Student Farm Project

We are excited for Spring!!

Nora Painten — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 15:24:20 +0000

Spinach growing under the protection of our cold frame.

We are getting ready for Spring at the Student Farm Project!

The chickens have been snuggling together all winter, and a peek inside our cold frame bed reveals that our spinach seeds have grown into a lush and vibrant crop! Meanwhile we’ve ordered all our seeds, so when the beds are ready for planting the spinach will have many other veggies and flowers to keep it company.

We have also cultivated some great donations to help us do even more growing and educating this year. Recent donors include: Annie’s foods, Slow Food NYC, The Cartwheel Foundation, and several Generous Individuals. More grants and donations are in the works, and as always, we can use YOUR support!

See you soon at the farm!

Getting Cozy for Winter!

Nora Painten — Sun, 09 Dec 2012 18:03:20 +0000

It has been an amazing (and busy!) Autumn here at the farm. We were lucky to make it through Superstorm Sandy pretty much unharmed, and our chickens stayed safe and protected in their coop. Now we’re getting ready for winter, but we’re not going into total hibernation! We built a winter cold frame, where we will grow spinach all winter long. In early spring we will use the cold frame to get a headstart on growing seedlings of all kinds of crops for our other beds.

Our winter cold frame.

Our beautiful and sturdy weatherized chicken coop — it withstood Superstorm Sandy!

Don’t worry, the chickens will be cozy all winter long!

One of our happy chickens.

Great video about the farm by PS/IS 323 technology students!

Nora Painten — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 21:25:22 +0000

Check out this great video!

Click here to see it on You Tube!

Volunteer Days into the Summer

Nora Painten — Fri, 18 May 2012 17:39:11 +0000

We will be taking Memorial Day weekend off but will be there every weekend in June and likely into July.

WHEN: 10 am – 5 pm.

Where: 514 Rockaway Ave at Sutter.

Bring: Safety goggles (sunglasses are ok), gloves, water, lunch, sturdy shoes.

Drop a line to npainten@gmail.com with the subject line “Brownsville Build” if you plan on joining us.

Made possible by generous donations from Build it Green, Slow Food NYC, and Dept. of Sanitation and Burpee’s Home Gardens. Special thanks to HPD, GrowNYC and Green Thumb.

April and May- VOLUNTEER

Nora Painten — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 00:46:49 +0000

The build continues- we are having so much fun!

Garden work at this point is mostly of the construction/preparation variety – some weeding, mostly hauling wood, sanding, painting, things of this nature. Once the farm is built we will do much more Gardening – but no playing with plants just yet. It’s still super fun! And you get a tan and a mini workout!

April 28, 29 and MAY: 5, 6, 12, 13, 19, 20.

Time: 10 – 5

Where: 514 Rockaway Ave at Sutter.

Bring: Safety goggles (sunglasses are ok), gloves, water, lunch, sturdy shoes.

Drop a line to npainten@gmail.com with the subject line “Brownsville Build” if you plan on joining us.

Made possible by generous donations from Build it Green, Slow Food NYC, and Dept. of Sanitation and Burpee’s Home Gardens. Special thanks to HPD, GrowNYC and Green Thumb.

BROWNSVILLE BUILD- April dates

Nora Painten — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 12:52:53 +0000

Join us! We’ll be out there building every weekend in April!!

This weekend: March 31 and April 1…

Then April 7, 8, 14, 15, 21, 22, 28, 29.

Time: 10 – 5

Where: 514 Rockaway Ave at Sutter.

Bring: Safety goggles, gloves, water, lunch, sturdy shoes.

Drop a line to npainten@gmail.com with the subject line “Brownsville Build” if you plan on joining us. Also contact me if you think you have a power tool that might be useful.

Made possible by generous donations from Build it Green, Slow Food NYC, and Dept. of Sanitation and Burpee’s Home Gardens. Special thanks to HPD, GrowNYC and Green Thumb.

BROWNSVILLE BUILD

Nora Painten — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 19:48:22 +0000

Prototype Bench Planter

After a long “winter” of planning we are finally ready to start construction on our Brownsville Farm site. Above is a prototype of the gorgeous multi-functional bench planters designed by GrowingCities. We built this in a small backyard in Greenpoint, but will be building beds over three times this size on the lot. And we need help!

VOLUNTEER DAYS:

March 4, 10, 11, 17, 24, 25 and 31.

April 1, 7, 8, 14, 15, 21 and 22.

Time: 10 – 5

Where: 514 Rockaway Ave at Sutter.

Bring: Safety goggles, gloves, water, lunch, sturdy shoes.

Drop a line to npainten@gmail.com with the subject line “Brownsville Build” if you plan on joining us. Also contact me if you think you have a power tool that might be useful.

Made possible by generous donations from Build it Green, Slow Food NYC, and Dept. of Sanitation and Burpee’s Home Gardens. Special thanks to HPD, GrowNYC and Green Thumb.

Funding Goal Reached! Next Steps…

Nora Painten — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 14:47:50 +0000

On Sunday our Kickstarter project ended. We successfully reached and even exceeded our goal of $23,000, ringing in at $24,282 pledged by 284 incredible people. Thank you all for your support!

Next up in the immediate future:

- We are applying for non-profit status so we can register as a 501(c)3 – a tax-exempt organization (Form 1023).

- Contacting contractors/engineers who will be able to install a water line onto the property. The water issue has been an interesting decision-making process. There are several scenarios we looked at including utilizing hydrant water and rain barrel collection. I am leaning heavily toward installing a proper pipe, faucet and water meter because of its permanence and ease of use. I can run drip line into the vegetable beds, there will always be adequate pressure and there will always be water! A rain barrel in the northeast will not necessarily catch enough water to supply a sizeable garden throughout the summer. A fire hydrant is a nuisance to set up and you must install a pressure regulator. The only thing with installing a water line is how to winterize it.

- We are meeting with architects at Growing Cities who will help us design and build out certain elements of the space, including our outdoor classroom, benches and picnic tables.

- Continue to apply for grants the old-fashioned way.

In the more distant future:

- PRIORITY: Apply to have the lot transferred from HPD to Parks Dept. This will insure that it will not be taken away in the future. The decision will go before a committee. Thankfully I have some folks in the Brooklyn Borough President’s office on my side!

Help us reach and exceed our goal!

Nora Painten — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 12:19:36 +0000

We have almost reached our $23,000 goal on Kickstarter. This will ensure we have our basic needs covered, but the sky’s the limit! Folks can donate to our project until November 27th and we get to keep all the extra money! This will help us make the garden as beautiful as it can be. Help spread the word – and Donate at: http://kck.st/oYdIYV

Oh, and Happy Thanksgiving!

Donate: Brownsville Student Farm Project

Nora Painten — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 21:27:29 +0000

Help us build a new school garden at PS 323!

Check out our Kickstarter page to donate. http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/89439509/brownsville-student-farm-project

Thanks to our partners for their support: Slow Food NYC, GrowNYC:Grow to Learn, 61 Local, Sixpoint Brewery, One Drop Foundation, American Community Gardeners Association.