GreenThumb

To watch 2020 webinar recordings, please scroll down.

2021

GreenThumb Webinars

• January 26: Crop Planning 101
  Facilitated by Mara Gittleman (NYC Parks GreenThumb) and Ciara Sidell (Randall's Island Park Alliance Urban Farm)
• January 28: Make it Rain: Grants for your Green Space
  Facilitated by Di Cui (Citizens Committee for NYC), and Michael Mullaley (Partnerships for Parks)
• February 4: Event Planning on a Shoestring
  Facilitated by Twywana Bush and Claudia Urdanivia (NYC Parks GreenThumb)
• February 8: Accessible Garden Design
  Facilitated by Babbie Dunnington (NYC Parks GreenThumb) and Christopher Noel (NYC Parks Accessibility Coordinator)
• February 17: How to Join a GreenThumb Community Garden
  Moderated by Gregory Anderson (NYC Parks GreenThumb)
  Panelists: Giselle Munoz - Woodycrest Garden - Bronx; Ashley Washington - Harlem Rose Garden - Harlem, Manhattan; Jestine Roper - Jes Good Rewards Children's Garden - Brownsville, Brooklyn

37th Annual GreenThumb GrowTogether Conference
Complete YouTube Playlist

• February 20
  Opening Remarks: Bill LoSasso (Director, NYC Parks GreenThumb); Mitchell Silver (Commissioner, NYC Parks); Tammy Hall (Storyteller, direct link below)
  Farmer's Daughter and Watermelon Thief: Stories performed by Tammy Hall
  Keynote Address: Sawdayah Brownlee (Brooklyn Queens Land Trust)
  Plenary Panel - NYC: Bill Pape (Outreach Coordinator, NYC Parks GreenThumb). Panel moderated by Carlos Martinez (Deputy Director, NYC Parks GreenThumb) 
  Plenary Panel - Washington, D.C.: Joshua Singer (D.C. Dept. of Parks and Recreation)
  Plenary Panel - Nerima City, Tokyo, Japan: Kazuyuki Sekiguchi (Nerima City Urban Agriculture Division)
  Plenary Panel - Seoul, Republic of Korea: Kwangdeok Kim (Urban Agriculture Division, Seoul)
  Plenary Panel - Seattle, Washington: Sandy Pernitz and Nate Moxley (P-Patch Community Gardening Program, Seattle)
  Plenary Panel - Portland, Oregon: Laura Niemi (Portland Parks & Recreation Community Gardens Program)
• February 21
  DIY Screen Printing
  Facilitated by Essye Klempner (Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop) and Babbie Dunnington (NYC Parks GreenThumb)
• February 22
  Crop Trials: Facilitated by Yolanda Gonzalez and Sam Anderson (Cornell Cooperative Extension) and Renee S. Keitt (Kelly Street Garden)
  Information Seeking and Record Keeping Part 1: Tips and Advice for the Gardener and Horticulturalist: Facilitated by Samantha D'Acunto and Rashad Bell (New York Botanical Garden)
  Coming Soon: Information Seeking and Record Keeping Part 2: Record Keeping for Community Gardeners: Facilitated by Heather Warren- Dombrowa (Urban Cultivated) and Sheryll Durrant (Farming Concrete)
   Ag in the City: Growing Healthy Soils: Facilitated by Hannah Shayler and Perl Egendorf (Cornell University)
• February 23
  A Primer on Weed Identification and Management: Facilitated by Aleah Butler-Jones (Cornell University)
  Youth at GreenThumb Gardens: Facilitated by Pier Washpon (NYC Parks GreenThumb)
  Empowering Youth in the Garden: Facilitated by Janaira Ramirez, Kirtia Spence, Koemi Pena, and Amorisa Salgado from the Environmental Program at the Brotherhood/Sister Sol
• February 24: Virtual Tabling
  NYC Parks Stewardship: Jason Stein
  New Yorkers for Parks: Jessica Saab and Emily Walker
  Coming soon: Bronx Green-Up of the New York Botanical Garden:
  NYC Parks Wildlife: Sunny Correo
  Cornell Cooperative Extension: Yolanda Gonzalez and Sam Anderson
  NY State. Dept. of Agriculture and Markets: Kim Vallejo
• February 25
  Tomato Heaven! Facilitated by Maureen O’Brien
  Grow A Garden From Food Scraps: Facilitated by Laura Casaregola and Chantel Kemp (GrowNYC Education)
  Coming Soon: Cultivating from Cuttings: Facilitated by Nick Storrs (Homegrown Nurseries)
• February 26
  Friday Night DIY Body Care: Facilitated by Gioya DeSouza-Fennelly
• February 27
  Coming Soon: NYC Wild Medicinal Plants: Facilitated by Journei Bimwala, Drew Garden/Friends of Concrete Plant Park
  How to Make Soap and Include Herbs Grown in your Garden: Facilitated by Leslie Costa, A Continual Unfolding
  Lessons from the Seasons from Medicine Wheels around the World: Facilitated by Nicole Acosta Nemergut, Sacred Vibes Apothecary and Ballast Botanicals

