The Horticultural Society of NY Hosts 3rd Annual Urban Ag Conference: Reception, Talks & Urban Farm Visits

Brooklyn Grange Rooftop Farm, Queens, NY © Anastasia Plakias

The road from the farm to the plate meets at the crossroads of The Hort. Starting tonight through Friday's tours of local urban farms, this is THE place to be to learn about our connections to our food.

See you at the Hort!

The Horticultural Society of New York (The Hort) Hossts the Third Annual Urban Agriculture Conference (UAC)

Visit NYC Urban Farms Hear International Speakers

Field tours include Brooklyn Grange rooftop farms, Randall’s Island Farm and the beehives and garden atop the Waldorf Astoria; discussions will highlight known food movement leaders.

From Wednesday, May 15 through Friday, May 17, The Horticultural Society of New York (The Hort) will present its third annual and largest ever Urban Agricultural Conference (UAC).

The UAC will open with an evening reception and work-in-progress screening of “Growing Cities,” a documentary that examines the role of urban farming urban farming in America and its power to revitalize cities and change the way we eat. 

The following morning, Thursday, May 16th, keynote speaker Manhattan Borough President Scott M. Stringer will kick-off a day of innovative panel discussions and lectures led by some of the most prominent organizations and individuals in the movement.

 “The Hort has been committed to urban gardening for over 100 years, yet the focus has evolved and expanded with changing social and environmental issues, says The Hort’s Director of Horticulture and Public Programs George Pisegna. “With 80% of all people living in cities, we need to increase awareness of food sovereignty and food deserts food and discover ways that food production in urban environments can emerge as a prominent and viable alternative,” George Pisegna, The Hort.

On the final day, conference participants will visit farms in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens.  Among the sites to be visited are Brooklyn Grange (in the Brooklyn Navy Yard), a 65,000 sq ft rooftop farm hovering eleven stories over the East River; Eagle Street Rooftop Farm, the nation’s first commercial rooftop farm; Randall’s Island Park Farm, NYC’s only working rice paddy operation; Window Farms in the Global Kitchen Exhibition at the Natural History Museum; the Waldorf Astoria kitchen garden and beehives; and Battery Urban Farm at the southern tip of Manhattan.

“Growing Cities” filmmaker Dan Susman notes, “Urban farming connects people to their food, strengthens communities, creates jobs, revitalizes blighted areas. It allows us to reimagine what’s possible in cities. It challenges us to get beyond the urban/rural divide — to really think about how we can all be producers in a society driven by consumption.”

UAC panelist, Carolyn Dimitri of NYU, an applied economist with expertise in food systems and food policy who is studying urban agriculture in 15 US cities says, “In a city like New York… urban farms are a reminder, or perhaps an awakening … that our food does come from the tending of soil and seeds, and not the supermarket.” She notes though that solutions are not easy: “One concern I have is that we are asking too much of urban agriculture. Is urban agriculture the panacea for our urban food problems, such as uneven food access and poor health? And is it possible for our urban farmers to make a living, tending the soil in our cities?” These questions, and more, will be explored over three days.

Wednesday, May 15 – Opening reception and work-in-progress screening of Growing Cities at Brooklyn Lyceum, 6 pm to 8:30 pm
Here is the trailer:

Thursday, May 16 – Panel discussions at NYU Kimmel Center, 9 am to 4 pm.

Friday, May 17 – Field tours of urban farms in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens, 10 am to 4 pm.

For a complete agenda of the UAC, visit: http://thehort.org/UAC/

Kitchen Garden: Grow Your Own - Interview on healthy eating with the Asbury Park Press

Here is a copy of an interview with me, written by Laura Martin, from the Garden State's Asbury Park Press.

The print version has a number of delicious, healthy, fruits and vegetable and how-to hands-on gardening images. 

The online version has a few too.

Here is the link to the full story.  

http://www.app.com/article/20130428/NJLIFE02/304280079/Kitchen-garden-grow-your-own

I pasted a copy of news below.

Laura is a great writer - and captured the excitement of growing your own food. 

Thank you so much, Laura.

Enjoy the story and then get out there and start growing your own kitchen garden! 

Kitchen garden: grow your own

Now is the time to start growing your healthy lifestyle at home

Looking to eat better? It is time to embrace the “garden” part of living in the Garden State, says Leeann Lavin of Atlantic Highlands.

“New Jersey’s corn, blueberries, tomatoes, peaches and cherries are famous all over the culinary world,” says Lavin, who owns the garden-design company Duchess Designs. “It is called the Garden State for a reason, and we’ve gotten too far away from that.”

It is simple, convenient and healthy to grow fruits and vegetables right in the backyard, says Lavin, also a resident of New York. Lavin recently published the book “The Hamptons & Long Island Homegrown Cookbook,” which highlights the connections between the dining, gardening and farming industries.

“The biggest reason to (grow an edible garden) is taste. Most foods sold in stores are grown for transport, not taste,” Lavin says. “Plus, there is an excitement and thrill in growing your own food. It can be very empowering.”

Want to give it a shot? Lavin shares her tips for creating a “kitchen garden” that can provide fun and food for the whole family.

What to start with: New Jersey has great soil for growing a variety of fruits, vegetables and herbs, she says. Radishes, peppers and peas are easy-to-grow spring edible plants, while tomatoes, lettuce, corn, peppers, melons and berries work great in the summer, she says. For those planting right now, it is best to start with container gardening inside, then transfer the plants outside after Mother’s Day (May 12).

No yard needed: For people who live in an urban environment or those looking for a simpler way to grow food, container gardening during any season can work great for vegetables, fruits and herbs, Lavin says.

Get the family involved: Giving the garden a fun food theme like “pizza,” will get kids excited to help out, she says. A pizza garden could feature garlic, tomatoes, oregano and basil.

“Children love to get their hands in the soil,” Lavin says. “It is a great way for parents and grandparents to engage with the child. They learn a lifetime of healthier eating knowing where their food comes from.”

Try new things: Many beginner gardeners mistakenly believe they don’t have the space for the items they want to grow, she says. But many fruits and vegetables come in multiple sizes and varieties.

“Look at seed catalogs,” Lavin says. “A garden store may only have one kind of tomato that is too big for your garden, but if you check with a seed company or online, the varieties are limitless.”

Stay local: Plants grown locally will flourish better, says Lavin, and they have a smaller carbon footprint. “If you are buying a plant, ask where it is grown,” she says.

Ward off animals: Critters may be tempted to chow down on an edible garden, so consider putting a small fence around it or installing a sprinkler that is motion activated. Mirrored pinwheels placed around the garden also can scare away animals looking to eat plants.

Just try it: “When people look at gardening, they have a fear of it because they are afraid they will mess up, but when you see that first seedling come up, there is such a joy in it,” Lavin says.