Urban Agriculture Panel Discussion at the Hort
After the keynote speaker, Thomas Fox delivered the
morning’s compelling and informative talk that was based on his recently
released book, Urban Farming: Sustainable City Living in Your Backyard, in Your Community,
and in the World
Following a delicious, healthy lunch and happy plant talk
among the sold-out attendees, the Panel discussion swung into a spirited, enthusiastic
showcase of some of the City’s best, most successful urban farmers.
Moderated by Camilla Hammer, farm manager of Battery Urban
Farm, The Panel Stars were:
Phyllis Odessey, Director of Horticulture, Randall’s, Island
Park
Eun Young Sebazco, Horticulture Manager Randall’s Island
Park
Britta Riley, CEO and Founder, Windowfarms
Erika Brenner, Farm Educator, Dekalb Farm
Annie Novak, Founder and Director, Growing Chefs
Zach Pickens, Farm Manager, Riverpark Farm at Alexandria
Center
Each panelist provided a thumbnail overview of their work,
most accompanied by a Powerpoint presentation to visually illustrate their
unique contribution to the growing urban landscape.
Hammer introduced the panel part of the program, saying, “I
once thought urban farming was just farming in a city. But ooohhh nooo!” she said, with what could
be a playful roll of the eyes.
She learned all are very different from one another.
Like children or snowflakes, there is a distinct personality
inherent in every urban agriculture enterprise.
Brenner described Battery
Park Conservancy’s first season, last year and the 800 students who were
enrolled in the program that was supposed to be a two-year effort but now plans
are underway to have ten schools learning composting and working a Historic
Dutch Garden.
Phyllis and Eun Young described how together, with their
team, have designed and maintained lush gardens and recreational areas at Randall’s Island Park where youth can
play sports. In 2007 they earned the
Perennial Plant Association’s Honor Award for the Water’s Edge Garden on
Randall’s Island. In addition they
showed how they produced 35 edible garden beds for the school children to grow
food including organic vegetable such as Dragon carrots, Bambino Eggplant and
Little Gem Baby Romaine, and fruiting shrubs producing 820 pounds of food they
brought to a soup kitchen in East Harlem and the “little French nuns who run
it.”
The rolling pig compost “Pig” brought lots of approving
smiles from the audience.
The two urban garden specialists also launched the city’s
first apple orchard.
But it was the duo’s launch of the city’s first rice paddy
that elicited the audience’ oohs and ahhs, signaling their delight and
discovery and respect for this creative urban gardening initiative.
They showed how the came up with the concept: Eun Young’s
extended family offered support and best practices; the building of the water
garden, the harvesting, including the threshing. Celebrity chef, David Chang of Momofuku was contacted and was just as
enchanted and immediately offered to support and partner with recipes and
cooking demonstrations for the children.
Next exciting food opp?
Look out for sugar cane!
Windowfarms’
Britta Riley is dubbed a “social entrepreneur, technology designer and
artist.” True, but she’s also an
inventor, a gardener, an educator, a catalyst and all round “Green” angel or
prophet. She is friendly and eager to
share her story and her inventions, demonstrating and teaching how to go about
becoming a powerful urban farmer even if one has zero real estate…
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| Windowfarms' Britta Riley |
She passed
around elements of her “vertical hydroponic garden for growing food in your
window” so we could see and examine the ingredients and parts of this
alternative growing container.
They look
like glass beakers – but more mid-century designed look that escalate or
cascade and with a constant, readily available water supply. Genius. She even offered a 10% discount! To learn more: Windowfarms
Erika Brenner, Food 360 is a farm to table job training
program that is a partnership between Dekalb Market, Market Share, and
FamilyCook Productions.
Brenner’s success story started, in fact, at last year’s
Urban Agriculture Conference where with nothing more than a piece of paper, she
heard great stories and was inspired to take the leap and start the career
training. Just like that. Brenner took the leap. “Just do it!” she said.
