A Philadelphia School Garden Project…….JB Kelly and Kelly Green

Michele Koskinen

School gardening projects on a whole are difficult to maneuver with budget constraints (no money), time for students to participate, teacher time volunteering, school and parent permission, no easy access to water, weeds, and of course how do you do this in a few months and be successful. Last year 2013 we started the JB Kelly school garden with a community organization Kelly Green. Previous blog on the garden 2013

End of a successful planting day

The 2014 year started with 15 students, K to 4, and turned out to be a great experience with a final party using lettuce, radishes, and mint from the garden. The garden has expanded to include more vegetables and a perennial herb garden. This garden is highly visible to the entire school population during recess and when anyone is working in the garden, many of the students are curious, come over and start with the questions.
          what is that? where are the worms? can I help? can I take this home I found it? what does it taste like? I don't eat that ? etc.

We also encourage them to TASTE the leafy green lettuces, kale and anything else ready to be harvested. Of course when we are not there they harvest the strawberries, radishes and beets and tell the tale of she or he picked them and I told them not too.



I think the program was a growing success and we will continue next year with a few more classroom lessons. I am also hoping to add a little snack making using veggies from the garden.  Examples would be mint tea, salads with herbs and fruits, Tzatziki (cucumbers and yogurt), peas, strawberries and raspberries with yogurt, and more. 

A big thank you goes to Naomi Carter the teacher who spearheaded this effort, along with Dennis Barneby the coordinator of Kelly Green and Tom our in house volunteer,  and all of the community members and parents that have helped to get this garden started and continuing to grow.

April beginning

Water has to be brought out in a rolling trash can.

How much room does the plant need to grow, let's measure.

Strawberries

Planting Sedum for the Bees and Butterflies in August

To take home… a few flower plugs from Tom

a game at harvest   Who can spell radish, carrot, kale?
Does anyone remember what this vegetable is? 

Harvesting greens

Getting ready for the end of year party……….Salad w balsamic vinaigrette, Pizza, Mint Tea, Fruit, Tzatziki and flat bread. Pick, wash, tear into small pieces, wash your hands and let's eat.

Would you like salad? Strawberries? Cucumbers?
What is Tzatziki

See everyone next year

Mr Tom and his recess children.

Recess and" Can I help water with the new hose?"

Pennypack Park Philadelphia……Volunteer day.

Diane Podolsky

Pennypack Environmental Center in NE Philadelphia was the site of a recent volunteer opportunity. Two gardens needed tending, as the center is short staffed and relies on volunteers for these types of projects.

The rain garden, which fortunately was already graded, was cleared and new plants were added to the very lonely but thriving cardinal flowers. Master Gardeners suggested the addition of  Cinnamon fern, swamp milkweed, turtlehead, and lobelia as suitable plants for the site.

The most interesting was the Demonstration Garden that is used as a scented garden for visitors, public programs, and groups of children from schools and camps. The purpose of this garden is to have useful plants, especially ones that have a sensory impact. There are several lemon scented plants (verbena, lemon grass, lemon balm) as well as mints (bee balm, peppermint, spearmint) and kitchen herbs, several of which (the sage, rosemary, and basil) had to be replaced. Some of the more unusual additions are cotton and stevia, which is very sweet, and horseradish. We also added some scented geranium, lavender, and lamb's ear.  


The Center also put in a brand new downspout planter which directs rain off the roof and into a large planter.  A variety of native grasses and stiff goldenrod were added to the planter. 

Pollinator Garden in Bloom

ThePhiladelphia Master Gardener Pollinator Garden in Fairmount Park is in full glorious bloom.

Never been?….stop by and see the garden, get some ideas and just enjoy. The garden is directly opposite the gazebo and in view of the Japenese house.  Map to Horticulture Center

Great job team.

Go to our facebook page and tell us what you think.
Facebook tell us what you think after your visit.

 

Art and Phytoremediation

Stephanie Rukowicz

In early spring, in honor of Earth Day, the adult programs manager at Fleisher Art Memorial, Caitlin Perkins, held an event highlighting art installations around the world, past and present, that use plant-based remediation techniques for land, water, and air.

