GreenThumb Growing Food Toolkit PDFs
Updated July 2020
GreenThumb supports community gardeners in growing food through educational workshops and materials. Below you will find most of our workshop handouts, as well as many resources from partnering organizations, on topics related to food production. We will continue to add to this page and update our educational resources as time and capacity allows.
For links to video recordings of our webinars, click here. References below are informational only and do not represent GreenThumb policy. For GreenThumb policy, please refer to the GreenThumb Gardeners’ Handbook.
TOPICS
Composting
Outdoor Composting Guide - English - NYC Compost Project
Outdoor Composting Guide - Spanish - NYC Compost Project
Composting Tipsheet - Bilingual - NYC Compost Project
Troubleshooting Your Compost - NYC Compost Project
Decomposer Tipsheet - NYC Compost Project
Using your Compost - NYC Compost Project
WEBINAR: Vermicomposting at Home (& Earth Day Opening Remarks) - Facilitated by Claudia Urdanivia and Vanessa Ventola (GreenThumb)
Password: Worms2020!
Container Gardening
Start a Rooftop Container Garden - Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Two-Bucket Sub-Irrigated Container - source unknown
WEBINAR: Reclaiming Ancestral Knowledge: Hydroponic Window Gardening - Facilitated by Adriano Espaillat, Jr. and Yadira Garcia (Happy Healthy Latina)
Password: Hydroponics1!
Cover Crops
Cover Crops - GreenThumb
Crop Planning and Companion Planting
Seasonal Vegetable Gardening Guides - Bronx Green-Up of The New York Botanical Garden
Plant Families Chart - GreenThumb
Square Foot Gardening - GreenThumb
Planting Vegetables for a Continuous Harvest - ATTRA
Planting Calendar for Vegetables - English - Cornell Cooperative Extension
Planting Calendar for Vegetables - Spanish - Cornell Cooperative Extension
Vegetable Planting Times - Cornell Cooperative Extension
Companion Planting for Vegetables - Bronx Green-Up of the New York Botanical Garden
Fruit Trees and Brambles
Pruning Fruit Trees - Bronx Green-Up of the New York Botanical Garden
Pruning Fruit Trees - Cornell Cooperative Extension
Cornell Guide to Growing Fruit - Cornell Cooperative Extension
WEBINAR: Growing Brambles: Raspberries, Blackberries, and Other Cane Fruit - Facilitated by Babbie Dunnington and Richard Squire (GreenThumb)
Password: Brambles2020!
WEBINAR: Open Orchard School: Fruit Tree Grafting - Facilitated by Sam Van Aken (Open Orchard, Trust for Governors Island)
Password: Grafting2020!
WEBINAR: Open Orchard School: Bud Grafting and Summer Tree Care - Facilitated by Sam Van Aken (Open Orchard, Trust for Governors Island)
Irrigation and Rainwater Collection
Drip Irrigation Planning & Design - GreenThumb
Rainwater Harvesting How-To-Guide, Videos, and More - GrowNYC
WEBINAR: Drip Irrigation 101 - Facilitated by Lory Henning and Arlene Roberts (Maple St. Community Garden); and Mara Gittleman (GreenThumb)
Mulch
How to Use Mulch - Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Mulch Tipsheet - NYC Compost Project
Mushrooms
Growing Mushrooms in an Urban Environment - Cornell Cooperative Extension
Wine Cap Factsheet - Cornell Cooperative Extension
WEBINAR: Marvelous Mushrooms - Facilitated by Gil Lopez (Smiling Hogshead Ranch)
Password: Mushrooms2020
Pollinator Habitat and Beneficial Insects
Habitat Gardening - NYC Parks Horticulture
Guide to Insectary Plants - Cornell Cooperative Extension
Tips for Successful Pollinator Gardens - Butterfly Project NYC
Beneficial Insects Poster - University of California
Make Your Garden a Haven for Insect Diversity - Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Butterfly Gardening - Bronx Green-Up of the New York Botanical Garden
WEBINAR: How to Make and Use Native Seed Balls to Protect Biodiversity - Facilitated by Jade Johnson and Navida Vignoles (New York Botanical Garden)
Password: SeedBalls2020!
