Sunflower planting and celebration update

We had a wonderful celebration on Saturday. TRUCE organized a moving memorial to beloved student Pablo David, with a screening of his video work and dancing to Garifuna drums. Many visitors to the garden potted sunflowers. We are grateful to everyone who attended, especially Pablo’s brother and friends and we thank New Song and all of our neighbors for sharing in this with us.

Share your reflections on the project. Comment here or share your photos with info@harlemgarden.org

TRUCE courtyard portrait mural

uniting to support the children of our community

Garifuna music with percussion and song

sunflowers transplanted and new crops planted

dummers play Garifuna rhythms

outstanding blooms in a garden box

sharing inspiration from Pablo

the grill is lit and the tables of treats are ready

New Song visits the garden and gets an introduction by Steve

the roses bloomed for the celebration

Sunflowers in Harlem this Saturday, May 22

Pablo Celebration Event Announcement

Join us in the garden this Saturday, May 22nd to celebrate the life of Pablo David, with a festive musical tribute to his Garifuna roots.

11am in the garden

More info

May Updates

Sage picks the first radish of the season!

sunflowers germinating in time for Pablo memorial

peppers and other starts in Steve's market project box

hazelnut growing vigorously

strawberry leaves

Ivy added annuals rock garden area

new bed layout

lots of passers-by stop to take a look

garden members discuss

grape vines survived the winter and now have trellis

Thank you note received from Cornell Garden Mosaics Program

May 10, 2010

Steven Kidd

Carrie McCracken TRUCE Garden

New York City

Dear Steve,

On behalf of the Urban Environment program at Cornell University Cooperative Extension – NYC, I extend a bounty of thanks to the gardeners of the Carrie McCracken TRUCE Garden who so graciously hosted participants of the Garden Mosaics training on April 19^th.  We certainly appreciated your opening the garden to us and so generously sharing your experiences and knowledge about the garden and surrounding community.

Upon our return to the classroom at the Dana Center in Central Park, participants worked in groups to create poster collages that reflected what they had observed and learned in their tours of the gardens and neighborhood.  In their presentations of the posters it was apparent that they had learned a great deal and had gained a new awareness and appreciation for community gardens and the smaller green spaces in our city.  The groups also completed community garden inventories, summarizing what they had learned about the garden.  These inventories have been posted on the Garden Mosaics website:

http://www.gardenmosaics.cornell.edu/

Direct link to inventory:

http://www.gardenmosaics.cornell.edu/pgs/data/inventoryread.aspx?garden=113

You may also visit our Facebook page to view select photographs from the day’s training activities:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Urban-Environment-at-Cornell-University-Cooperative-Extension-NYC/94549754476

Thanks again for welcoming us to the Carrie McCracken TRUCE garden.  The visit to the community garden was a highlight of the training and having the opportunity to speak with gardeners really brought the garden and its role in the community to life.

May you all enjoy a fruitful gardening season.

May Meeting Report

Thanks for the great turn out at our May meeting. It threatened to rain but ended up being a beautiful day.

Our team of gardeners and supporters

Everyone came ready to help and we made good progress on our spring cleaning.

At the meeting we discussed watering (thank you Royland!), creating a rain water collection barrel, composting (thank you Sally, Yoko and Eren!). garbage collection (try to carry away as much of your own trash as possible, larger collections can go out to the curb on collection days). Michelle, John, Eren, Geddes and Marilyn  moved the gazebo in between the trees in the community space.  TRUCE discussed their ideas to collaborate with the garden through TRUCE Roots (8-10 students) and a mural on the garden wall.

Thanks again to everyone who attended the meeting and showed their support!