They are also an excellent education tool to teach children about plants and how they grow. Everything is visible including the soil and root system.

We will cover soda bottle SIPs and many other forms of SIPs including commercial products and homemade versions in the seminar. All of this is opening an enormous potential for new small businesses and green jobs. We will present an overview of these opportunities.  

Everett M. Dirksen Middle School Goes Green With EarthBoxes

Click here to see the video on Facebook.

Props to CBS EcoMedia for giving the Everett M. Dirksen Middle School an EcoZone Green My School award that included an EarthBox Garden. The Rosa Parks Elementary School in San Francisco was also a Green My School winner.

These EarthBox sub-irrigated planter (SIP) school gardens should get much more publicity than they do. They offer a much better way to create school gardens rather than breaking up concrete to make in-ground gardens.

SIP gardens are much more versatile than land locked gardens. Their portability allows them to roll inside the school during the winter where they become part of the science program. SIPs are year round gardens rather than just warm season. They can also roll home if the school chooses to have an outreach program over the summer recess.

In most cases dirt gardens are an unnecessary waste of money, particularly with the state budget crises we are currently enduring across the country.

via www.facebook.com

The Green Team from Everett M. Dirksen Middle School in Calumet City, IL made this slideshow/video to document their experiences with their EarthBox garden.

Rosa Parks Elementary Gets Greened With EarthBoxes

CBS EcoMedia (click and watch this video too) gets a big cheer from me for picking a school like Rosa Parks Elementary in San Francisco as its Green My School contest winner.

I see far too many public schools in higher income neighborhoods with trendy dirt gardens getting much more recognition than they deserve. Designer gardens cost far more money than they are worth and add little to the educational content of the school. 



Why waste significant money breaking up paved surfaces when it is not necessary. Misguided parent activists and school principals should be called to task for their folly.

Plants in sub-irrigated planters (SIPs) like the EarthBox will grow anywhere there is enough sun. Add water and kids and you have a highly productive edible garden. In fact, it will be more productive than in-ground growing. Kids will also learn some good science and water conservation while experiencing the joy of eating fresh vegetables.

What you see here in this video is representative of city schools all across the country. Schools with lots of paved surfaces and courtyards like Rosa Parks are generic here in Brooklyn and the rest of the New York boroughs.

Thanks primarily to The Growing Connection (a UN organization) we have a significant number of schools with EarthBox SIP gardens like the one at Rosa Parks School. However, the local media, foodie bloggers and horticulture community ignores them. There is little or no news coverage for anything other than dirt gardening. Is this ignorance or personal bias?  

I do not know of one local institution including our vaunted botanic gardens that offers a class or course on the subject of modern food production methods like SIPs. If you want to talk about food injustice, start here.

CBS EcoZone Green My School Contest

Sub-irrigateed Planters (SIPs): A Backyard Tomato Garden Or Business

Here is a look at our tomatoes in EarthBoxes this spring, well, almost summer

via www.facebook.com

It would be interesting to know the fresh vegetable production (and street value) of this back yard garden, excuse me farm. What we see here could well be a family small business selling both vegetables and ready-to-grow sub-irrigated planter (SIP) gardens. Read about someone already doing it. 

Think about all the unemployed teenagers and college students we have in America who could produce some significant fresh food and income over a summer if they knew how. 

The key is education about modern methods of urban food production that does not require tilling scarce and often-contaminated land. Currently this information is not available and that is a national disgrace. Third world countries get better information (micro gardening for example) from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) than we do.

The USDA is not funded or mandated to teach you as an urban or suburban citizen how to grow your own food using the most modern productive methods. It is funded by tax dollars and supported by lobbyists whose sole interest is in promoting corporate agriculture. That does not include you.

Instead of modern up to date consumer information, the USDA through its Extension and Master Gardener programs spreads outdated information about dirt and drain hole gardening. Sadly, urban foodie and dirt hugger bloggers and writers drink their cool-aid and spit it out all over the Internet. The blind end up leading the blind.

Almost every day I see photos like this one about job training. Well intentioned perhaps but dumb and dumber. Working in a MacDonald's or Starbuck's is probably a better job than this. The expression "dirt cheap" isn't just about the dirt; it's also about dirt-cheap jobs that lead nowhere. 

PS 102 SIPs Are Home For The Summer Recess

Bob Patterson of The Growing Connection (TGC) conducting an EarthBox workshop for parents and teachers of PS102.