WEBINAR: Native Plants of the GreenThumb Plant Distribution - Facilitated by Cindy Goulder
Password: NativePlantsDistro2020
WEBINAR: Spring Care of Pollinator Perennials - Facilitated by Cindy Goulder
WEBINAR: Design your Garden to Attract Pollinators - Facilitated by Bronx Green-Up of The New York Botanical Garden and Butterfly Project NYC
Pest and Disease Management
Organic Pest Control Techniques - GreenThumb
Top Ten Garden Insect Pests - GreenThumb
Nine Keys to Plant Disease Prevention - Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Make your own Natural Pest Spray - GreenThumb
Raised Beds
Wheelchair Accessible Raised Beds - GreenThumb
Record Keeping & Data Collection
Farming Concrete Garden Data Collection Toolkit - Farming Concrete
Farming Concrete Data Entry Portal - Farming Concrete
Farming Concrete Open Data Downloads - Farming Concrete
Online Garden Monitoring Systems - A Tool for Community Engagement - Facilitated by Sarah McMillian and Briana Garcia (Temboo)
Season Extension
Low Tunnels - GreenThumb
Cold Frames - Cornell Cooperative Extension
Season Extension - GrowNYC
Growing All Seasons - USDA NRCS High Tunnels Initiative
WEBINAR: The Highs and Lows of High and Low Tunnels - facilitated by Onika Abraham (Farm School NYC) and Joseph Heller (USDA NRCS)
Password: HighTunnels2020!
Seed Propagation/Seed Starting
Starting Seeds Indoors and Out - Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Planting Vegetable Seeds Outdoors - Bronx Green-Up of the New York Botanical Garden
Starting Seeds Indoors - English - Bronx Green-Up of the New York Botanical Garden
Starting Seeds Indoors - Spanish - Bronx Green-Up of the New York Botanical Garden
Seed Starting Log Worksheet - English and Spanish - Bronx Green-Up of the New York Botanical Garden
Germination Test: Are Your Old Seeds Still Good? - Brooklyn Botanic Garden
WEBINAR: Starting Seeds at Home - Facilitated by Lillian Reyes (GreenThumb)
Password: Seeds2020!
WEBINAR: Grow Greens on your Windowsill - Facilitated by Maureen O'Brien (Brooklyn Botanic Garden)
Password: WindowGreens2020!
Seed Saving
Seed Saving Chart - Seed Matters
Six Tips for Saving Seed - Seed Matters
Seed Saving Guide - Seed Savers Exchange
How to Build and Manage a Community Seed Library - Facilitated by Eric Rodriguez (The High Line)
Password: SeedLibrary2020!
Sharing our Farm Traditions
Soul of Food series by Maya Marie S. Learn more about Maya's work at the Seeds & Receipts website and instagram and at Bring it Home.
- Booklet #1: Southern Foundations: Mississippi
- Booklet #2: The Low Country
- Booklet #3: The Bayou
- Booklet #4: The Black Belt
- Booklet #5: The Upper South
Site Planning
Garden Planning and Design - Bronx Green-Up of the New York Botanical Garden
Soil Health and Safety
Healthy Soils, Healthy Communities: Science-based information about soil contaminants and healthy gardening practices - Cornell College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Safe Gardening in New York City: How to Reduce Your Exposure to Contaminated Soil - English - NYC Dept. of Health and Mental Hygiene, Lead Free NYC, and GreenThumb
Safe Gardening in New York City: How to Reduce Your Exposure to Contaminated Soil - Spanish - NYC Dept. of Health and Mental Hygiene, Lead Free NYC, and GreenThumb
Soil Basics - Cornell Cooperative Extension
10 Best Practices for Healthy Gardening - English - Cornell Cooperative Extension
10 Best Practices for Healthy Gardening - Spanish - Cornell Cooperative Extension
Testing for Soil Nutrients - Cornell Cooperative Extension
Testing your Soil - Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Understanding Your Test Results: Metals in Garden Soils and Vegetables - Cornell Cooperative Extension
Replenishing your soil - GreenThumb
Soil Food Web - GreenThumb
WEBINAR: Contaminants in your Soil? Best Practices to Reduce Risk for a Healthy Garden - Facilitated by Sara Perl Egendorf (Brooklyn College)
Password: Soil2020!
WEBINAR: Carbon Sponge Kit: Monitoring Soil Health - Facilitated by Katharhy G. and Brooke Singer (Carbon Sponge)
Password: CarbonSponge2020
Trellising
Building Trellis in your Garden - GreenThumb
Trellising Part 1 and Part 2 - East New York Farms!
