Somerville Urban Ag

City of Somerville, MA Urban Agriculture Initiative Blog

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Somerville Garden Club turns 25 this year!

The Somerville Garden Club, in celebration of its 25th anniversary, ran a garden contest to discover and reward those gardeners in Somerville neighborhoods whose creativity, resourcefulness, and hard work beautify the city, brighten the lives of residents with greenery and flowers, and sustain wildlife and pollinators.

Residents competed in four categories: Garden, Balcony/Deck, Vegetables, and Storefront. On August 14th, at the club’s monthly meeting, Mayor Joe Curtatone, aided by club President, Rosemary Broome-Bingham, presented the awards to the winners in each category, proving that there is no party quite like a garden party! Congrats to all!

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The Somerville Mobile Market starts tomorrow, July 12th, 2019. This calliloo, grown by Groundwork Somerville and the Somerville Urban Ag Ambassadors, at the ArtFarm, will be sold there. Come on out and buy some local produce. More info: https://somervillemobilefarmersmarket.wordpress.com/

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It’s time to remove Black Swallow Wort (quickly! ...before the pods disperse) The City of #Somerville is partnering with the Somerville Garden Club to get the word out about this invasive weed.  For more information:  https://www.somervillema.gov/bsw

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Somerville is in BLOOM!

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Come celebrate Somerville Arbor Day!

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Come celebrate the renovation of the park where the first US flag (EVER!) was raised! (YES, you can adult color this flyer!)

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Thawing out? Join Groundwork Somerville  to celebrate some Somerville maple syrup, eat some pancakes and meet your neighbors!

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TONIGHT. Come shape the future of Somerville!

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Guest blogger: Cortney Kirk, Somerville Urban Ag Ambassador

During the spring and summer of 2018 I spent my volunteer time, as a Somerville Urban Agriculture Ambassador, at the Somerville Growing Center.  It has been a great experience and fulfilled one of my goals of participating in the Ag program, getting more involved with a community of people who appreciate urban green space.

As a completely volunteer run non-profit, the Somerville Growing Center had plenty of opportunities to get involved and help out with very established programs and volunteer events, as well as being a place one can bring their own programming, lesson, event, pretty much what ever you want to the center.  As a practicing landscape architect, I felt very comfortable getting involved with contributing where ever I could with the upcoming Growing Center’s renovation project.

One piece of any construction project, is understanding what a designer has envisioned and put into drawing form.  This can often be a challenge for anyone who is not involved in design or construction.   With my abilities to read construction drawings, I assisted the Growing Center with understanding what exactly was going on with the demolition drawings, especially the tree protection and removal plan.  I was able to tag existing trees in the center with different colors of tape so that anyone could walk around the Growing Center and understand what trees will be saved and what trees will be removed as part of the renovation project.  This helped the Growing Center to run their neighborhood meeting about tree removals, as well as mark up drawings so people could better understand the trees on a map.

Demolition can be a crazy, labor intensive job, and another area I spent time on was leading a small team of Tufts students to demolish one of the garden sheds.  The Tufts students were fantastic to work with and were volunteering as part of their freshman orientation.  It was great to see students, most who were new to the Boston area, jump right in, not afraid of getting dirty, and get some larger demolition jobs complete for the Growing Center.

It has been wonderful getting introduced to the community at the Growing Center.  I still have one project in the works – to bring to fruition a material design competition for the re-installation of the Growing Center’s labyrinth.  I’ll keep you posted as future developments get set in motion.

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Fall tree planting!

In addition to the fall street tree planting happening now, City arborist and DPW staff supported volunteers from the Mystic River Watershed Association @MysticMyRWA to plant 12 trees yesterday in the  Mystic watershed. That makes 62 trees planted by volunteers since fall of 2017.  Please join us to plant 19 more trees on November 19 and 20.

