Somerville Urban Ag

eggsbenedict: Today was a good day.

Wed, 22 May 2013 12:48:56 -0400

Today was a good day.

95 years later, we want you to keep chickens, too. We want you...

Thu, 16 May 2013 11:12:00 -0400

95 years later, we want you to keep chickens, too. We want you to keep chickens so badly that we have passed the first Urban Agriculture Ordinance in the Northeast. AND, as if that is not enough, we even made a video for you to watch when you come get your permit.

Have a look:
“C” is for Chicken: Chicken Keeping in Somerville, MA

You can find all the rules and helpful tips for all urban ag practices in the easy-to-understand document: The ABC’s of Urban Agriculture in Somerville

Thank you to SomervilleArchives for the fantastic photo!

Boston Through My Eyes - A Boston Music Blog: 2013 Somerville PorchFest This Saturday

Thu, 16 May 2013 11:06:04 -0400

Boston Through My Eyes - A Boston Music Blog: 2013 Somerville PorchFest This Saturday:

slyke25:

If you’re unfamiliar with Somerville PorchFest, it’s a series of little concerts around the city of Somerville, where a traditional stage is replaced with a porch. It takes place this Saturday from 12-6pm. A full list of bands with a map of performances broken down by genre can be seen …

THE CITY OF SOMERVILLE WINS A BOSTON SOCIETY OF LANDSCAPE...

Thu, 09 May 2013 09:49:00 -0400

THE CITY OF SOMERVILLE WINS A BOSTON SOCIETY OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT’S AWARD FOR THE MAYOR’S URBAN AGRICULTURE INITIATIVE!

That’s right! The Mayor’s Urban Agriculture Initiative won a merit award from the BSLA, northern New England’s chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA.) The award was presented to the City for excellence in communicating the first municipal Urban Ag Ordinance in the region, promoting urban agriculture through innovative use of social media (ahem, this blog), and educational events, videos and the City Hall demonstration garden.

In fact, the award letter reads, “The jury…was impressed by what great public benefit it serves, and what was accomplished with such a limited budget. The jury was very pleased that Somerville took this on and feels that it is a great example of what cities should be doing.” WHOA! Did you hear that? (“WHAT CITIES SHOULD BE DOING!!!”) Even more impressive is that we did all of this with no additional budget, just our in-house talented staff and a community of people that love urban ag. Go Somerville!

(applause please)

City Hall has a new ambassador…an Urban Ag...

Tue, 07 May 2013 10:49:03 -0400

City Hall has a new ambassador…an Urban Ag Ambassador!

Meet Abe Gore. He’s a Somerville resident who just recently completed the City’s first Somerville Urban Ag Ambassador Program. As part of the community service component, he has become the steward of the City Hall garden. You know…the garden on the steps of City Hall that we wrote about all last year? With the cabbage worms? And all the municipal employees eating healthy produce for lunch?

Abe, like all Somer’villens, is really into food, urban ag and food policy. In fact, he just concentrated on all that in his graduate studies at the Heller School at Brandeis. We are thrilled to have a smartypants urban farmer who is as enthusiastic about growing local food in Somerville as we are! Welcome Abe! (now, don’t anyone tell him about those cabbage worms ;-)

IT’S SPRING GARDEN DAYat the SOMERVILLE COMMUNITY GROWING...

Wed, 01 May 2013 12:25:00 -0400

IT’S SPRING GARDEN DAY
at the SOMERVILLE COMMUNITY GROWING CENTER!

Saturday, May 4th, 9am-12pm

11am Mixed Morris Dance Performances & participatory Maypole Dance

Free pots, seeds, and seedling & plant exchange. Bring something to share, if you can. The Growing Center is a wonderful resource with a variety of events and educational programs. You can learn more about Somerville CGC HERE.

A new Center for Urban Agriculture...in Somerville? YES!

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 15:46:00 -0400

Relish: Center for Urban Agriculture opens in the heart of Union Square, Somerville late Spring 2013. An educational center, Relish provides high quality, hands-on instruction on urban agriculture and related food production. Relish is headquartered in a large (22’ x 22’) indoor conference room (seating capacity of 25 people), attached industrial style-garage with retail space, and is adjacent to a small city park. (Trying to visualize the place? See our “before” pics here.)