2021 GREENTHUMB WEBINARS CONTINUED

• March 10: Pruning Grapevines
  Facilitated by Eric Thomann and Isak Mendes (GreenThumb)
• March 18: Organizing for Garden Success: Group Structure
  Facilitated by Mara Gittleman (GreenThumb)
• March 31: Happy Hydrating with your Hydrant
  Facilitated by Eric Thomann (GreenThumb)
• April 8: Organizing for Garden Success: Bylaws
  Facilitated by Mara Gittleman (GreenThumb)
• April 14: Garden Design Principles for Supporting Student Learning 
  Facilitated by Adam Walker (The Battery Conservancy)
  Co-hosted with GrowNYC 
• April 20: EARTH WEEK: Growing a Wild Classroom: Designing Habitats for Outdoor Learning
  Facilitated by Sarah Ward (National Wildlife Federation)
• April 22: EARTH WEEK: Design your Garden to Attract Pollinators
  Facilitated by Chrissy Word (City Parks Foundation and Butterfly Project NYC) and Ursula Chanse (Bronx Green-Up of the New York Botanical Garden)
• April 22: EARTH WEEK: Making Teas and Infusions with Pollinator Plants
  Facilitated by Stephen Reid (gardener and herbalist)
• April 23: EARTH WEEK: Bees Please: A Guide to Creating Habitat for Native Pollinators
  Facilitated by Ashley Whited (NYC Urban Park Ranger)
• April 29: Seed Saving Part 1: Garden Planning
  Facilitated by Owen Taylor and Julia Aguilar (Truelove Seeds)
• May 6: Welcoming Kids to the Garden: Creating Safe Spaces for Hands-On Learning
  Facilitated by Sara Kempton (Van Cortlandt Park Alliance)
• May 11: Saving Seeds Part 2: Local Seed-Keeping Initiatives Panel
  Moderated by Owen Taylor (Truelove Seeds)
  Panelists: Lex Barlowe (Reclaim Seed NYC), Amirah Mitchell (Truelove Seeds), Jeremy Teperman (East New York Farms!
• May 12: They Only Come Out at Night: Inviting Bats to the Garden
  Facilitated by Dan Tainow and Ashley Whited (NYC Urban Park Rangers)
• May 13: Open Orchard School: Heirloom Apples and Pears
  Facilitated by Sam Van Aken (The Open Orchard)
  In partnership with The Trust for Governors Island
• May 20: Planning a Zero Waste Garden Event
  Facilitated by Anita Chan (Earth Matter NY)
• May 21: Open Orchard School: Heirloom Stone Fruit
  Facilitated by Sam Van Aken (The Open Orchard)
  In partnership with The Trust for Governors Island 
• June 3: Saving Seeds Part 3: Basics of Saving Wet and Dry Seeds
  Facilitated by Owen Taylor and Zainab Muhammad (Truelove Seeds)
• June 8: Managing Weeds in the Garden Part 2
  Facilitated by Aleah Butler-Jones (Cornell University)
• June 9: Record Keeping in the Garden
  Facilitated by Heather Warren-Dombrowa (Urban Cultivated and Bissel Gardens) and Sheryll Durrant (Kelly Street Garden and Farming Concrete)
• June 10: Open Orchard School: Basics of Fruit Tree Care
  Facilitated by Sam Van Aken (The Open Orchard)
  In partnership with The Trust for Governors Island
• June 18: Cultivating a Multi-Lingual Garden
  Facilitated by Hanif Yazdi (NYC Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs)
• June 22: Food Safety for Urban Gardeners
  Facilitated by Yolanda Gonzalez (Cornell Cooperative Extension)