Sign up here:  https://mysticriver.org/volunteer

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 By Guest blogger: Urban Ag Ambassador, Julia Featheringill

It would be impossible to sum up in one blog post the totality of my amazing experience this spring and summer with the Urban Ag Ambassador program and my volunteer work with the Somerville Community Growing Center. Promptly after I graduated from the Urban Ag program I got to work in my own backyard building a 4’x8’ raised garden bed and tapped all of my new-found knowledge to prepare the soil, map a plan for planting based on sun exposure and build a drip irrigation system fed from a rain barrel. Check out my super happy garden! Looking forward to the seasons ahead where I can fine tune my skills!

I was so excited to be place with The Somerville Community Growing Center for my 30 hrs. of service. It’s an incredible urban oasis, something between a community garden and a botanical garden, which is run by the most amazing group of dedicated and knowledgeable volunteers. My first task there was to help in planting the container garden which, among other things, contained the heirloom tomato plants that were grown for years by Guy (now deceased), a long term volunteer at the Growing Center. I felt so honored to be able to help carry on his legacy. At harvest I was able to take a couple of Guy tomatoes home with me and will try seed saving for the first time in hopes that I’ll be able to start some seedlings to return to the Growing Center next year.

I didn’t realize when I started working at the Growing Center that my first year there would be the last year in it’s current form (after 25 years!!) as they are about to undergo a significant renovation. Much of my work there later in the summer was contributing to preparations for the renovation. There was a lot of rock moving, supply purging and assessment, plant relocating, but I would say my biggest accomplishment was mucking out the pond and pulling out the liner so that the pond could be filled in and turned into a rain garden. That was some hard work but I did get to wear waders for the first time which was exciting.

 And then there is Joey, the neighborhood cat that greets everyone at the Growing Center seemingly at all hours of the day. He just makes everyone happy so I thought he deserved a mention.

 I truly can’t say enough about how amazing this season has been, how much I have learned and how many incredible people (and cat) I have met and I can’t wait for so many more to come!

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SAVE THE DATES! Fall Happenings for Gardeners. by guest Blogger, Helen Snively

Want to brag about your garden, get some plants for next season or meet other gardeners? Lots of stuff happening this fall, come out and join the fun.

1.  2018 Mid-Cambridge PLANT SWAP. Saturday September 8, NOON to 2 pm, Rain date—in case of DOWNPOUR—is Sunday Sep. 9, 12pm-2pm at Fayette Park (near the corner of Broadway and Fayette St. in Cambridge). Bring anything you’d like to share. Elegant packaging not required, but please do write down the names of plants. We expect to have perennials, biennial seedlings, seeds, indoor plants, catalogs, pots, and lots of "whatever." Feel free to just come, chat with neighbors, talk gardening.

2.  Sustainable Belmont Green Garden Tour (and small plant swap), Sun. Sep. 9, 11am to 3pm, rain or shine. Pick up a map at Belmont Library, 366 Beech St, or online at: sustainablebelmont.net

 3. Watertown Citizens’ Fall Life-Friendly Garden Tour, Sun. Sep. 9, 1:30 to 5. http://watertowncitizens.org/gardentour/ Note: The two tours above are similar: about 10 or 12 gardens, self-guided, emphasis on sustainable, chemical-free growing, and on bees, other critters.  They’re deliberately on the same day so you can cruise around (parts of) both in the same afternoon. Out of courtesy to the gardeners, online maps are only available the day of the tour.

4. Somerville Garden Club Annual Plant Sale, Davis Sq., Sat. Sep. 15, 9am to 1pm. Great stuff, at good prices, and lots of advice. Plus books, pots, etc. Always fun, bigger and better every year. Check it out!

5.  Arlington Garden Tour, Sun. Sep. 23, 12 to 4. Self-guided tour of a variety of private and public gardens that feature trees, some with native plants and edibles, all over Arlington. $25 in advance/$30 on the day.  More Info: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/arlingtons-tree-mendous-fall-garden-tour-tickets-47817331927

6.  Black swallow-wort—and milkweed—info and activism.  Feeling deluged with info on this invasive weed?  (see past post on this blog) Good... the word must be getting out :)  If you don’t know about it, please check the Pod Patrol Facebook page, or google “black swallow-wort at Fresh Pond”  The FB page has info sheets you can share. You can also  find information on the Somerville Garden Club’s webpage.  If we all talk about this weed, and pick pods (which go in trash in a closed plastic bag), we CAN defeat it.  Now to the fun and positive side of this activism: more and more people are planting milkweeds, crucial for Monarchs. Join us? We’ll have a few seed pods and seedlings at the swap. And if you have some to share, please bring them. 