Relish is a project of Mimi Graney (you likely know her from her work with Union Square Main Streets) and Mary Cat Chaikin (manager of the Union Square and Somerville Winter Farmers Markets.)

Call for Instructors for new Urban Agriculture project!
Relish is accepting proposals for workshops from qualified instructors for June through December 2013. See bottom of this page for links to applications.

CLASS TYPES

Adult workshops:

Typically 3-hour workshops on Saturdays (9am-12pm and 1pm-4pm) or Wednesday evenings, 6pm-8pm.
Workshops will start the week of June 1, 2013.
Classes may be offered at multiple levels and participants take home product.
Topics should be closely related to city farming or homesteading, including home gardening, beekeeping, mushrooming, pruning, chicken coops, and other topics .
Examples Topics: How to Build a Raised Bed, Edible Window Boxes, Canning, Cultivating Mushrooms, Introduction to Backyard Chickens, Build a Chicken Coop, etc.

All ages/family workshops:

Tentatively scheduled for Wednesday evenings, 6-8 pm. Topics follow same guidelines as above.

Kid’s classes:

Relish Kids! runs June – August, with 9am-12pm morning session for younger kids (roughly 4-6 yrs. old) and 1pm-4pm afternoon session for older kids (7-11 yrs. old).
5 day sessions will take place Monday – Friday, and include breaks for snack and outdoor park play.
Example Topics: Printmaking, Union Square Place-based Learning, Introduction to Urban Ag (Expert visits and site visits in the area for hands-on learning about chickens, bees, composting, gardening, etc), and other topics generally related to city farming or homesteading. Instructors should have experience working with groups of children, and multiple references.

DEADLINES: Deadline for submissions for Relish Kids! summer classes and June workshops is ASAP. After April 30, instructor applications for adult and all-ages workshops will be accepted on a rolling basis.

COMPENSATION: Ranges from $75-125 for 3 hour workshops, and $350-$450 for week-long workshops, depending on class topic and instructor experience and qualifications. All classes must meet minimum enrollment requirements to take place as scheduled.

Application for adult workshops

http://relishurbanag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/WorkshopInstructorApp.pdf

Application for workshops for Relish Kids

http://relishurbanag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/RelishKidsInstructorApp.pdf

SOMERVILLE IN BLOOM Thank you to the Somerville volunteers who...

Sat, 27 Apr 2013 08:51:00 -0400

Quincy Street Open Space has thousands of bulbs in it and they are in bloom! Go have a look.

Union Square is blitzing!

Albion Street Park. Blitzed.

Daffodils!

Union Square trees in bloom.

SOMERVILLE IN BLOOM

Thank you to the Somerville volunteers who planted over 1,000 daffodils and tulips all over the city in a “flash mob planting” last fall, known as the second annual SOMERVILLE BULB BLITZ! Let’s just say it is paying off BIG in beauty all over. Here is a map of the Bulb Blitz locations. Get outside and enjoy the flowers.

IT’S SPRING CLEANING TIME! Join your neighbors this...

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 11:53:00 -0400

IT’S SPRING CLEANING TIME!

Join your neighbors this Saturday (rain date April 28) for the annual Spring Cleanup. Crews will take on projects in each ward from 10am to noon and then participants are invited to a bbq and SomerGreen Festival at Blessing of the Bay Boathouse from noon to 2pm. To find out where groups are meeting in your neighborhood: http://ow.ly/knB7L And thank you to Thomas M. Barton for designing our great new logo.

passionforplastics: RIP Sean Collier, you will be missed my...

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 22:23:09 -0400

passionforplastics:

RIP Sean Collier, you will be missed my friend. #somerville #Police #bostonstrong #actionfigures #toys #muppets

Thank you to all the heroes in blue, and especially to our fallen brother, Sean collier.

Mayor Joe Curtatone invites you to join the community at a...

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 09:52:44 -0400

Mayor Joe Curtatone invites you to join the community at a candlelight vigil in honor of the victims of Monday’s attack at the Boston Marathon. As many members of the Somerville community are personally affected by the tragedy, the vigil will include a “healing ceremony,” and attendees will have the opportunity to speak and offer words of hope, love, and support. The vigil will be held Thursday, April 18, 2013 at 7:45pm at Somerville City Hall / Somerville High School Concourse, 81 Highland Avenue. Please share this information with friends and neighbors. photo by: brentdanley

somervillebynight: Spring - Somerville, MA Beauty abounds.

