Big Apple Greeter | Secret Gardens of New York (Farming Profile III) 1

Here are four ways to enjoy agriculture today in

New York City:
ROOF-TOP HONEY
A recent and very successful NYC agricultural
product is honey. David Graves, a Massachusetts
farmer, keeps beehives on rooftops in Manhattan, Brooklyn,
and the Bronx and sells the honey under the catchy name
Roof-top Magic at the Union Square Greenmarket.
For many years, David raised bees in Massachusetts and sold
the honey in NY along with his wifes homemade jams and
jellies. One year, after black bears raided his hives, he moved
the hives up high to protect them. He realized NYC has lots
of roof tops where the hives wouldnt be disturbed or
accidentally knocked over. Also, NYC has no bears; the
animals we do have (rats, pigeons, and humans) all avoid
bees. This original idea has turned into a thriving business.
In 2007 he keeps about 12 active beehives on roof tops, in
locked locations. The hives are housed in wooden boxes
holding several rectangular wooden frames, each enclosing a
honeycomb. David constantly monitors the hives at each
location, and harvests the honey when its ready. The hives
are closed all winter, when the bees hibernate. Each hive can
produce between 60 and 140 pounds of honey, depending on
the weather.
Many customers who suffer from allergies believe that eating local honey will
help them build up immunity to indigenous pollen. Others just like the taste, or
are intrigued by the image of bees leaving their rooftop homes to pollinate street
trees. Skeptics may be concerned that urban honey might taste sooty. In fact,
bees sip from deep inside blossoms, beneath any grime. David finds that his
honey varies in character seasonally and from hive to hive. The honey from
Harlem and the Upper West Side tends to be golden in color and tastes flowery.
When the bees have been feeding near the linden trees on the lower East Side,
the honey has a minty taste.
Graves and his bees have been invited to city schools for educational
demonstrations. Most children ask right away about getting stung. Mr. Graves
always assures them that honey bees are predictable, beneficial and docile, and
not aggressive like hornets and yellow jackets.
To buy the honey and meet Mr. Graves, go to the Union Square
Greenmarket on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays year-round, or you
can order from his web site at www.berkshireberries.com.
David sells Roof-top Honey and Maple Syrup at
his stand in Union Square
A GUIDE TO SECRET
GARDENS OF NEW YORK
* Wheelchair accessible
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2 Big Apple Greeter | Secret Gardens of New York (Farming Profile III)
VEGETABLES ON THE
HUDSON
Madelon Holder learned organic farming
techniques during the years when she lived in
Wisconsin. She now lives on the Upper West Side and
although she loves NYC, she missed the ability to grow
vegetables. Now she feels she has the best of both worlds
because she has a small farming plot at Riverbank State
Park on West 145th Street on the Hudson River.
Riverbank State Park, inspired by urban rooftop designs
in Japan, has many amenities, including an Olympic-size
pool, a covered skating rink, and a great view of the
Palisades and the George Washington Bridge. Adjacent
to the playing fields is an area with about 50 small plots,
about 6 x 10, each carefully tended by individual
gardeners. (The parks department supplies a compost
pile, watering hose, and gardening tools.)
Every spring Madelon puts in long hours, laying out the
crops and weeding. She has long practiced biodynamic
techniques, a method to create health and balance in the
soil and the surrounding environment. She sees her small
garden as a microcosm of the city and she has planted a
variety of different crops of different heights and colors.
Her small plot includes peppers, tomatoes, corn, basil,
lettuce, green beans and broccoli; every inch is utilized.
Marigolds add color and are good companions to the
tomatoes a technique she learned in her biodynamic
training. She uses no pesticides, but she does add fish
emulsion. She hasnt seen any bugs this year and isnt
sure if thats good or bad.
By August she usually visits the park twice a
week, to water the plot and take home those
vegetables that are ripe. Madelon regrets that
she rarely sees the other gardeners, perhaps
because she tends to go after work. She
knows that theres a long waiting list of people
who want to be assigned a plot.
The plots must be cleaned out by November.
Madelon hopes shell be assigned the same
plot next spring.
Riverbank State Park, 679 Riverside Drive, 212-694-3600 is open year
round 6:00 AM to 11:00 PM.
Riverside State Park, along
the Hudson River, has about
50 small individual gardens.
Madelon grows corn,
eggplant and other
vegetables on hers.
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A FLOATING FARM
The Science Barge is a
sustainable urban farm,
growing tomatoes, cucumbers,
peppers and lettuce. The 50-foot
long barge has been at several
locations at waterfront parks in New
York, including W. 44th Street and
W. 70th Street on the Hudson River.
The fact that its on a barge gives the
farm publicity and encourages
visitors. It is open to the public,
including many school groups who
get hands-on class demonstrations.
The Science Barge grows vegetables
in a greenhouse, using a system called
hydroponics. Rather than using soil,
the plants are kept in pots filled with
a blend of rocks and straw that soaks
up the water and passes along the
nutrients. This system allows the
plants to produce seven times more
food than traditional farmland, using
one fourth the water.
The crops are irrigated by rainwater
which is collected off the slanted
rooftop. All the water is caught and
re-circulated through a series of pipes.
The greenhouse is powered by solar
panels, wind turbines and biofuels,
including used cooking oil. These
energy sources result in greatly
reduced emissions of carbon dioxide
so they dont contribute to global
warming.
