Learn to Grow Mushrooms in NYC

July 17, 2019


Both a food and a medicine, mushrooms are easy to grow at home and on gardens and farms, with minimal start-up costs and materials you may already have on hand. Join Cornell Cooperative Extension, Farm School NYC, and Just Food for a workshop where you'll learn to inoculate a shiitake log, grow oysters on straw, and plant wine cap in wood chips. Everyone takes home materials that will produce mushrooms! We will emphasize the potential for growing mushrooms as a small enterprise for community and local markets.

Directions: B14 bus to Dumont Ave & Powell Street and walk 4 blocks up toward New Lots Ave, make a right on New lots Ave to Sachman and you are at the garden. L Train to New Lots Ave, When you Exit walk to the left 2 blocks down and arrive at the Green Valley Garden. 3 Train to Junius Street take right Exit walk to Sachman make a left on Sachman then walk 4 blocks to garden. B15 bus to New Lots Ave & Sachman, cross street and you are at the garden. 

INSTRUCTORS:
Yolanda Gonzalez is Urban Agriculture Specialist for Cornell Cooperative Extension Harvest NY and lives in NYC supporting urban farmers.

Jie Jin is a mushroom grower and founder of Curiouseed, an education studio dedicated to cultivating eco consciousness through playful, experimental and hands-on programming and experiences.

Steve Gabriel is extension specialist for Cornell Small Farms Program and a mushroom farmer in the Finger Lakes Region of NY.

COST:
These workshops are FREE due to supportive funding from USDA and Cooperative Extension. We have limited spaces so please only register if you are committed to coming.

TO REGISTER:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/NYCMushroomClasses2019

Want to learn more about mushrooms? Find more information on mushrooms or check out the Harvest NY Urban Ag Program on Instagram (urbanag.nyc)

This material is based upon work supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, through the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program under subaward number ENE19-156-33243.

El Camino del Micelio: Cultivo de Hongos en la Primavera

April 4, 2026
10:00 am - 12:30 pm
Manhattan, NY

Aprende a cultivar hongos de forma sencilla en tu huerto comunitario esta primavera con los equipos de Cornell Co-op Extension y GreenThumb. En este taller para principiantes y para cualquier persona interesada, Yolanda Gonzalez y Karen Guzman explorar?¡n cómo los hongos pueden apoyar la salud del suelo, cerrar ciclos de nutrientes y ofrecer alimentos nutritivos para tu comunidad. Practicaremos dos técnicas para cultivar setas en bolsas o camas de cultivo con materiales accesibles, y conversaremos sobre cómo integrar el cultivo de hongos en proyectos de huertos comunitarios.

Earth Day Garden Workshop

April 20, 2026
1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Farmingdale, NY

Celebrate Earth Day and welcome the growing season by learning how to make the most of your space as spring wakes up the garden. Join Cornell Urban Garden Specialist Karen Guzman for an interactive, hands-on session focused on building strong foundations for a productive year. This workshop will cover the state-wide soil testing program and why soil health is essential for long-term success, along with strategic crop planning techniques that help increase productivity and maximize the space in your garden. 

Air Pruned Raised Beds 101

April 24, 2026
3:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Upper Manhattan, NY

Join Connor Youngerman of Cornell Small Farms and NYRP's Parks & Urban Agriculture teams for an introduction to Air Pruned Raised Beds (APRBs) from construction to implementation. APRBs have been shown as an excellent method for growing a suite of urban tree species and hold great promise as a tool for forestry practitioners in NYC. This workshop will explore the in's and outs, including design, appropriate tree species, and basic troubleshooting (i.e. weeding). Participants will also get to help build and plant out two APRBs at NYRP's field facility.

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 available from the CCE Harvest New York team. Learn more about the 2026 Community Gardens Soil Testing Program.