SEPTEMBER 30TH EVENT Featuring. Jessie from Green City Growers. ALMOST SOLD OUT!!! Register ASAP to save your seat.
Harvard Pilgrim Health Care has teamed up with the Museum of Science to show the critically acclaimed Food, Inc., by filmmaker Robert Kenner.
The film features interviews with such experts as Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation), Michael Pollan (The Omnivore's Dilemma, In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto) along with forward-thinking social entrepreneurs like Stonyfield Farm's Gary Hirshberg and Polyface Farm's Joel Salatin. Food, Inc. reveals surprising — and often shocking — truths about what we eat, how it's produced, who we have become as a nation, and where we are going from here.
Following the screening, Stonyfield Farms Chairman, President, and CE-Yo Gary Hirshberg; Rialto chef / owner Jody Adams; and Green City Growers Owner Jessie Banhazl discuss possible solutions to the environmental concerns raised by our current methods of food production and consider questions from the audience.
The screening takes place on September 30th in Cahners Theater; doors open at 1:30 p.m. The event is free, but space is limited; please register by following the link here:
This is taken directly from the Wickedlocal website, and we should have had it up months ago. As part time "marketing guy", Renewacycle apologizes.
An organic farm is sprouting on Route 9, within sight of thousands of commuters.
In an effort to promote a healthy lifestyle, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care is offering its employees the chance to learn how to grow organic vegetables at its Wellesley and Quincy offices. Partnering with Green City Growers, a Somerville-based group specializing in building farms in urban locations, more than 50 employees have signed up to be a part of the project. Their harvest will be donated to Second Helping, a Greater Boston Food Bank program.
“This organic farm started with the notion that people don’t know how to use food that’s whole and fresh,” said Judith Frampton, the company’s vice president of medical management. “My hope for the company, for the people that are volunteering, [is] that some learn how to garden that didn’t know how to before, but that everybody learns how to use nutritious, whole food in ways they never knew before.”
This is the first time Harvard Pilgrim has gone the route of farming. Frampton said the program will be a test run and if it goes well, the company will encourage its members to try and grow their own organic peppers and eggplants. The farming not only encourages people to eat locally and more healthily, but it also gets employees out of the office during warm summer days. “I just jumped to it,” said Yvonne Kantak, who works in general accounting. “I love gardening. I find it very calming.”
At the company’s Wellesley headquarters, more than a half-dozen wooden frames have been installed in the lawn. While most of the beds lay flat on the ground, two are raised to about waist height, for employees who have bad backs or knees and can’t bend down to tend to the vegetables. Each frame is divided into 16 sections, with different plants growing in each square.
“Harvard Pilgrim is the first health-care provider to ever do this,” said Green City Growers co-founder Jessie Banhazl. “It’s the first corporation that we’ve worked with and, I think, that is doing anything similar in Massachusetts. The … prospect of doing something on this large of a scale was really exciting for us.”
This past Monday, Banhazl stopped by the Wellesley headquarters to check up on the vegetables. She showed volunteers how to mulch the plants. Throughout the summer, members from Green City Growers will also come by to offer advice and helpful tips to the volunteers. “The beauty of this, too, is that we’ve got volunteers from across the company, but also from a wide range of gardening experience,” Frampton said, who has grown peppers and tomatoes before, but not much else. “We’re going to have people with lots of experience and people who have never put their fingers in the dirt before.”
Harvard Pilgrim plans to donate around $25,000 in produce to Second Helping, said Frampton. Although the summer has been rainy and not the best weather for growing plants in, Banhazl said she still expects a strong harvest.
Frampton said the farm will last through the fall. There will be tasting sessions and lessons on how to cook what is being grown. She said Harvard Pilgrim would be interested in joining with local schools and sponsor educational programs around healthy, locally grown, organic food.
“This is a commitment,” she said. “We are definitely going to keep doing this.”
Kantak and co-workers Andra Barnette and Linda Fei were enthusiastic about the vegetable beds. Wearing gardening gloves from home, the three women walked around to each frame, carefully tending to individual plants. In some cases, the seeds had been planted too close to one another and were separated. The ladies also put mulch around every plant.
“I think it’s just a wonderful project,” Barnette said. “If it will get other companies to start thinking the same way, it would be really good. Plus, you get to come out in the sunshine and feel like you’re doing something good.”
