PS 11 composting pumpkins and community work day
On November 5th, 2011 on the weekend after Halloween, groups in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan hosted an event to collect leaves and Jack-O-Lanterns for composting. PS 11 was one of the drop off sites. The pumpkins will make their way to the Western Queens Compost Initiative then go to Brooklyn Grange, a large rooftop farm in Queens.
The PS 11 Garden Club also used the day as a Garden Work Day. Thanks to all the families that came out to volunteer and to the members of our committee. The weather was great and so was the company.
Painting our garden fence
Collecting pumpkins to compost
Painting signs for our garden
Organizing tools, seeds and supplies
Composting Information and resources
Composting Pumpkins
A first time composting effort in Chelsea pays off — many jack o’lanterns were composted at the PS11 Garden and Clement Clark Moore Park, the two drop-off sites. Among the helpers were a class of master composters and students from the High School for Fashion Design who showed off their clothing made from recycled plastic bottles and upcycled packaged food containers. The day was beautiful, really cool and crisp but very pleasant in the sunshine. Many thanks to the 300 Block Association for putting the whole thing together. Other organizations participating were TreesNY, the Chelsea Garden Club and the NYC Compost Project in Manhattan / Lower East Side Ecology Center.
Western Queens Compost Initiative's truck parked with volunteers helping to compost pumpkins.
Fall Garden Activities with our Kids…
Several classrooms have joined us since September,we have been hard at work, getting the garden ready for winter (and learning in the process).
Planting Hydrangeas
Chelsea Waterside Park donated hydrangeas to the PS11 Garden
More Food in Raised Beds and Containers
The PTA's garden committee has been quietly working away on boring things like soil, water and enough sunshine. It's finally paying off in a big way.
Yum, Tomatoes.
Tasting a tomato at the school garden at PS11 in Chelsea. Started in the Fall of 2008, the garden has grown veggies and herbs since the beginning. The sunny 2nd floor space allows for herbs, vegetables and flowers to thrive, even after a bit of neglect during vacation.
Volunteer for the Garden
PS11 Parents, if you’d like to volunteer, just get on our mailing list by emailing ps11garden@gmail.com. We’ll have many volunteer projects in the Fall at different times to accommodate different schedules. Please help out!
Leaf Bin Finished in Plenty of Time for Fall Collection
Community Composting Project for our Street Trees
Rainwater Harvesting
Two Summer Campers Test Out the New Rainwater Capture at PS11 School
Building the rainwater harvesting system wasn’t easy for a bunch of amateurs. Lots of time at the big box home store staring at parts and trying to imagine how they connect. Lots of time talking about where and when and how and how much. Then finally, trying to get a spigot to fit into a pvc pipe and all seeming to be the wrong size. So, finally after all of that, the first test proved successful.
Now we need to get another barrel because I think we have a lot of runoff…