2020 WEBINAR RECORDINGS

LUNCH WITH GREENTHUMB:

• April 4: Open Orchard School: Fruit Tree Pests & Diseases
  Facilitated by Sam Van Aken (Open Orchard) and Trust for Governors Island
• April 4: Open Orchard School: Fruit Tree Grafting
  Facilitated by Sam Van Aken (Open Orchard) and Trust for Governors Island
• April 6: Growing Microgreens Indoors
  Facilitated by Mara Gittleman (GreenThumb)
• April 13: Starting Seeds at Home
  Facilitated by: Lillian Reyes (GreenThumb)
• April 17: The Highs and Lows of High and Low Tunnels
  Facilitated by: Onika Abraham (Farm School NYC) and Joe Heller (NRCS)
• April 20: Rainwater Harvesting 101
  Watch the livestreamed video by Bronx River Alliance on Facebook.
  Facilitated by: Nathan Hunter (Bronx River Alliance)
• April 21: Herbs for Staying Calm & Finding Your Purpose
  Facilitated by: Vivian Mac (Willow's Touch Apothecary and Sacred Vibes Apothecary)

EARTH DAY WITH GREENTHUMB

Thank you to everyone who joined our special virtual Earth Day celebration on Wednesday, April 22nd!

• Vermicomposting at Home
  Facilitated by: Claudia Urdanivia and Vanessa Ventola (GreenThumb)
• Grow Greens in your Window Sill
  Facilitated by: Maureen O'Brien (Brooklyn Botanic Garden)
• How to Make and Use Native Seed Balls to Protect Biodiversity
  Facilitated by: Jade Johnson and Navida Vignoles (New York Botanical Garden)
• How to Build and Manage a Community Seed Library 
  Facilitated by: Eric Rodriguez (The High Line)
• To view the livestreamed video of the keynote addresses by artist and performer, Toshi Reagon, and farmer and activist from Soul Fire Farm, Leah Penniman, please visit: @GreenThumbNYC on Facebook. 

LUNCH WITH GREENTHUMB CONTINUED:

• April 23: Keeping Chickens in Small Urban Spaces
  Facilitated by: Robert Callahan and Rebecca Mason (Imani Community Garden)
• April 27: Native Plants of the GreenThumb Plant Distribution
  Facilitated by: Cindy Goulder
• April 29: Contaminants in your Soil? Best Practices to Reduce Risk for a Healthy Garden
  Facilitated by: Dr. Sara Perl Egendorf (Brooklyn College)
• April 30: How to Assess your Garden's Site Conditions
  Facilitated by Anthony Reuter (GreenThumb)
• May 3: Reclaiming Ancestral Knowledge with Happy Healthy Latina: Sofrito y Sazon
  Facilitated by: Yadira Garcia (Happy Healthy Latina)
• May 3: Spring Care of Polinator Perennials
  Facilitated by: Cindy Goulder
• May 4: Online Garden Monitoring Systems: A Tool for Community Engagement
  Facilitated by: Sarah McMillian and Briana Garcia (Temboo) 
• May 5: Growing and Maintaining a Lawn
  Facilitated by: Lillian Reyes (GreenThumb)
• May 6: Gardener Growth: Cultivating Mindfulness
  Facilitated by: Le'alani Boykin (GreenThumb)
• May 11: It's all Coming Up Roses!
  Facilitated by: Lillian Reyes (GreenThumb)
• May 12: Native Ferns and Grasses for City Gardens: An Introduction
  Facilitated by: Cindy Goulder
• May 13: Communication for Group Germination
  Facilitated by: Le'alani Boykin (GreenThumb)
• May 14: Growing Brambles: Raspberries, Blackberries, and other Cane Fruit
  Facilitated by: Babbie Dunnington and Richard Squire (GreenThumb)
• May 16: Open Orchard School: Fruit Tree Grafting
  Facilitated by: Sam Van Aken (Open Orchard)

BOTANICAL ART AT HOME
While our botanical drawing workshop has been cancelled due to COVID19, our partners NYC Parks Arts & Culture Fun and The Art Students League's Seeds of the League have offered several crafty tutorials for your at-home enjoyment!

