HAPPENINGS!
Fall Update coming soon...it's been a great season so far at the garden!
THE LATEST NEWS FROM BGG
Did you see our sunflowers?
Planted by Eliza Corwin Frost students, they were Blooming Lovely!
SUMMER 2022 UPDATE FROM FARMER DAVE
Spring 2022 at BGG, Farmer Dave & Farmer Sal
GROWING TO GIVE
BGG’s mission is to help bridge the gap of food insecurity that so many families face every day. We donate all the produce we grow to neighboring associations that act as hubs to distribute to those that need it most.
Unlike other community garden models where families rent a box for their own use, BGG’s model is different. While being open for everyone to visit and occasionally help out with weeding and the like, our goal is to grow as much food as possible, with sustainable practices, to give to our neighbors in need.
We've been busy...
COMMUNITY
Students and teachers from Eliza Corwin Frost have been visiting the Garden and they've been busy!
We've worked on plant identification. I brought a carrot (with top) a beet and a scallion and had them search for those in the beds since we had seedlings going of those. Only trick one was the garlic haha!!
After that I told them about mulching the soil and explained the irrigation system. We did a test to see how much water comes out of one of the emitters in 5 minutes then added all the emitters up together to see how much water it can deliver precisely.
Next stop was planting some sunflowers in the new perimeter bed on the Gramatan side. We put a stake in with the students name on it (Farmer Sal's idea) and now they are fully grown - take a look at the photo gallery and see how impressive the sunflowers look!
NEW BEDS!
Firstly, we’ve installed 5 new beds which have given us an extra 100 square feet of growing space. Secondly, we will have the continued help of my friend Sal Devivo who has real farm experience. This means that when one of us is away, the other can fully manage the crops and their optimization which in layman's terms translates to more food to harvest and donate!
IRRIGATION SYSTEM
With the irrigation reinstalled we have planted our first rounds of radish, lettuce, peas, carrots, chard, scallions, kale and beets which the first harvests will be between 24-60 days from now.
FLOWERS
Another exciting addition is we will add a flower bed on the exterior perimeter of the South and East sides of the garden which will give it a beautiful colorful frame during the season.
See you in the Garden!
Farmer Dave
View our 2022 Planting Schedule!
A NOTE FROM BGG DIRECTOR, SUE BROWNIE
GREETINGS!
I’ve always loved plants, but I didn’t start gardening until I moved to Fleetwood in 1995.
Our garden backs onto the Bronx River, and we are fortunate to be surrounded by ancient oak trees, birds, and wildlife. At first, my gardening efforts were concerned with esthetics: all my old favorites like peonies, lilacs, & hostas. I didn’t grasp the importance of planting natives to support the ecosystem until I retired in 2014, & was able to take classes at the Native Plant Center (on the grounds of Westchester Community College in Valhalla). Since then, I have volunteered there and at New York Botanical Garden, and have learned a lot of “hands on” tips from their gardeners. There’s nothing I love more than to spend a day gardening, or visiting gardens on the Garden Conservancy’s Open Days program.
I’m hoping to learn more about growing vegetables from Farmers Dave and Sal and look forward to helping with harvesting and transporting to ECAP. I love the idea of providing fresh, organic produce to people who otherwise wouldn’t have access to them.
This year I hope we’ll be able to host more school groups at the Garden, & get our kids interested in composting food scraps & growing organic veggies!
Looking forward to a great year at BGG!
Sue Brownie
Left to right:
BGG Farmer Dave Phillips; Bronxville Green Committee Chair, Ellen Edwards; Former BGG Director, Mary Liz Mulligan; Incoming BGG Director Sue Brownie; Bronxville Green Committee Communications Chair, Maria Terjanian.
Bronxville Giving Garden is
a nonprofit, volunteer organization
under the umbrella of the Bronxville Green
Committee, which spear headed the initiative
to bring the garden to life.
Seed money from the Village of Bronxville
and The Bronxville Rotary Club
made this project a reality.
YOUNG SUPPORTERS
GIVING CAN HAPPEN AT ANY AGE...
Children from the Junior K class of Bronxville's Reformed Church Nursery School have donated a whopping $506 to Bronxville Giving Garden! The children held a bake sale to raise the funds and then paid a visit to the garden to meet Farmer Dave and learn all about gardening.
We are truly grateful for their hard work and generous donation. See photos in our gallery here. Watch this little video of the students and Farmer Dave having a sing-a-long in the garden! Thanks kids! Well done!