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 12:01:13 -0400

somervillebynight:

Spring - Somerville, MA

Beauty abounds.

Lead in Soil This is part 2 of a two part series on urban...

Sun, 14 Apr 2013 13:53:00 -0400

Somerville Urban Ag Ambassadors building a raised bed.

Flaking leaded paint can end up in soil.

Soil nearest to old structures usually contains the most lead.

Lead in Soil

This is part 2 of a two part series on urban soils. Please see the previous post.

On residential sites with pre-1978 housing, the most common soil contaminant is lead (Pb). It has been deposited on the soil from past years of industrial pollution, leaded gasoline and flaking leaded paint. In an effort to prevent childhood lead poisoning, the EPA has defined dangerous levels of lead in soil as 400 ppm in play areas and 1,200 ppm in bare soil [footnote ].

The EPA has not, however, defined lead hazard levels for gardens; and, there are varying opinions on how much lead is too much for growing edible plants. The Massachusetts Contingency Plan identifies 300 ppm of lead as the standard for “soil associated with unrestricted use [footnote].” In addition, the University of Massachusetts recommends not growing in soils with more than 300ppm of total lead. Based on these guidelines, the City of Somerville recommends growing produce in containers and raised beds or in soil with under 300 ppm of total lead. Under the Somerville Urban Ag Ordinance, if you intend to sell your produce, you are required to post your annual soil test results at the point of sale- even if you are growing in a raised bed. UMASS Amherst Extension Services offers an affordable “Routine Soil Test” that includes lead and is also helpful for gardening.

Always follow these best practices for gardening:

locate gardens away from painted structures
add compost to your soil every year
do not let children play or garden in contaminated soil
wear gloves when gardening, and wash hands afterwards
wash all produce thoroughly before eating
throw away the outer leaves of vegetables where soil particles are most likely to be located
peel all root vegetables before eating

For recommendations on how to improve soils and grow plants in mildly contaminated soil, see:
Brownfields and Urban Agriculture: Interim Guidelines for Safe Gardening Practices

Using Potentially Contaminated Landscapes: Growing Gardens in Urban Soils

If you have a child under six and you live in an old home, please see the City’s Lead Hazard Abatement Program.

THE DIRT ON SOIL, PART 1(HEY, READ THIS- IT’S...

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 14:44:00 -0400

Urban soils can contain contaminants.

A raised bed at the South St Farm. Note the landscape fabric below.

Hardware cloth helps prevent animals from burrowing into the garden from below

THE DIRT ON SOIL, PART 1
(HEY, READ THIS- IT’S IMPORTANT!)

As in all older cities in the U.S., soils in our beloved Somerville can contain contaminants. On a site that has always been residential, the most common contaminant found is lead. (Part 2 of this post will address lead in soil.) When a site has had other uses, such as industrial or agricultural, it contain many other contaminants. Be sure to research the site history before you plant your garden. You can overcome the obstacles encountered in urban farming to become more informed and garden safely.

1. As a best practice, it is recommended that urban produce be grown in containers or raised beds built from wood that does not contain old paint on it and has not been chemically treated, or from another safe material. First turn the existing soil, to help with drainage. Then, place landscape fabric, available at hardware stores, on the turned earth and build the raised bed on it.This provides a barrier to the old soil, while allowing water to infiltrate. If you have problems with critters, you can also put a wire hardware cloth below all of it to prevent any burrowing. There are many ways to build a raised bed and many tutorials out there. Search the web to find guides and videos and do what works best for you. You can find more tips in the “Agriculture ” section of ABC’s of Urban Ag, a guide to urban ag in Somerville.

2. Next, fill the raised bed with clean, TESTED soil. Be sure you know where your soil comes from. Do not buy untested soil from someone’s city yard, from the internet or from an urban site, as it is likely to be contaminated. If you buy soil from a nursery or landscaper, ask where it comes from and if it has been tested for contaminants. Place gardens away from structures with flaking paint and be aware that clean soils can become contaminated by activities like the scraping or weathering of leaded paint on a nearby structure.

3. Finally ,plant and grow delicious, local food! Remember, in Somerville, under the new Urban Agriculture Ordinance, if you plan to sell your produce, a soil test is required and must be posted. See Pg 11 of the ABC’s of Urban Ag.