She showed some great images of the
challenges and results she and her team have produced.
She advocates for the most diverse audience –
those that have a passion for food, and to transform areas where a difference
can be made. To learn more about getting a career on: Food
360
A lot has been written about Annie Novak, head farmer and
co-founder of Eagle Street Rooftop Farm
in Brooklyn and gardener with the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden
at The New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) Children’s Gardening Program. I have been one of those observers and
bloggers covering her lectures and forays.
She is the Founder and Program Director of Growing Chefs Growing Chefs
She is also a recognized force of nature.
“Food is the most exciting part of what she does. She talked
about recognizing it’s not so much about food access as it is about food quality.
She also talked about food security and practical tips for
making a sustainable roof garden – from roof access to watering to egress to
weight load to sun exposure to soil and growing media (she uses Rooflite: 40%
compost and 60% expanded shale and clay.)
She amused the audience with her reference to utilizing
natural pollinators, including honey bees, and chickens and rabbits to
facilitate compost. “IT’s a very closed look system.”
She supplies food education and inspiration.
Last up was Zach Pickens, Riverpark Farm
(and by the way, how perfect a name is “pickens” for a farmer – urban or
agrarian?!)
Pickens explained that while his urban farm is no less of a
challenge than the other farms presented, his is different because it exists as
For-profit. It must profitably grow
produce for Riverpark A Tom Colicchio Restaurant in Kips Bay.
With wonderful views of the East River on one side, the restaurant
boasts the raised bed working edible garden on the other side, growing seasonal
foods for the kitchen and chefs.
Pickens says his work is not about education per se, as the
other panelists, but he has a lot to teach.
The edible garden is built on a stalled site” meaning it is
a commercial real estate project that hasn’t been able to be completed due to
the lack of financing.
In the meantime, a garden grows and the city is all the
better for it.
There are now more than 600 such stalled sites that have
morphed into gardens.
Pickens says he gets to be creative and admits he counts on GrowNYC as a consultant.
Started in September 2011, he showed the before and after
images of the garden and working farm and the event space it has become. It’s beautiful.
Pickens shared a few amazing metrics from the farm at
Riverpark: they employ two farmers (that
is one more than Pickens!), the area is 15,000 square feet of which they use
only half at the present time, they grow the food in 3,500 milk crates that
have been converted into planters!
They have produced more than 3,000 pounds of produce just in
the first five months, including 20 winter crops, made possible by the urban
location’s micro climate – and most exciting: within 500 feet of the
restaurant’s kitchen!
A chef’s dream.
I’ve met Riverpark’s chef and partner, Sisha Ortuzar, at one
of the Greenmarket food benefits, and I could only imagine how inspiring this
“carton to kitchen” farm is to his fresh, seasonal cuisine!
Pickens explained how they produced the innovative, simple
and easy-to-make milk crate gardens. They line the crates with landscape fabric
and staple it.
They then fill with potting mix (about $5.00 per crate).
“It’s mobile and modular,” said Pickens, showing images of
how they can readily move the crates that are placed on wheelies. “We had zero loss with Hurricane Irene –
because we just moved everything inside,” he beamed.
Pickens charmed the audience with his description of
developing unique tools for a unique farm.
Think ‘duct tape’ American innovation when it came to their
ideas to improve efficiency for seeding, harvesting and bed prep. He stuck or grafted a hand cultivator on a
handle!
Seriously. NASA could’ve used this plucky, resourceful
manager!
He said he got the seeder from Johnny’s Seeder and was
always inspired by Eliot Coleman. “He’s
my bible,” Pickens declared.
That homage goes up in spades for all serious
gardeners.
It almost seems as if the couple is pure garden magic – and
love.
A rather lively Q&A followed the panelist’s
presentations.
The biggest takeaway here was it seemed that most agreed
that there is no substitute for horticultural knowledge based on formal
education and training. Go with a
passion and an idea, but at the same time, invest in the study of horticulture.
Cheers!