• Botanical Print Making with Sonomi Kobayashi
• Origami Tulips with Sonomi Kobayashi
• Paper Cutting with Megumi
• Art as Meditation with Max & Jacob Cohen

View more online webinars and tutorials through Parks@Home!

LUNCH WITH GREENTHUMB CONTINUED

• May 21: Intro to Zoom for Community Gardeners
  Facilitated by: Michelle Jackson and Jerone Hsu (Prime Produce / Seeds to Soil)
• May 27: Growing Peanuts and Cotton in NYC
  Facilitated by Willie Morgan and Aaron Morgan (Our Little Green Acre Community Garden)
• May 28: Marvelous Mushrooms
  Facilitated by: Gil Lopez (Smiling Hogshead Ranch)
• May 31: Reclaiming Ancestral Knowledge: Hydroponic Window Gardening 
  Facilitated by: Adriano Espaillat, Jr. and Yadira Garcia (Happy Healthy Latina)

UN WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY
The week of June 5, GreenThumb hosted a series of events in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme’s World Environment Day.

• June 3: NYC EcoFlora Project and Community Gardens
  Facilitated by Brian Boom (NY Botanical Garden)
• June 5: Climate Resiliency in Community Gardens
  Moderated by: Genea Foster (GreenThumb)
  Panelists: Lucia Hernandez (Bryant Hill Community Garden), Ceci Pineda (BK Rot), Leslie Velasquez (El Puente), Priya Mulgaonkar (NYC Environmental Justice Alliance)

LUNCH WITH GREENTHUMB CONTINUED

• June 6: Reclaiming Ancestral Knowledge: Caribbean Pickling and Fermentation 
  Facilitated by: Yadira Garcia (Happy Healthy Latina)
• June 9: COVID-19 Safety in the Garden
  Facilitated by: Michael Serrano (NYC Dept. of Health and Mental Hygiene) 
• June 16: Drip Irrigation 101
  Facilitated by: Lory Henning and Arlene Roberts (Maple St. Community Garden), and Mara Gittleman (GreenThumb)
• June 20: Reclaiming Ancestral Knowledge: DIY Build Your Culinary Botanica
  Facilitated by: Yadira Garcia (Happy Healthy Latina)
• June 23: Carbon Sponge Kit: Monitoring Soil Health
  Facilitated by: Katharhy G. and Brooke Singer (Carbon Sponge)
• June 25: How to Build a Raised Bed / Como Construir una Cama Elevada - Spanish with English subtitles
  Facilitated by Eugenio German (GreenThumb)
• July 8: Open Orchard School: Bud Grafting and Summer Tree Care
  Facilitated by: Sam Van Aken (The Open Orchard, Trust for Governor's Island)
• July 18: Reclaiming Ancestral Knowledge: Caribbean Cookery Bootcamp
  Facilitated by: Chef Yadira Garcia (Happy Healthy Latina)

Open Garden Day NYC
Saturday, August 1, 2020

• Opening Remarks and Succulents Workshop with NYC Urban Park Rangers
• Music performance by Batalá New York, an all-female percussion ensemble playing Afro-Brazilian music, at Brooklyn Bears Carlton Avenue Community Garden
• Tinkering with Tinctures Workshop with H. Stephen Reid Part 1
• Tinkering with Tinctures Workshop with H. Stephen Reid Part 2
• Garden Tour of Brooklyn Bears Carlton Avenue Community Garden