Vegetable Gardening Guides, Toolkits, and Other Learning Resources for Growing Food
Vegetable Growing Guides - Cornell University
Master Gardener Curriculum - Cornell Cooperative Extension
Crop-by-Crop Growing Guides - Seed Savers Exchange
Guide to Urban Farming in NY - Cornell Small Farms Program
Community Garden Guides - USDA NRCS
WEBINAR: Growing Peanuts and Cotton in NYC - Facilitated by Willie Morgan and Aaron Morgan (Our Little Green Acre)
Password: PeanutsCotton2020
Weeds
Weed of the Month Series - Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Downloads:
- Download SoulOfFood2 (PDF, 667 KB)
- Download Seed-starting Log (PDF, 118 KB)
- Download Troubleshooting your Compost (PDF, 454 KB)
- Download SoulOfFood3 (PDF, 845 KB)
- Download Starting Seeds Indoors - Spanish (PDF, 164 KB)
- Download Using Compost (PDF, 589 KB)
- Download Outdoor Composting Guide - Spanish (PDF, 873 KB)
- Download SoulOfFood4 (PDF, 883 KB)
- Download Starting Seeds Indoors - English (PDF, 108 KB)
- Download DIY Natural Pest Spray (PDF, 115 KB)
- Download SoulOfFood5 (PDF, 947 KB)
- Download Butterfly Gardening (PDF, 205 KB)
- Download Top 10 Garden Pests (PDF, 474 KB)
- Download Soil Food Web (PDF, 370 KB)
- Download Site Planning and Design (PDF, 340 KB)
- Download Organic Pest Control (PDF, 403 KB)
- Download Starting Seeds Indoors and Out (PDF, 261 KB)
- Download BPNYC Tips for Pollinator Gardens (PDF, 73 KB)
- Download SoulOfFood1 (PDF, 811 KB)
- Download Insectary Plants (PDF, 90 KB)
- Download Habitat Gardening (PDF, 169 KB)
- Download Cold Frames (PDF, 887 KB)
- Download Low Tunnels (PDF, 346 KB)
- Download Wheelchair Accessible Raised Bed (PDF, 760 KB)
- Download Season Extension (PDF, 373 KB)
- Download What Gardeners Can Do - Spanish (PDF, 380 KB)
- Download Gardening Contaminated Soil - English (PDF, 321 KB)
- Download Planting Calendar for Vegetables - Spanish (PDF, 92 KB)
- Download Planting Calendar for Vegetables - English (PDF, 223 KB)
- Download Replenishing Your Soil (PDF, 328 KB)
- Download Vegetable Planting Times (PDF, 147 KB)
- Download Gardening Contaminated Soil - Spanish (PDF, 276 KB)
- Download Planting Vegetables for a Continuous Harvest (PDF, 428 KB)
- Download What Gardeners Can Do - English (PDF, 334 KB)
- Download Square Foot Gardening (PDF, 546 KB)
- Download Understanding Soil Test Results (PDF, 275 KB)
- Download Plant Families Chart (PDF, 424 KB)
- Download Soil Basics (PDF, 254 KB)
- Download Cover Crops (PDF, 359 KB)
- Download Testing for Soil Nutrients (PDF, 261 KB)
- Download Two-Bucket Sub-Irrigated Container (PDF, 123 KB)
- Download Seed Saving Guide (PDF, 228 KB)
- Download Wine Cap Factsheet (PDF, 433 KB)
- Download 6 Tips for Saving Seeds (PDF, 169 KB)
- Download Growing Mushrooms in an Urban Environment (PDF, 244 KB)
- Download Seed Saving Chart (PDF, 513 KB)
- Download Mulch Tipsheet (PDF, 318 KB)
- Download Trellising2 (PDF, 292 KB)
- Download Drip Irrigation Planning & Design (PDF, 570 KB)
- Download Trellising1 (PDF, 417 KB)
- Download Pruning Fruit Trees (PDF, 126 KB)
- Download Building a Trellis (PDF, 650 KB)
- Download Outdoor Composting Guide - English (PDF, 745 KB)
- Download NYBG Pruning Fruit Trees (PDF, 210 KB)
- Download Companion Planting for Vegetables (PDF, 403 KB)
- Download Decomposer Tipsheet (PDF, 938 KB)
- Download Planting Seeds Outdoors (PDF, 269 KB)
- Download Compost Tipsheet - Bilingual (PDF, 217 KB)