Thanks to The Growing Connection (TGC) (part of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization - FAO) and the Center for Urban Greenscaping (CuGreen) there are 25 sub-irrigated planters (EarthBoxes and utility bucket SIPs) helping to grow some fresh food for local Brooklynites this summer. In the process, they are demonstrating the superior productivity, ease of use and water conserving benefits of SIPs.

The SIPs home base is the PS 102 garden but due to limited access over the summer recess, it is not the best place to be. That is why the SIPs are growing fresh vegetables at the homes of parents and teachers over the summer.

Children who live at these homes will know more about modern urban gardening methods by the end of summer than most adults. The sad commentary is that there is no New York educational institution teaching about the subject. In my view, there are people who should be reprimanded or even lose jobs over this social injustice.

As any reader of this blog can easily discover, sub-irrigated planter systems are a successful reality of urban food production across the country. Our educational system seems to be either not tuned in or there are people who are practicing obstructionism for some reason known only to them

The Brooklyn Eagle published an article about the PS 102 garden recently.

via www.brooklyneagle.com

Help From ‘CuGreen’ Founder

Local neighborhood resident and gardening landscaper (edit urban greenscaper) Bob Hyland has been immensely helpful, said Sheri. “The Center for Urban Greenscaping (CuGreen) that I founded last year was instrumental in helping make this a modern garden with the donation of a sub-irrigated planters (SIP) system and significant pro-bono consulting help,” explained Hyland.

Earthbox Kids Learning About Good Nutrition And Food Security

Growing Food Security in Alberta (GFSA) is a Canadian non-profit organization working to increase the availability of fresh food and thereby improve food security.

GFSA experienced the benefits of sub-irrigated planters (SIPs) through  a project known as EarthBox Kids and blogged about it.

I do not know of a better way to teach and encourage good nutrition and food security.

In my view, food security starts with each of knowing how to produce at least some of our own food. We should learn this at an early age. All kids should be given the knowledge of modern SIP systems. A good motto for parents and teachers is "give a kid a SIP". It is a gift that will last a lifetime.

via gfsa.wordpress.com

Could a simple planter box change the way kids think about food? Based on what I’ve seen and heard so far, yes. Since implementing a project known as Earthbox Kids in a local Fort Vermilion school, I am certain that these lucky children will have a new perspective on food and it’s origins.

Miami High School's 'Green' Makeover Includes EarthBoxes

Have a look at this video and you will see an auditorium full of high school students who are pumped about "green".

Part of the school's "green makeover" includes EarthBoxes. How cool it is to see modern sub-irrigated planters (SIPs aka "self-watering") recognized as green.

Here in New York City we have far too many fringe foodies who mistakenly think that only dirt is green. There is one socially understandable reason for color blindness and this isn't it.

via cbs4.com

EcoZone: Northwestern High Get's 'Green' Makeover - CBS4.com

So, what changes have been made?

First, students are learning to grow their own food in an 'Earth Box.' It's an above ground planter that calls the school's main quad home. Students take turns tending to the vegetables and herbs. Then, when they are ready, the teens can harvest the produce.

EarthBox SIP: Extension Program Educator Says It's The Best!

If you have been reading this blog for a while you probably know my rather low opinion of the educational quality of the USDA Extension Program.

Most of their published information about urban food production is locked in to a dirt gardening, drain hole archetype of a bygone time of rural America and WWII Victory Gardening.

The future of local food production in the city is not in the dirt no matter how much nostalgic counterculturists pine for it. Flower power had its day. Hoes, rakes, shovels and clay pots are about as modern as slide rules and tail fins.

In light of this, it was refreshing to find an Extension educator with a mind of her own who has no reluctance to speak up. Unfortunately, her opinions about sub-irrigated planters (SIPs) like the EarthBox are not more widely published in the mainstream of Extension publications. To read them you would need to be a subscriber to the Chippewa Valley Agriculture Newsletter -PDF (Wisconsin). 

I would encourage you to read her EarthBox endorsement that follows. It speaks the truth that you can easily prove to yourself. Just follow the directions and plant one SIP. You’ll soon know the truth. The plants and their fruits will speak to you.

The closing quote by Extension Educator Erin LaFaive "Mahlon Peterson (U of Wisconsin-Extension Agricultural Agent) loves these EarthBoxes® too. He is the one that got me addicted.

What is the best container to grow vegetables in?

In my experience, it’s the EarthBox®! EarthBox® is a brand name for a 29 inch long, 13.5 inch wide, and 11 inch high container. The success of this container comes from the special components that come with the kit and the technique in packing the soil.