HOSPITALITY GARDEN

It gets very breezy on the roof top where the Hospitality Garden grows. So it isn’t surprising that  the tomato plants so delicately staked and cared for by Dah Wei took a  hit in Thursday’s high winds. The Brandy Wine variety held up but some of the Yellow Pear tomatoes may not survive.

The next time the club plans to do some gardening up there is this coming Monday at 8 am.  If you have any interest in helping to stake up the dangling tomatoes, please give Prof Hellermann a shout at mhellermann@citytech.cuny.edu

Extremes of weather are the norm these days and we have to accept a few losses. Or as Sinatra sings it, “I lost you to the summer wind… “

Changes at the garden echo what is happening w/ the weather and the re-entry to college classes: Temperature changes; growth; new focus and adrenaline; bees darting to flowers; fitting in new demands.

At our plot atop bldg #3, large & heavy butternut squash are ripening tho the vines are about played out. Zucchini is winding down. Tomato plants are healthy and loaded w/ green fruit that Dah wei is caring for w/ the diligence of a surgeon. More kale, chard, mustard and tatsoi will be ready to harvest for Dining Room classes next week (or the week after).

More seeds for fall and winter veg will be planted this week, hopefully by new club members who have been attracted (like honey bees) to the large bouquets of flowers in the Dining Room.

One goal for the Hospitality Garden is to provide fresh- from -the -neighborhood vegetables to the culinary program at City Tech. Seeds have been planted in the hopes that they will produce edibles after classes start, at the end of August. Like a ballet, or souffle, so much depends on Timing.

According to the seed catalog, Striata d’ Italia needs 50 – 60 days to reach maturity; but Shellita and Dah wei poked a half dozen seeds into a few hills on June 20.                          This Wednesday, just 40 days after going into the ground, these great sprawling plants have produced a pair of mature, lovely, green-stripped zukes. Apparently they thrive in the heat and humidity that wilts us.   Delicious. As are the early maturing mustard greens.

Some plants are born into greatness, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them. Where does Striata fall in this?

Climate Change Blues

My garden partner Matthew says                                                                                               Man what about this heat                                                                                                           Can’t use all this Fahrenheit                                                                                                        Kale is totally beat.

Drooping legumes, cukes, (and folks)                                                                                       Much more than they can bear                                                                                                      In sun, or shade we got to own it                                                                                                This weather, we have to wear.

Paying the price for our carbon pride                                                                                           We brought on this doldrum mess                                                                                                  It hangs around our collective necks                                                                                      Huge, modern day albatross.

Around our necks, nearly supine                                                                                                      So foul it weighs us down,                                                                                                             We drag it up to the stifling deck                                                                                                   Leave it, jump in the brine.

A number of people have asked “what are those branches in the garden…?”  So we  tell them all (well, both people actually) that this is a means of support for future tall and gangly tomatoes & pole beans. The small cross pieces with a reddish hue, are mock orange (Philadelphius coronarius). The large uprights are hemlock; all are from recent prunings of trees growing off-site.

This whole garden plot is a way for any interested student to learn about the fascinating way plants get started, thrive and survive before they are washed, sauteed and enjoyed in a culinary class: just another means to an end. It is so much about process.

Part of the process now is to thin the kale, finish the tomato trellis, and top dress everything w/ compost. This will happen tomorrow, Thursday 7/18, starting at 7:30 am.

Also part of the process is to find some funding (scratch, cheddar) to maintain our stake in the garden.  If any of you have ideas in this regard, or want to meet at the garden tomorrow to help out, contact Mark Hellermann:      mhellermann@citytech.cuny.edu

It will get cool eventually, and a long, long time from now, classes for the fall term will begin.  With that in mind, gardening students have built a customized tomato trellis to support the poetically named varieties that are soaking up the sun, loving the heat, and spreading out.

 Brandywine, Yellow Pear, Early Girl, Country Taste, Gold Nugget, Grandeur, Sweet Chelsea, and a personal favorite Cosmonaut Volkov— have been named for a reason.  Someday we’ll find out why.  And we’ll harvest these fruits.

…..back of my neck gettin dirty and gritty.”   -Lovin Spoonful

Early in the morning, while it is still cool, planting continues in the Hospitality Garden on top of bldg #3. {Pls note the previous post “New Digs” with more details on location and plans for this plot.}       We have just planted chard, kale and mustard seed along with small donated basil and globe amaranth seedlings. This on top of (well next to) the rows of misc tomatoes, herbs, bee balm, dianthus, nasturtium, marigold, chives and cape gooseberries that went in on the 22nd.

Zucchini and winter squash seeds that were put into the soil merely a week ago have come up strong, stout, healthy.  This late planting will hopefully stymie the voracious, insidious and low-lying squash vine borer that has done great harm to previous squash plants.

Note new pics in the Photo Gallery page and schedule additions in the …. the Calendar page

After just a few short months of looking everywhere in the ‘hood for a new garden site, turning over stones in all possible directions, the Hospitality Garden has a new location.  First plantings took place today with Shelita, Joslyn & Dah wei on top of Bldg #3 at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. What a site! What a view! take a look at the new pictures in the Photo Gallery

We are leasing a small corner of the roof top urban farm run by Brooklyn Grange.    http://www.brooklyngrangefarm.com/our-farms/   Lead farmers Matt & Ben have been extremely helpful in getting us set up there and we have high hopes for tall vegetables, giant sunflowers, indeterminate tomato plants.

Stay tuned but don’t stay put. Note the gardening dates on the Calendar, and if you want to join us on the roof, email Mark:    mhellermann@citytech.cuny.edu   He will give you details on where to meet in order to get up there.

per aspera ad astra

Garden club members were fantastic at the Wellness Fair last week. By grilling mini Strawberry Shortcakes and rolling Spring Vegetable Rice balls they demonstrated that healthy and nutritious food using seasonal ingredients can also be incredibly delicious.

A couple hundred savory rice balls and just as many whole wheat & honey shortcakes disappeared in short order at the well attended table on the first floor lobby of Namm.  Many thanks and kudos go out to club president Shellita Orie and members Matt Fass, Dah wei Charng, Amanda Zhang, Craig Shaw, John Adamidis, and the incomparable rice ball king Jeong Park.

See the pictures in the photo gallery.

Members of the Garden Club will be cooking spring green rice balls and a healthy strawberry shortcake at the Wellness Fair on May 9. Sample their treats on the Jay Street first floor entrance to Namm building.

The search continues for a new garden site for City Tech and the Hospitality Dept. Here is some of the latest: 

The office of Marty Markowitz supports the effort and has been looking at possible sites plus directing us to people in the Parks department. Mr. Choloute at GreenThumb has been looking also.

A possible collaboration with faculty in the Chem dept and their new Enironmental Science class is also in the works. It includes a greenhouse and a site on Myrtle avenue.

Brooklyn Bridge park has a small plot we could use but it is only for 1 year– hardly worth it considering the effort required.