By growing food in the city with no
carbon emissions, no water use, and
no waste stream, the science barge
hopes to be a model for sustainable
urban agriculture. The engineers
and scientists who run the barge
plan to design their system for
rooftop use. They hope to partner
with schools that could grow the
fresh vegetables their students eat at
lunch, and could use the greenhouse
as a great science lab.
For information on locations of the
barge and times for free tours and
class demonstrations, check their
website at www.nysunworks.org
Big Apple Greeter | Secret Gardens of New York (Farming Profile III) 3
You can find the Science Barge at
various waterfront parks
The Science Barge is a model for
sustainable urban agriculture.
Learn about the benefits of hydroponics.
* Wheelchair accessible
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4 Big Apple Greeter | Secret Gardens of New York (Farming Profile III)
SECRET GARDENS of the
EAST VILLAGE
New York City has over 640 community gardens in
the five boroughs, part of a world wide movement.
These gardens enhance the quality of life in the city by
creating beautiful green public spaces for all to enjoy. Many
also provide a space for local artists and musicians, and
meeting places for environmental and gardening groups.
One surprising neighborhood with a great number of
gardens is the East Village, a neighborhood better known
for its 19th century immigrants and, later, its
counterculture. During the 1970s the neighborhood had
many vacant lots that were neglected, and real estate
values were low. Local residents began to create gardens
on many of these empty lots. Some of these lots were sold to
private developers, but other gardens were preserved and now
operate as part of the city parks department.
The area east of Avenue A between Houston Street and E. 14th
Street has an astonishing 40 gardens, all beautiful and unique
spaces. They are open to the public, mostly on week-ends (hours
are posted on their gates), but even when theyre closed, peeking through the
gates is like glimpsing a land of enchantment.
For example, the 6BC Botanical Garden (located on East 6th Street between
Avenues B and C) is Manhattans only botanical garden. The gardens site was a
tidal saltwater marsh until the 1830s. In 1981, two abandoned lots were cleared
by residents. The garden now contains sections highlighting different plant
environments such as shade garden, desert, small ponds, a cactus garden and a
rock garden. It also has an Asian teahouse and a solar-powered waterfall. The
community volunteers who run the garden have set up a botanical lending library
and they hold garden talks every summer. These volunteer gardeners use organic
gardening methods with no chemical pesticides or herbicides.
The scenes in the movie Godfather II that were set in the early 20th century
were filmed on East 6th Street between Avenue A and B. The producers paid
the residents of the block for the inconvenience of filming, and a group of
residents used this money to clean up a debris filled lot. Today the garden, called
the Creative Little Garden, has an elegant winding gravel path and rock gardens,
and some sculptures.
La Plaza Cultural on East 9th Street and Avenue C has enormous willow trees
which are fed by the same underground springs that once made the area a swamp.
The 24 volunteer gardeners grow peppers, tomatoes and eggplants, plus many
flowers.
Some of the gardens have constructed rainwater harvesting systems, using simple
piping and barrels to collect water from adjacent rooftops or garden structures, so
gardeners are less dependent on fire hydrants or adjacent buildings as water sources.
The Council on the Environment works with many of these gardens,
providing technical assistance for design, construction and plantings.
They also run the Greenmarket,
the countrys largest outdoor
farmers market program, which
sells fresh produce at over 40
locations in the five boroughs.
Their web site is www.cenyc.org
There are a number of public and
private organizations that provide a
variety of services to community
gardeners: www.greenthumbnyc.org,
www.greenguerillas.org, Trust for
public land is at www.tpl.org.
NY restoration project is at
www.nyrp.org.
The closest subway stops to the
Lower East Side gardens are the F
train to 2nd Ave., and the 6 Train
at Astor Place.
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Big Apple Greeter | Secret Gardens of New York (Farming Profile III) 5
About the
Global Greeter
Network
Big Apple Greeter is
proud to be part of the Global
Greeter Network, a voluntary association of
welcoming programs around the world, all
based on the Big Apple Greeter model: free
and open to all visitors; offer greeter services
as an individual or very small group
experience (no more than 6 visitors); and are
characterized by enthusiastic, local residents
who love their home city, love to meet
people from around the world, and
volunteer to conduct these visits.
The Global Greeter Network currently
spans seven countries on five continents and
includes the following members: Cicerones
de Buenos Aires in Argentina; Adelaide
Greeters and Melbourne Greeter Service in
Australia; Tap in TO! (Toronto) in Canada;
ShenZhen Greeter in China; Thanet
Greeters in Kent, England; Paris Greeter
and Les Greeters de Nantes in France; The
Hague Greeter in the Netherlands; Big
Apple Greeter (New York City), Chicago
Greeter, Houston Greeters and Golden
Heart Greeter (Fairbanks, Alaska) in the
United States.
Big Apple Greeter welcomes all visitors
without regard to race, color, creed, gender,
age, sexual orientation, marital status or
disability.
Big Apple Greeter wishes to acknowledge
the generous support of New York State
Department of Agriculture and Markets.
Text by Deborah Freeman. Graphic Design by
Jennifer Chiu. Photographs by Karen Bell.
2008 Big Apple Greeter 7/2008
Big Apple Greeter
1 Centre Street, New York, NY 10007
Phone: 212-669-8159 Web: www.bigapplegreeter.org
Secret Gardens of NY
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Science
Barge
W. 70th St.
Science
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W. 44th St.
Riverbank
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