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Not All Non-native Plants are Invasive Plants Invasive plant species are a problem because they interfere with native landscapes as well as the intentional landscapes in our gardens and parks.  As the USDA puts it, “…not all exotic species are considered harmful.  Non-native plants are fundamental to our lifestyle - most of our food crops, such as potatoes and wheat, are not native to the United States. Invasive species, however, are exotic organisms that have gone beyond being useful and have become harmful…There are some benefits to all species - but invasive species do more harm than good.”

Many invasive plants, such as Japanese barberry or Norway maples are actually illegal to sell in Massachusetts, and the City does not plant invasive species in its parks and open spaces. You can find a list of Massachusetts invasive species here: https://www.mass.gov/service-details/invasive-plants

Black Swallow-Wort, A Threat to Monarch Butterflies One of the most aggressive and harmful invasive plants is the Black Swallow-wort (BSW), Cynanchum louiseae, sometimes referred to as Cynanchum nigrum or  Vincetoxicum nigrum). Though native to Southwestern and Northern Europe, BSW is easy to find in Somerville. A member of the same plant family as the milkweeds native to New England, BSW grows rapidly and aggressively, covering other vegetation and taking over urban fences as well as rural woodlands. BSW is aggressive and harmful in a variety of ways: it releases biochemicals into the soil that prevent the establishment of other plant species. Its seeds are carried on the wind or transported by water; its roots are toxic to some mammals; and, its plants toxic to many insect larvae.  

One insect that suffers from BSW’s toxicity are monarch butterflies. These beautiful and well-known pollinators migrate in North America, from Mexico to the US.  Already challenged by a loss of winter habitat and host plants, as well as the erratic climate changes in the last decade, BSW provides another threat to their survival.  Although monarchs feed on the nectar of many flowers, they lay their eggs only on certain types of milkweed plants (a number of species of Asclepias are native to Massachusetts). Because of the similarity of BSW to milkweed though, female monarchs sometimes lay their eggs on BSW, but BSW leaves are toxic to the caterpillars that hatch from the monarch eggs so they die.

 Fortunately, awareness has grown about BSW in recent years and a number of folks have committed to pulling and properly disposing of the noxious weed. Both the Somerville Garden Club and the Cambridge Pod Patrol have been working to eradicate BSW.  You can help them by getting involved in their events, pulling BSW in your yard and, if you want to help the monarchs, replacing them with the native milkweeds. Visit their sites linked to above for images and more information on how you can help with this effort.

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Before You Dig: Planning for New Gardens at Clarendon Hill

Urban Ag Ambassador Spotlight: Patrick Somerville Urban Ag Ambassadors receive free ag training in exchange for 30 hours of community service

This past summer I worked at the community garden at the Chuckie Harris Park in East Somerville. The garden was in difficult shape. We also struggled with attracting input and interest from the adjoining senior center. Furthermore, my wife and I ended up moving from Somerville midway through the summer, complicating the gardens revitalization efforts. I was feeling distressed in how I would be able to serve the remainder of my Urban Ag Ambassador volunteer hours. I then realized that I would be co-teaching senior capstone class at UMass Boston on Urban Agriculture.

I modeled the classes lectures off of what I learned during the Urban Agriculture Ambassadors Program and used The Urban Bounty book written by Green City Growers as our required text. The capstone course is meant to have students take what they’ve learned in the class lectures and apply it to a real world project. For this my co-instructor and I identified areas in Metro Boston that could use student help to plan new or reactivate old gardens for students to apply what they were learning in class.

