Seed Sowing Workshop

March 25, 2023


Brooklyn Queens Land Trust and Brooklyn Grange invite you to create customized flats for your garden in this not-your-typical seed sowing workshop with Kwesi Joseph, Urban Garden Specialist with Cornell Cooperative Extension's Harvest New York.

Learn to sow seeds in a commercial greenhouse setting and leave them to grow for eight weeks while the Brooklyn Grange Farmers lovingly tend to the seedlings. This workshop is aimed at gardeners of all experience levels. Please come if you want to grow plants that are not usually found at traditional plant giveaways, local hardware stores, or nurseries. Participants are encouraged to bring (and share!) seeds, especially ancestral seeds, culturally important seeds, or seeds with a story. Brooklyn Grange will also supply seeds the day of.

This will be a hands-on, practical session on sowing seeds. Please bring your own gloves, if possible. Space is limited so please think of your garden membership when making your sowing selections. Light refreshments will be served. For more information see the FAQ.

REGISTER by Sunday, March 19, 2023. Space will be limited to one participant per garden through March 19 after which waitlist participants will be added to the group.

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LOCATION: BROOKLYN GRANGE ? SUNSET PARK FARM
850 3rd Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11232 MAP
Trains: D/N/R (36th Street) / R (25th Street)
Bus: B37
Parking: Free parking in mall
Accessibility: Wheelchair Accessible, Elevator Access

How to Grow Edible Mushrooms on Logs

April 12, 2025
10:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Upper Manhattan, NY

Join Cornell's network of Community Mushroom Educators and the NYRP Urban Ag team to learn how to grow Shiitake mushrooms on logs. This hands-on workshop will include plenty of opportunity to practice drilling and filling logs with shiitake mushroom spawn. In addition to experiential learning, we'll explore the benefits of mushroom cultivation and tour the NYRP log yard, discussing best practices for maintaining a successful outdoor mushroom-growing system.

NOTE: THIS WORKSHOP IS FULL. Waitlist registrations being accepted.

Compost Café: BioChar

April 16, 2025
12:00 noon EDT

At this virtual event, Karen Guzman, Harvest NY Urban Garden Specialist, will discuss biochar in urban agriculture. Hear about the the history of biochar, explore some of its environmental benefits, and learn how this innovative solution can transform urban growing spaces. Learn how biochar can be used to creatively manage organic waste and enhance sustainability in your own community. 

Community Gardens Soil Testing Program Accepting Applications

Soil testing supports the growth and expansion of community gardens by protecting the health and safety of the food produced in these gardens. CCE Harvest NY, in partnership with the NYS Department of Agriculture & Markets (AGM) and the Cornell Soil Health Lab, is offering eligible, food-producing gardens in New York State the opportunity to send soil samples for testing without charge.

The soil test will analyze samples for heavy metals and nutrient levels. Test results help gardeners make appropriate plans to produce high quality fruits, vegetables, and flowers. Technical support and education for participating growers will be provided by the CCE Harvest New York team. Learn more about the 2025 Community Gardens Soil Testing Program.

New York Urban Farms Sustainable Pest Management Fact Sheet Series

Cornell Cooperative Extension has partnered with dozens of urban farms across New York State to demonstrate and evaluate sustainable pest management strategies. Together with farmers, we found success using control methods that prevent or reduce crop losses through exclusion strategies, crop timing, host resistance, the introduction of beneficial organisms, and more. Regardless of management strategy used, common requirements for success include a knowledge of the pest and disease complex, preventative deployment and commitment to the process. The New York Urban Farms Sustainable Pest Management Fact Sheet Series includes case studies highlighting pest management techniques that New York urban farms have found valuable.

NYS Urban Growers Pest Management Needs Assessment

As part of a multi-year project exploring non-spray pest management options that are economically and environmentally sustainable for urban farms, we conducted a needs assessment with urban growers across New York State. The New York State Urban Growers Pest Management Needs Assessment presents findings on current pest management practices, challenges, and topics of future interest.