The Farm
The Farm |
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This is the one section of our garden that makes us like many other community gardens in New York City. Most urban gardeners are interested in growing vegetables, and so are we! Unfortunately, since our garden is associated with a school, most of our gardeners are not around during the summer, when many of our crops are ready to be picked. So, while we do have a food component to our garden, it is not as elaborate as those found at other community gardens.
We have a total of seventeen raised beds, all of various sizes. The sizes are 4 x 8, 4 x 4, and 3 x 12. The wood is not treated with arsenic, but due to that, it rots quickly, and we have to replace the wood every few years. Our soil is a very rich, pH balanced top soil imported from Southhampton, out on Long Island. It used to be soil used for a potato farm, but the farm was converted to a golf course and housing development, and some of the top soil was trucked in for community gardens in New York City.
swiss chard |
The students get to select the crops
grown for each year. The most popular choices are tomatoes, green peppers,
jalapenos, and egg plants. The teachers prefer crops like basil, swiss
chard, and cabbage. So, we have a nice mix of all types of vegetables,
to please all palettes. We start all our vegetables from seed during the
early spring. Using indoor Grow Labs and our green house, we start our
seeds in AP trays, and nurse them until they are seedlings. We then plant
the seedlings in the raised beds starting in April, and all through the
summer. |
We have faced some interesting challenges with our farm. First, we have encountered all kinds of pests, namely slugs and vine borer worms. Our squash and zuchinni rarely last too far into the summer, as the vine boring worms literally suck the life out of the innards of our stalks, and after a while, the leaves just shrivel and die. Slugs are very happy in our cabbage and brocolli, and we are constantly yanking them off the plants.
As we have tried our best to use organic methods of growing crops, we have not used any pesticides or herbicides. Instead we try to raise healthy plants in a good soil base. We add manure to our soil every year, and grow cover crops during the winter. Knowing that a healthy plant is more resistant to pests and diseases, we feel this method is far better than using any kind of spray that might cause health problems or cause any kind ecological imbalance in our garden.
Nara Chhua |
Most important to the health of our soil
is our composting program. We are constantly adding compost of our own
making, as well as some donated from the city. We have tried our best
to save organic wastes in the school for our garden. It has not been easy
to instill a composting mentality at Kennedy, and we could say in all
honesty, our efforts have so far been (pardon the pun) fruitless. How
one is supposed to set up a collection system of food wastes is not easy.
No student wants to carry around smelly wastes, the cafeteria workers
are busy enough already, and then there is the rodent issue. We have a
limited collection system in some offices, and some students and teachers
leave their organic wastes at the entrance of the garden. Of course, all
our weed and other garden debris goes into our tumblers and compost bins,
but this is a thorny challenge most schools must deal with when they try
to set up a composting operation. |
One method we started using in the summer
of 2002 is using weed prevention fabric on our beds. This has made our
lives measurably easier. Of course, our weeding is now at a minimum, but
it also creates an environment less hospitable for the more wormy types
of pests. |
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Another problem we have is rodents. We have found that with urban gardens, you have to be careful with what you grow. There is no avoiding rats in such an environment, and we have certainly had our share in the Enchanted Garden. We have found that sunflowers and corn are real rat attractors. We have on occasion found rats hiding out in giant suflower heads, and with corn, never had a chance to try any, as all of it was already eaten by the time the husks were of edible size.
In past years, we worked extensively with Just Food, a non-profit organization that encourages community gardening as a way of promoting sustainable agriculture.We have donated past harvests to soup kitchens around the city, and hope to be able to do so again in future years. During the summer or 2001, we sold some of our harvest, primarily the most perishable veggies like basil and dill, at the Riverdale CSA table. We also had a chance to visit Hawthorne Valley Farm during that summer to learn more about how CSAs operate, and namely how a large scale organic farm can be so successful. If you would like to read more about our visit to the farm, check out the link at the bottom of this page.
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Nonetheless, we have found the growing of vegetables to be highly rewarding. While, many of our crops are never tasted by most students, we do manage to set up a farm stand every fall, and sell our produce to students and teachers. Most important, there is no better way for students to learn about agriculture and horticulture, and how the natural world is both cruel and beautiful at the same time.
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Dominque Guadelupe, Jessica Mercado, and Hansel Baez tend to some peppers
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View Franklyn Roa's web page: Our visit to Hawthorne Farm
Read Abdus Salaam's web page: Our Enchanted Vegetables
Read Fakhar Khan's web page: It's all about the Compost Baby!
