Inside Urban Green

PONG Potential on the Steps of a Museum

Bret Harte kid with Mother and Brother harvest onion, originally uploaded by Museum of Science and Industry's Smart Home Garden.

It's unlikely that many would think of planting a vegetable garden on the steps at the entrance to a museum, but it is a reality. This is the EarthBox garden at the entrance to the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. It is adjacent to the Smart Home that also has an EarthBox Garden. 

Portability of these planters makes outreach possible. If this was a PONG, this family could not only take some vegetables home, they could take an EarthBox garden as well. Obviously some administrative details would have to be worked out, but if could be done. It's a matter of policy rather than technology. 

The potential of PONGs (prior posts) to help eradicate center city food deserts is enormous. 

Sub-irrigated Planters(SIPs) - Boxes, Beds or Buckets - Grow fast, grow good, save water, save time, eat clean...go green!  

A PONG A Day: Could Help Keep Hunger Away

 
Front of PS 170 - Bay Ridge, Brooklyn

 
Back of PS 170 - Bay Ridge, Brooklyn

Who would think of growing fresh vegetables here? Everywhere I look, I see sites for PONGs.  This could be your neighborhood. Have a look around with a PONG awareness.  

There could be a new PONG started every day in America. It is not an over-ambitious goal. All it takes is education and the will to do it. It is not a question of money. 

Ping us if you are interested in starting a PONG. 

UrbanGreenscaper [AT] gmail.com 

Sub-irrigated Planters(SIPs) - boxes, beds or buckets - Grow fast, grow good, save water, save time, eat clean...go green!  

A Portable Edible Garden at PS 102 in Brooklyn

A New School Garden in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn 

The Center for Urban Greenscaping (CuGreen) helped launch a new type of edible school garden this week. It is a beta version of the Portable Outreach Neighborhood Gardens (PONGs) advocated by CuGreen. This particular PONG project is in partnership with PS 102, Bay View School in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. Principal Theresa Dovi heads the school located at 211 72nd Street, Brooklyn, NY 11209. The garden is on 72nd Street between Ridge Boulevard and 3rd Avenue. See map. 

CuGreen is strongly advocating a new 21^st century form of neighborhood and school garden based on portable sub-irrigated (aka self-watering) planters (SIPS). They may be locally made boxes, beds and buckets or consumer products such as the popular EarthBox. The initial beta plantings in this PONG are in bucket SIPs. Other planter types will be added later this year. All offer the benefit of portability, which makes outreach to the surrounding community possible. 

The school’s team including Parent Coordinator Margaret Sheri, Custodial Engineer Marco Samponara and parents Didem Meadows and Rana Abu-Sbaih met on Monday to install heirloom tomatoes and bell peppers in the fenced in garden behind the school.   

SIPs: Portability, Productivity, Water Conservation and Safety 

Portable sub-irrigated planters (SIPs) will produce more fresh food per square foot than any other method while using less water and time. Unlike in-ground gardens or beds, they can be moved around at will during the growing season. Further, there is no need to fear contaminated city soil. It is an unfortunate reality of urban life solved by using SIPs. 

SIP gardening is the most flexible and productive form of urban gardening. A PONG can be easily reconfigured depending on the particular crop and seasonal sun availability. A PONG does not need access to tillable earth. Sunny black top and concrete spaces will work just fine. There is no need for heavy labor or construction. 

Outreach Offers Inclusion Rather than Exclusion

Portability is the key to outreach, an innovative feature of a PONG. At the end of the school year, some students may take a SIP home with them to nurture over the summer. Student education will continue with this experience. They can also share what they learn with siblings and other family members of all generations. Of course, they will also share some delicious fresh vegetables. 

Outreach is about inclusion rather than exclusion. No one needs to be an experienced gardener, farmer or dirt devotee. Anyone (young or old) with access to six or more hours of sunlit space and the ability to follow simple instructions can grow fresh food in the city. Nature teaches in many ways, including through science and technology. Portable SIPs provide the means to follow the scientific method. 

The Future for the PS 102 Garden 

Due to some unforeseen circumstances the garden got a late start this season. It will officially launch in September when school reopens. In the coming weeks we will consider planting some fall vegetables and flowers.

Parent Coordinator Margaret Sheri is forming a garden club at the school and the PONG will be a center of its activities. It is possible that the schools autumn festival will feature some school grown pumpkins and gourds grown in larger size SIPs. That surely will be a treat for the schools students, teachers and parents. 

There is much more to come. Stay tuned!

More About Urban Green PONGs