Your raised bed farm utilizes a technique called square foot gardening, developed in the 1970’s by Mel Bartholomew. It allows for you to grow more crops in less space, and with less work. Raised bed farms are easy to tend to and care for, and can be placed anywhere with adequate sunlight, including driveways, decks, or rooftops.
An important general tip is to never stand on top of your raised bed. This will compact the soil and make it difficult for your plants to grow.
Planning
Plan your garden before you start planting. Group together plants with similar watering requirements, and plant companion plants together. Companion plants can help each other grow in a variety of ways, while antagonistic plants impede one another’s growth.
Consider the time of year you will be planting and which crops will grow best at that time. Remember- you can have a spring, summer and fall crop in your backyard farm.
Plant your taller crops are on the north side of your raised beds. This way, they won’t shade your smaller plants.
Remember to calculate how many of each plant you will need before going to purchase your seeds or seedlings.
Planting
There are two ways to plant: by planting seeds directly into the ground or by using transplants that you have purchased or grown indoors. When a spring crop is finished, you can replant that square with a summer crop, and later for a fall crop.
For both: Draw a grid with your fingers inside each square foot to make the appropriate number of squares (4, 9, or 16) and plant seeds or seedlings in the center of each newly drawn square. Always remember to label where you have planted which seeds or transplants.
Seeds
Generally, seeds should be planted at a depth of two to four times their size (around 2 in cold weather, 4 in hot weather.) This is about 1/8 to 1 inch. Plant seeds below a moist surface to prevent them from drying out. After planting, gently tap the soil down on top of the seed to bring it into contact with the soil. The best way to water newly planted seeds is with a light mist or spray from the hose so that they are not unearthed.
Transplants
The best time to transplant is in the early morning or on cloudy days to minimize stress on the new plant.
To transplant, dig a hole slightly larger than the container in which the seedling is growing. With vegetables, bury the plant up to the first set of leaves. Pat down the soil firmly around the plant and smooth it around the stem at a slight decline so that water drains toward the plant.
When you plant transplants, check to see if the roots are rootbound (if they are growing in circles.) If they are, cut off the bottom of the roots and soil or gently tease the bottoms of the roots before transplanting.
Climbing Plants
“Vertical crops” such as peas, pole beans and cucumbers grow well on trellises, which will conserve space. Plant the seeds in a line underneath the trellis and train them to climb by twisting the main stem through the trellis once a week.
Watering
Keep newly planted seeds moist, not drenched.
After transplanting, water each seedling immediately and every day for the next few days until they are established.
To water, pour warm water directly at the base of the plant. Warm water is better for the plants (they can absorb more nutrients from warm water and in the spring and fall it helps to warm the soil.) Make sure to water close to the ground so you do not form puddles in the soil. Only water the base of plants- wet leaves are more susceptible to fungal diseases. The best time to water is early in the morning.
Water frequently (every one or two days,) based on the weather how your plants look, and what the soil feels like. Plants need more water if it is hot and sunny than if it is cool or cloudy. If plants turn yellow, they are getting too much water. If they are wilting, they are not getting enough. If the top one or two inches of the soil feel dry, it is time to water. Water the soil deeply to encourage deep root growth.
Mulching
Mulching helps to conserve moisture and keep weeds under control. Spread a thick layer (several inches thick) of straw, shredded leaves, compost, dried leaves, or anything else that can be used as mulch, around your bed once your plants are established.
Weeding
Weed when the weeds are young and when the soil is wet. Always take care of weeds before they bloom to prevent having more of them the following year.
Extreme Weather Conditions
Hot, Dry Weather: Frequent and heavy watering.
Heavy Rains: If soil has been washed away, recover any exposed roots with soil; eliminate snail and slug hiding places (such as under rocks,); watch for fungal and bacterial disease.
Late (or early) Frost: Cover plants with a protective covering such as a storm window cover or even newspaper.
Further Resources
Mel Bartholomew’s Square Foot Gardening is a great resource for learning more about square foot gardening.
SEPTEMBER 30TH EVENT Featuring. Jessie from Green City Growers. ALMOST SOLD OUT!!! Register ASAP to save your seat.
