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The Woodbine Street Block Association Garden
is located at 146 Woodbine Street (between Central & Evergreen Aves) in Bushwick, Brooklyn.
–– Click here for a map with subway & walking directions to the garden ––
We are a Brooklyn-Queens Land Trust Garden, with assistance provided by GreenThumb, Green Guerillas, BBG's GreenBridge, the Trust For Public Land, and Council on the Environment of New York City.
Additionally, the programs of EcoStation:Bushwick are supported by the Independence Community Foundation. The garden is maintained by the Woodbine Street Block Association and its volunteers.
For more information about the garden, contact Sean-Michael Fleming, Garden Steward,
at sean @ woodbinegarden.org or 646-393-9305.
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Garden Transformation 2008
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–– Current & Upcoming Events ––
September 27, 2008 - Autumnal Equinox/Virgo Power/Fall Harvest Potluck
Back by popular demand, it's our Autumnal Equinox/Virgo Power/Fall Harvest Potluck! This season-ending event brings together the gardeners and the neighborhood, with everyone gathering to enjoy the garden and its bounty and each other's company.
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| –– Recent News & Events –– |
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WSG Chosen as Drip Irrigation Site!
The Woodbine Street Garden was proud to be selected as a site for a eco-friendly, water-saving drip irrigation system, installed this summer by Brooklyn Botanic Garden's GreenBridge community garden outreach program and it's crew of three bright students from BASE (Brooklyn Academy of Science and the Environment). Read all about it!
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EcoStation: Bushwick - Celebrate Urban Birds!
On August 22, Garden Steward Sean-Michael Fleming led a day of bird-centric activities - Celebrate Urban Birds! - with youth from Hope Gardens' Summer Camp; kids built birdhouses in the garden while learning about bird behaviors, enjoyed a cookout, then took a short field trip to the Linden-Bushwick Community Garden, where they planted "native" plants (kindly donated by the Brooklyn Botanic Garden's GreenBridge program) in the Secret Garden Urban Wildlife Sanctuary. When mature, these plants will provide food and shelter for birds.
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June 21: Make Music New York!
The garden joined about 600 fellow outdoor locations on Saturday, June 21st for the city-wide festival of music, Make Music New York! The garden gates opened at 4pm for an evening of eclectic music from Jei Fong, Michael Mirlas Collective, and newcomer Azalee Dan. Reverend Goddess Charmaine, in-tune interfaith minister and spiritual adviser to the hip, was be on hand to offer a solstice benediction as the sun set on a beautiful day. Our thanks go to the friendly, warm, and very talented performers that day.
Scenes from our Make Music New York Summer Solstice Music Celebration.
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May 6 - 11 (Tue -Sun): Mother's Day Plant Flower Sale!
Surprise Your Mom! Support Your Local Gardens!
This year we teamed up with the Linden-Bushwick Block Association Garden and hosted this second-annual fundraiser in both gardens! The previous year's sale was successful, but many people asked for flowering, "Mom-friendly" plants - so that's exactly what we delivered: scaveola. verbena, impatiens, gazania, geraniums, dracaena, angelonia, begonias, zinnias...
Unfortunately, we kinda over-ordered to avoid delivery costs, so ended up not making much money. We did, however, make some new friends and have lots of flowers to add to the garden!
April 22: Earth Day with EcoStation:Bushwick at Hope Gardens and "Season Opener" for the Woodbine St. Garden!
In the garden, we welcomed neighbors to our Houseplant Clinic and did our best to treat and cure "houselpants behaving badly;" plants were repotted (BYOP) while-you-wait! Meanwhile, EcoStation:Bushwick hosted a very well-attended day of fun activities at Hope Gardens Community Center, including an introduction to worm composting, world music, crafts, and a "slow food" cooking demonstration. After lunch, the kids marched all the biodegradable leftovers and kitchen scraps from lunch over to the garden for composting, then we planted a row of close to 40 sunflowers alongside the building! Special thanks to Bushwick garden buddies Mihail Kossev and Marisa Day!
April 12: Secret Garden Cleanup
This garden, where several of our gardeners have been volunteering and helping this massive garden shake off its sleepy shackles and realize its potential - is definitely taking shape. The cleanup was a big success, and the garden now boasts new flower beds, new gardeners, new energy. Invaluable assistance from GreenThumb's Land Restoration Project, Green Guerillas (thanks, Hannah!), New York Cares (thanks, Jacquie!), and folks from all over our fair city. Click here for more information.
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P.S. 377 Pre-K kids stop by for a butterfly release event... more
The first graduates of EcoStation: Bushwick,
attendees of Hope Gardens Community Center's Summer Camp.
More on this exciting interactive, educational "eco-tour" coming soon!
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| Take Action! The Woodbine Street Block Association Garden supports the efforts of the NYC Farm Bill Workgroup, and you should, too! Read more about needed revisions to the 2007 Farm Bill, which will ensure (among other things) improved access to healthy food through stronger food stamp and school lunch programs, support of New York farmers, and environmental sustainability. Read "A 2007 Farm Bill that Meets the Needs of New York City." |
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Mother's Day Weekend Plant Sale, May 12-13, 2007
Thanks to all those who stopped by and made our first annual Mother's Day Weekend Plant Sale a big success!
Special thanks go to CENYC, the Council on the Environment of New York City, who provided the plants, some of which are now flourishing in our garden.
Special thanks also to some very generous local merchants, namely, Associated Supermarket on Broadway, People's Department Store, and Krown Hardware.
Thanks also to Ben & Jerry's, who supplied ice cream treats for the event - which were extremely popular!
Very special thanks to the garden "old timers" from the block, who stopped by to relax and share stories of days past and hopes for brighter, greener days ahead for the garden.
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March 24, 2007
As you can see from these March 24, 2007 photos, things are a little dreary in the garden -
not unusual for early spring. Underused for several years, a group of volunteers has undertaken
the task of breathing new life into the garden (see plans below) - stay tuned for updates!
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Big Plans!
We do indeed have some big plans for this 2500 sq. ft. garden, including rearranging the existing beds
(to maximize the available sunlight), adding several flower beds (primarily perennials), a composting area,
and a winding path that invites exploration.
All of this depends on the contributions of people concerned about helping create
a living oasis in a densely-populated area in desperate need of green spaces.
Can YOU help? Contact the Garden Stewards today!
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before
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after?
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"Friends of The Garden, Friends of The Earth"
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Our new friends from P.S. 377 returned the next week with
some new inhabitants for the garden - crickets!
 
Before the crickets' release, we introduced the kids to some currnet residents
of the garden, including a centipede, a millipede, a grub, ants, and even a firefly!
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