Stay tuned, part two will discuss lead, the most common contaminant found in urban soils.

Hey Somerville teens! Looking for a summer job? Want to make...

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 10:44:00 -0400

Hey Somerville teens! Looking for a summer job?

Want to make positive changes in your city? Fill out an application to be part of the summer Groundwork Somerville Green Team.

Deadline is May 10th. Click here to apply.

Somerville Garden Club presents Urban Beekeeping FREE...

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 14:52:32 -0400

Somerville Garden Club presents Urban Beekeeping

FREE EVENT
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
7-9 PM at the Tufts Administration Building
167 Holland St., Somerville on the second floor, wheelchair accessible.

Urban Beekeeping is the topic for the April meeting of the Somerville Garden Club. Noah Wilson-Rich, Ph.D., will talk about the importance of bees as pollinators and how to establish and maintain hives, as well as collect honey, in an urban setting. Wilson-Rich is a behavioral ecololgist, beekeeper, and founder of the company Best Bees.

All Somerville Garden Club events are free and the public is invited to attend. The Club meets the second Wednesday of every month. Each meeting begins with club announcements, followed by a horticultural question and answer segment, a lecture or presentation, and concludes with an auction of donated plants and garden items. On site parking is available, and the building is a short walk from the Davis Square T station.

We won! We won! WE WON! On April 5th, 2013 the City of...

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 09:32:00 -0400

Mayor Joesph Curtatone receives the Golden Trowel Award from GWS' Green Team. To his right is Jesse Banhazl of GCG and Chris Mancini, GWS Executive Director.

We won! We won! WE WON!

On April 5th, 2013 the City of Somerville was awarded the Golden Trowel Award by Groundwork Somerville for it’s innovative “Mayor’s Urban Agricultuire Initiative” and for being the first municipality in the Commonwealth to pass an Urban Agriculture Ordinance! Jesse Banhazl of Green City Growers (GCG) was also awarded a Golden Trowel GCG’s innovative business focusing on urban agriculture.

THIS how we feel about it! Bravo!

WOW! WOW! WOW! SOOOO COOL! KID ‘VILLENS AT THE WHITE...

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 10:24:00 -0400

WOW! WOW! WOW! SOOOO COOL!
KID ‘VILLENS AT THE WHITE HOUSE!

Somerville’s Healey School students help with White House garden

Five students from the Healey School were invited to help First Lady Michelle Obama plant a White House garden. The students are active gardeners at school, where Groundwork Somerville helps to teach urban youth about where food comes from, healthy eating and urban agriculture. Groundwork Somerville maintains school gardens in every elementary school in the city! (yeah!)

Check out more adorable picts of kids gardening on the City’s Facebook Page.

CHICKENS AND COMPOSTERS AND A SEED SWAP, OH MY! Saturday, March...

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 09:42:00 -0400

CHICKENS AND COMPOSTERS AND A SEED SWAP, OH MY!
Saturday, March 30th 9:30am until 2:00pm at the Somerville Winters Farmers Market. 191 Highland Ave, that really cool fortress-looking building, the Armory, in Somerville!

Are you planning a huge harvest from raised beds or a container herb garden in the windowsill? Either way, this day is for you. Join us at the market for activities and info about gardening in Somerville.Celebrate Spring, plan your garden, learn about composting, chickens and seeds! Happenings include:

Seed Swap (part 2!) From the Somerville Community Growing Center!
Chickens! Visit with Khrysti of Yardbirds Backyard Chickens and her Somerville “girls” and learn all about chickens in Somerville. She will arrive with her feathered ladies around 10:30 or so.
Earth Machine compost bins available for purchase from the City of Somerville ($40 check or money order to “The City of Somerville”). Bike delivery available (thank you Andrew of Compost This!)
Learn all about Urban Ag in Somerville! What are the opportunities, rules, and regs for chickens, bees, and urban farming?
Groundwork Somerville demonstrating how to make a worm composting bin, with worms for sale!
Green City Growers at market. Learn how they can help you make the most of your space for gardening!

Bring the kids, there will be planting activities. And buy fresh, local produce,too. Can it get any better?

Happy First Day of Spring Somerville! Yes, there is some snow...

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 13:10:00 -0400

Happy First Day of Spring Somerville!

Yes, there is some snow on the ground, but the warm weather is just around the corner, so clean off those garden tools, it’s about to get real…