LUNCH WITH GREENTHUMB CONTINUED

• August 18: Open Orchard School: Fruit Harvesting, Recipes and Preservation Techniques
  Facilitated by Sam Van Aken (The Open Orchard) and Trust for Governors Island
• September 4: Garden Tool Care 
  Facilitated by Eric Thomann
• September 18: Food for Resilience: Transatlantic Lessons from Community Gardens and Farms Panel
  Moderated by Melana Roberts, Chair of Food Secure Canada
  Co-hosted by Toronto Urban Growers, Capital Growth (London), and GreenThumb 
• September 22: Growing Wine Cap Mushrooms in a Raised Bed
  Facilitated by Arielle Hartman
  Co-hosted with GrowNYC
• October 14: Documenting and Preserving Garden Legacies (Part 1)
  Facilitated by Claudia Urdanivia and Elena Dubas (GreenThumb)
• October 15: Virtual Community Engagement
  Facilitated by Simone Herbin, Anthony Reuter, and K.C. Alvey (GreenThumb)
• October 27: Open Orchard School: Planting Fruit Trees
  Facilitated by Sam Van Aken
• November 6: Scaling Up Community Garden Compost Systems
  Facilitated by Kimberly Brown (Davidson Avenue Community Garden, Marisa DeDominicis (Earth Matter), and Natalie Sucre (Q Gardens)
• November 12: Composting During COVID-19
  Moderated by Lisa Bloodgood (La Casita Verde - Brooklyn)
  Panelists: Natalia Sucre (Q Gardens - Brooklyn), Gil Lopez (Smiling Hogshead Ranch - Queens), Nando Rodriguez (Frank White Memorial Garden - Manhattan)
• November 20: Managing a Community Garden Public Food-Scrap Drop-Off
  Facilitated by: Caroline Mwaniki and Natalia Sucre (Q Gardens)
• December 8: Troubleshooting for Advanced Composting
  Facilitated by: Vanessa Ventola and Ariana Arancibia (NYC Parks GreenThumb)
• December 16: The Ultimate Beginner Guide to Houseplants
  Facilitated by: Cristian Gilces (John Bowne High School)

BRONX FOOD AND FARM TOURS
This year the Bronx Food and Farm Tours, which annually showcases the community gardens and urban farms in the Bronx, will be a series of videos that will be made available for viewing. Each tour features a healthy cooking demonstration of seasonal produce with B-Blossom Catering and also highlights the farms and gardens that are part of the Bronx Community Farm Hubs. GreenThumb will share these as they become available.
 

• September 8: Bronx Food and Farm Tour
  Garden of Happiness, Garden of Youth, and La Familia Verde Farmers Market
  Facilitated by Bronx Green-Up of the New York Botanical Garden
• October 2: Bronx Food and Farm Tour 2
  Includes La Finca del Sur, Padre Plaza, Brook Park, and New Roots Community Farm
  Facilitated by Bronx Green-Up of the New York Botanical Garden
• November 5: Bronx Food and Farm Tour 3
  Includes Taqwa Community Farm, La Isla Youth Garden, Las Casitas Community Garden, and the Woodycrest Community Garden

GreenThumb's 41st Annual Harvest Fair
Saturday, September 26, 2020

• Opening Remarks by NYC Parks GreenThumb Director, Bill LoSasso
• Exploring Food Sovereignty Through Deep Water Culture with Yadira Garcia and Adriano Espaillat, Jr. (Happy Healthy Latina)
• Arranging a Flower Basket with Babbie Dunnington (NYC Parks GreenThumb)
• Introduction to Capoeira with Brandon Ruiz (Instructor Cutia)
• Learn How to Make Pizza from Scratch with Maya Marie Stansberry (KCC Urban Farm, seedsandreceipts.com)

GreenThumb Video Series

• Carpentry Tools 101
  Facilitated by Gregory Anderson (GreenThumb)
  Episodes include Safety, Measuring, Cutting, Fastening with a Power Drill and Screws, Fastening with a Hammer and Nails, Fastening with a Staple Gun, and Finishing
• Pickle Party: Bring the Deli to your Kitchen
  Facilitated by Mara Gittleman (GreenThumb)
  Episodes include Jewish Deli Half-Sour Dill Pickles, Lacto-Fermented Veggie Pickles, Fermented Hot Sauce, and Sauerkraut
• Propagating Crops in a Hoop House - YouTube video series by NYC Parks GreenThumb, featuring Dan Moon of Citywide Nursery, NYC Parks, in the Bronx. This series covers everything from choosing a tray or flat, potting soil selection, planting seeds, watering, pricking out and potting up, hardening off, and more.

If you have any questions or problems with accessing the webinars, please contact: greenthumbinfo@parks.nyc.gov. 

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