Posts Tagged ‘Garden’

Breadth, strength, presence. Notice the monarchs drifting by, the sea breeze carrying a hint of lavender, and the sound of the leaves rustling. Finally, have your uncovered feet on the earth. Yoga in the Beach 91st Community Garden is happening this weekend, Sunday, Oct 5 at 11:30 a.m. Bring a mat, bring a friend, leave the stress at the gate. I met our instructor, Diana Treglia, when I was asked to present at the Belle Harbor Garden Club—such a treat. I met so many wonderful experienced gardener ladies who love […]

Back in May, I wrote in my column, “I’m Growing Peanuts!” – about the peanut plant a squirrel stored in my garden. I was so excited! I’d never grown peanuts before, and I learned they’re actually legumes, not nuts, and they grow underground; there’s no such thing as a peanut tree! Then summer rolled on, and something funny happened: I started noticing peanut plants all over 91st Street. Once I knew the look of the leaves, they were suddenly everywhere. I thought I was going nuts! Then it registered… There’s a guy […]

In May, I discovered the most wonderful surprise in my garden —a peanut sitting right on top of the soil! It was split open, and a tiny sprout was starting to grow. I tucked it into the soil with my fingers and thought, imagine? It must have come from the pile of peanuts someone leaves for the pigeons and squirrels outside the Beach 91st Street Community Garden gate, almost every morning. At our last monthly garden meeting, I went looking for the peanut plant but wasn’t exactly sure what I […]

Over the past few weeks in the community garden, I’ve heard many people say some version of, “I’m so happy to have my hands back in the soil.” Gardening is good for wellness. It reconnects us to the earth, to nature, and to our natural state as human beings. All the sensory experiences associated with gardening or just being outdoors are calming—the scent of the soil, the texture of the plants to our touch, the warmth of the sun on our skin,  the colors of the flowers focused in your […]

This Saturday, May 17, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., visit the Beach 91st Street Community Garden for our Plant Sale Fundraiser! Soak in the spring, connect with neighbors, and make a day of it. We’ll have a mix of plants to inspire your garden. There will be veggie starters and culinary herbs, perennials, including walker’s low, autumn joy, milkweed, daylily, and coastal grasses. We’ve also got some houseplants and garden pots! Adding to the fun this year: Holland Ave Soap Co. (@hollandavesoapco) will be on-site, offering ocean-inspired cold-process bar soaps—some made […]

After my stamping art project with compostable foods, including the potato, I started to wonder… How do you grow a potato from a potato? I’m a gardener, and I’ve never grown potatoes. Embarrassing to admit, but here we are. I checked in with fellow Beach 91st Street Community Garden members last Sunday during our second meeting of the season. Kilee and Dan have both grown potatoes from sprouting spuds found right in their kitchens. They confirm it’s totally easy. Store-bought potatoes (Red Bliss) like this aren’t as disease-resistant as certified seed potatoes since […]

Earthworms work slowly, deeper in the soil, and help structure and enrich soil over time. Let’s talk about worms. I know, I know—maybe not the most loved creature, but bear with me—because they are the unsung heroes of healthy soil and your garden. There are 30 species of worms in New York State, and only five are native. I’d like to focus on the few you’re most likely to see in your garden here in Rockaway Beach. There are the everyday earthworms —the kind you find chilling in the garden […]

April is staying true to its word, showering our land with the right amount of skywater to encourage vibrant greens and the early bloom of summer color. This weekend, the Beach 91st Street Community Garden held its season kick-off meeting, and I finally had the chance to touch the earth. Free compost from the Queens Botanical Garden (Queens Rep! Thank you!) was the afternoon task. I shoveled out the top three inches of soil from my garden plot and replaced it with rich compost. The scent of pure earth! I was amazed by how […]

The time is now. The ground is thawing and the first bulbs of spring are breaking through the surface soil. What do you want your garden to look like this year?  What do you want it to yield? Think about edible landscaping, where food plants double as beautiful design features. Consider garden themes: like planting a tea garden, herb gardens, or a culture garden inspired by your heritage or in honor of someone else’s. Think outside the garden box. Make sketches of your veg layout and keep a garden journal to house […]

My thought was that winter would be weird, lonely, and slow. I’m not sure about the weird and lonely part yet, but it’s definitely not slow. I’m slammed with graphic design work, which is awesome (cha-ching) but also very, very stressful. Freelancing is a cycle of feast or famine. I’m at feast. On top of that, I’m doing numerous other things, like being an art teacher at Rockaplay; being a columnist; trying to be a good daughter, visiting my parents weekly; selling a car, helping friends cat-sitting; remembering to shut off […]