Here are a handful of the interesting examples Caitlin provided:

Robert Morris, Johnson Pit #30, 1979 in Seatac, Washington.
Marisha Farnsworth, P-Planter, 2012 in San Francisco, CA.
Patricia Johanson, Fair Park Lagoon, 1981 in Dallas, TX.
Jackie Brookner, The Gift of Water, 2001 in Grossenhain, Germany.
HANA water billboard, 2014 in Manila, Phillipines. (scroll down after clicking through this link)

I was lucky enough to be included in the event, and shared with attendees what I’ve learned about the process of phytoremediation. I highlighted the advantages (onsite! low cost! least impact!) and limitations (takes a long time, potential food chain crossover), and then broke down the different ways plants do their work. These processes are also called phytotechnologies.

• Phytoextraction and hyperaccumulators - Contaminants are taken up into and concentrated in plant tissue. Plant matter then needs to be disposed of properly.
• Phytostabilization - Focuses on long-term stabilization and containment of contaminant. Root system does the work here. Also called phytosequestration.
• Phytovolatilization - Contaminants are taken up into the plant where they are metabolized and a less polluting, modified form is released into the air through the leaves (transpiration).
• Phytodegradation - Contaminants are taken up into plant tissue, where they are metabolized and incorporated into plant tissue, used as nutrients. Also called phytotransformation and "Green Liver Model."
• Rhizodegradation - Takes place in the soil or ground water immediately surrounding root zone. Microorganisms that live in the root zone do the work here, consuming and digesting organic substances, biodegrading the soil contaminants.
• Rhizofiltration - Water is filtered directly through roots, and roots do the work here, filtering out the contaminants through absorption or adsorption.

We then talked about how using native plants can help reduce exposure to contaminated soils by stabilizing the soil, reducing the amount of dust that's windblown from the soil, and reducing runoff from storm events by allowing greater infiltration of rainwater. The advantage of using native plants is that once established, they require little maintenance as they are adapted to the local climate, and they allow for habitat restoration of native insect and animal species.

For the hands-on portion of the event, Jeff Quattrone, from the Library Seed Bank, carried through the native plant theme by leading a seed bomb making activity using native perennial seeds including pink tickseed and black-eyed susan.

Seed bomb making activity led by Jeff Quattrone, back center.
Photocredit: Caitlin Perkins.

Program participant making a seed bomb using clay as a base, then rolling in a mixture of growing medium and seeds. Photocredit: Caitlin Perkins.

Overall it was a great event and very well run. My favorite part of the evening was the discussion that ensued during Jeff’s activity – participants sharing ideas how to take action and where phytoremediation could be used to solve local and international problems.

Be sure to check out upcoming events at Fleisher:

The Science and Design of Gardening, led by fellow Master Gardener Trainee Ben Cromie. This summer workshop for adults will take place Tuesdays, 6-8pm, July 8-29.*
Terrariums: Sculpture Gardens Under Glass, led by Jared Gruenwald. This summer workshop for adults will take place Mondays, 6:30-9:30pm, July 7-28.*
Tabletop Gardens, led by Quincy Carpenter. This summer workshop for ages 8-10 will take place July 28-August 1, 9:30am-12:30am.*
*For more information and to register visit Fleisher.org or call 215-922-3456.

 Additional Resources and Further Reading:

UMASS Amherst Soil Test
Growing Gardens in Urban Soils
Dig, Eat, and Be Healthy: A Guide to Growing Food on Public Property
EPA’s Brownfields and Urban Agriculture: Interim Guidelines for Safe Gardening Practices
Phytotechnologies for Site Cleanup
Phytotechnology Technical and Regulatory Guidance and Decision Trees, Revised

Urban Agriculture Farm Talks

     

Penn State Extension Urban Agriculture Farm Talks “What is your product worth?” – Pricing and Valuation Strategies for the Urban Farmer and Farm Education Programs. Join Penn State Philadelphia Extension for the first (of a series of) Urban Agriculture farm talks. When:             July 1, 2014, 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM Where:            Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education Cost:               There is no fee to attend this event. However, pre-registration is requested: To register:        http://extension.psu.edu/business/farm/events/urban-agriculture-farm-talks  Save the Dates for these farm talks: August 5: All about High Tunnels   September 2: Intensive Growing Methods October 7: Soil Health

For more information, please contact Anna Herman, Penn State Extension Master Gardener Coordinator: aeh22@PSU.EDU