Earth Day at the Secret Garden Farm and Nature Preserve: Bushwick
Posted: April 22nd, 2010 | Author: Derek Denckla
Earth Day kind of confuses me. Events seem to involve celebrities, big banners, corporate sponsors and slogan swag that gets thrown away. All that noise and waste does not really inspire me to think of redefining my relationship to the environment.
That’s why today was my favorite Earth Day ever.
I woke up at 5:15 at the “blue moment” before night is over and day has begun. The nightbirds were silent and the daybirds had yet to sing at the sun. I was told to meet for breakfast at the The Secret Garden at 6:07 a.m. to watch the sunrise.
As I pulled my gear together and hopped on my bike, the dawn began to break. Brooklyn’s streets were virtually deserted. The few cars that I encountered engaged in a fluid right-of-way dance that seemed choreographed. The air was clear, clean and sweet with scents of flowering trees, dewy from last night’s sprinkling.
My ride from Carroll Gardens to Bushwick was an urban cyclist’s futuristic dream: courteous, calm and almost car-free. What a fitting way start to Earth Day, right?
I spotted the garden, located at Linden Street and Broadway, by the telltale black iron fence. Entering the gate on Linden, I pushed my bike along a path of fresh wood chips — moist and still smelling of sap. There was no one around. At a bike rack just beyond the entrance, I saw a young women loosening a screw that affixed a tambourine to a rig’s handlebar.
“Am I too late?” I asked, noting that it was 6:17 a.m., ten minutes later than planned.
“No,” she said, “they’ve barely even started, they’re all up there.” Facing me, she motioned with her head to the right. I looked up in that direction and saw a break in the chain link fence at the rear corner of the garden. A ramp of fresh wood chips lead into what appeared to be a vacant lot.
The Secret Garden Farm and Nature Preserve is adjacent to the Linden-Bushwick Community Garden, located in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn, in an interior land lot, not visible from Broadway.
As I ascended a ramp of wood chips and passed through an opening in the fence, the huge lot spread out before me, looking like a small farm. It was a breathtaking moment of discovery.
Wheelbarrows were stacked neatly to the side. A green metal shed. Several aisles of raised wooden-sided planters, spaced at regular intervals. Windrows. I had left the hubbub of the city street corner and entered an agrarian haven.
The garden fills a huge space — more than an acre — wedged in between two parallel blocks of row houses where yards would usually stand. The far end looked like wild woodlands with trees and rocks: The Nature Preserve. There, at the edge of the trees, was a small group gathered around two tables. I walked up and introduced myself to all present.
I met Kendall Q. Morrisson first. “If you want pancakes, we’re waiting on eggs.” He said, standing in front of a camp stove topped with a cast iron skillet.
Recently, Kendall was called “The Mushroom Man” by the NY Times in an article about home-growing tasty fungi.
“Actually, I wonder if he would prefer ‘Mycoman’ –not quite as catchy as Mushroom Man– but more accurate,” said joked Travis Tench, manager for Bushwick Farmer’s Market held in the adjacent Linden-Bushwick Community Garden on Wednesdays from April May 26 through Christmas November 24, 2010 (Memorial Day through Thanksgiving). Originally, the market ran through Christmas but “those days were a bit rough” said Tench.
Along with Morrisson and Sean-Michael Fleming, Tench is also one of the directors of volunteers in Ecostation: NY, a non-profit dedicated to environmental practices. He and other volunteers helped clear the land and intends to grow food at the farm that will be sold at several area farmer’s markets.
The Secret Garden Project was started by Bushwick resident Sean-Michael Fleming, who also manages the nearby Woodbine Garden. The land is owned by the Adipietro family, who operates the Krown Hardware store on Broadway. You can see the rear of the store as you look back towards Broadway from the Secret Garden. According to Fleming, the land is designated to remain open space based on a deed restriction. ”It’s supposed to be preserved as green space forever,” he added.
I was told that the garden area was once used as a horse paddock by the children of the Schaefer family, owners of a namesake brewery nearby. In its present improved state, I could have almost seen that quaint image if I had squinted.
Right about when the eggs arrived, I met Charlie Bayrer and Marisa DeDominicis. Last year, along with Morrison, the three founded Earth Matter NY, Inc. (not to be confused with Earth Matters, the LES restaurant) in order to encourage neighborhood composting that will reduce the organic waste misdirected into the garbage stream.
Almost everyone, including me, had a delicious pancake whipped up from scratch in a plastic pitcher by Morrison. I talked to Andre, who played the digiridoo accompanied by Travis on guitar and Ms. Tambourine Thief on drums. And I met Natasha who will be managing the garden. Everyone was excited to be part of this new and bold greening experiment.
After we had our fill of vittles, Sean called to us to gather around the four large compost bins for a brief dedication of the extensive soil-building program established here. Fleming gave a brief thank you, including a shout out to councilmember Diana Reyna, who is a big supporter of the garden, sending her representative Alejandro Echevarri to the event. Then, Charlie gave a quick presentation about the composting operation. He proudly told the assembled crowd that the pile was about 135 degrees, “an ideal temperature for destroying unwanted pathogens but not too hot for beneficial bacteria.”
He held up a pitchfork and asked, almost like it was one of the four questions at Passover, “Why do we turn the compost? In order to introduce more air. The aerobic bacteria are beneficial. They keep the compost smelling sweet and maintain the quality of the soil. Anaerobic bacteria are what we try to avoid. We call them “septic.” And we all know what that means. Septic bacteria produce harmful pathogens and foul smells that we associate with rotting garbage.”
When it came to be my turn to “turn the pile,” steam rose from the heated humus, but I was surprised with how sweet and woody it smelled. There was no aroma of garbage. “We use about 50% ‘browns’” said Marisa, “That proportion neutralizes the putrid smells created by pathogens from having too much ‘greens.’” FYI – Browns are items like wood chips, leaves and newspapers. Greens are any plant matter from leaves or fruits.
I had expected to stay fifteen minutes and say some quick “hellos.” Two hours after I arrived, I realized that I was running late for my next appointment. Time had seemed to flow quickly — once I stepped into enchanted space of the Secret Garden.
If you want to help this truly extraordinary farm grow, you can attend two upcoming events that will help raise awareness and resources for the Secret Garden. Anyone who would like to make their own “Earth Day” at anytime during the year, I would highly recommend a visit to the Secret Garden soon.
INFORMATION: VISITING AND VOLUNTEERING
The Secret Garden is open Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday from Noon – 4 pm. Volunteers are welcome to come by and check out the Center, join in the making of compost, and participate in the ongoing creation of this environmental center. Classroom groups are also welcome to visit the Secret Garden.
For information regarding EcoClassroom or Nature Preserve, please contact: Sean-Michael 646-393-9305. For information about composting or mushroom workshops call Kendall 718-285-8150. To volunteer at the Secret Garden Farm or Bushwick Farmers’ Market call Travis Tench, 502-494-0628. For general garden inquiries, please call the Garden Manager, Mr. Joseph 917-442-2713.
| SUNDAY APRIL 25 – |
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| UGOB (UNITED GARDENS OF BUSHWICK) POT LUCK & SEED SWAP Our inaugural meeting! Bring a dish & some seed packets to share. Come socialize with other neighborhood gardeners and help plan a summer garden tour.2:00pm – 6:00pm @ Woodbine Street Garden, 146 Woodbine St.
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