I was determined to find a location in Somerville and with the help of Kim Schmidt and an idea from a former UAA graduate, I decided to pursue the development of a community garden at the Clarendon Hill Towers. Working with an interested staff at the Towers, I was able to orchestrate a group of 5 senior Environmental Studies students through a process of building a functional garden project plan. The students begun by studying the history of the site and understanding the demographics. They then mapped the sites biophysical characteristics and tested the soil for nutrients, metals and contaminants. Based on their interviews, research, findings they were able to put together a project plan that would be most beneficial to the residents. The final project centered around a raised bed herb garden that would thrive in low light, with little maintenance and provide a bountiful harvest for residents. Their plan also included a composting system and a rain barrel solution that collected water from a nearby shed.

The students final report priced out the cost of their proposed project and step by step instructions for how the Towers staff could implement the recommended project. It is our hope that the staff at the Clarendon Hill Towers decide to take implement the students project for the benefit of the residents.

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Teaching the next generation of gardeners!

Urban Ag Ambassador Spotlight: Amy Somerville Urban Ag Ambassadors receive free ag training in exchange for 30 hours of community service

Hello! I was excited to become at urban agriculture ambassador this year. Ever since I was given my first potted tomato plant I have been teaching myself the ways of the urban gardener, trying to cram as much living productivity into tiny, soil-less spaces. The UAA trainings taught me so much about preparing beds, soil, compost, crop positioning and more (even chicken care, for someday when I might have space for a coop!). I highly recommend the program to anyone interested in growing your own food and improving your local urban ecosystem. For my volunteer project I was a school garden volunteer for Groundworks Somerville, working at the Healey School and the East Somerville Community school. I stopped by each garden weekly to water and weed, and was able to occasionally participate in garden activities with the students. I loved the look of both gardens, the way the various flowers that kids had planted intermingled with tomatoes, eggplant, potatoes, okra, cantaloupe and more. I love gardens with a more wild, natural look about them, so I was inspired by the layout of these gardens to try to interweave more native flowering plants into my own small garden spaces next season. The school gardens were also a great way to get my own kids involved in gardening; they often came with me on my weekly visits to help water, weed (with supervision) and of course snack! My daughter was never so excited to eat lettuce as when we were able to pick some of the extra from the East Somerville courtyard garden to take home. I hope to continue volunteering in the school gardens next season and find more ways to integrate urban gardens and native plants in the Somerville landscape.

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Planting vegetation that is native to New England is vital to attracting native pollinators, such as black swallowtail and monarch butterflies, and other insects. Although most flowering plants benefit pollinators regardless of their origin, native plants provide a host site for native species to lay eggs on and to pollinate. Biologists suspect that several pollinator species have disappeared from their native ranges. Planting their host plants in our urban gardens and civic spaces can help restore pockets of habitat. Pollinators are vital for plant reproduction, assuring genetic diversity in the plants they pollinate and maintaining healthy ecosystems.

In 2017, Somerville resident volunteer, and former urban ag ambassaor, Tori Antonino partnered with the City to build a pollinator demonstration garden in front of Somerville City Hall. This garden was planted to be sustainable and low maintenance and includes species like Echinacea purpurea, Monarda, Rudbeckia and milkweed among others.

Other pollinator gardens in Somerville are located at: South Street Farm, Morse Kelley Playground Butterfly Garden, Lincoln Park, Somerville Garden Club’s Native Pollinator Garden on the Community Path at Highland Road, and the CPA-funded Morse Kelley Butterfly Garden which is currently being installed by Green & Open Somerville. 

Remember that urban tree canopy also provides lots of opportunities for pollinators.

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Today, Somerville had the pleasure of welcoming Rose Arruda, Urban Agriculture Coordinator, and Gerard Kennedy, Director of Conservation & Technical Assistance, both of the Mass Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR), to the ArtFarm. Rose and Gerard were given tours of the MDAR funded greenhouse, raised bed and walk-in refrigerator all located at the ArtFarm. The agricultural uses at the ArtFarm represent a very successful private/public partnership. Somerville business, Green City Growers leases the greenhouse from the City; Groundwork Somerville runs their Mentor World Farmers Program there; and the City’s Shape-Up Somerville program buys food from the GWS programs and stores it in the ArtFarm walk-in. The food is then sold at the mobile market. With generous support of the MDAR, we are getting some urban ag things done in Somerville!