Planting Microgreens

Poughkeepsie Food Power: Week One: Planting Microgreens

Learn to plant microgreens with Lala and Rio. Microgreens are very young vegetable plants that you can grow inside and harvest after just 7-10 days.

You need:
a shallow container
soil, compost, or dirt
seeds

1. Moisten the soil
2. Add the soil to the container
3. Sprinkle the seeds onto the soil
4. Make sure they are in one layer
5. Cover with a moist paper towel, lid, or plastic wrap until they sprout
6. Put the container by a sunny window
7. Keep soil moist, but not wet
8. Remove paper towel or other covering as soon as seeds sprout.
9. Watch your microgreens grow
10. Taste your microgreens and add them to your favorite dishes
11. Post photos of you planting or harvesting your microgreens with #PokFoodPower and @Poughkeepsie Farm Project

Primera Semana: Plantar Micro-verdes

Aprende a plantar microgreens con Lala y Rio. Las micro-verdes son plantas vegetales muy jóvenes que puede cultivar en el interior y cosechar después de solo 7-10 días.

Necesita:
un contenedor poco profundo
tierra para macetas, abono, o tierra de afuera
semillas

1. Humedecer el tierra.
2. Agregue la tierra al contenedor.
3. Espolvorea las semillas en la tierra.
4. Asegúrate de que estén en una capa.
5. Cubra con una toalla de papel húmeda, tapa o plástico hasta que broten.
6. Ponlo al frente de una ventana soleada.
7. Mantén la tierra húmeda, no mojada.
8. Quita la toalla de papel u otra cubierta tan pronto como broten las semillas.
9. Mira cómo crecen tus micro-verdes
10. Prueba tus micro-verdes y agrégalos a tus platos favoritos
11. Publique fotos de usted plantando o cosechando sus micro-verdes con #PokFoodPower y @Poughkeepsie Farm Project

We're Thinking of You!

To our PFP community, 

We hope you are well in these challenging times and we want our students, families, and community partners to know that we are thinking of you.  Even though our team can’t carry out our regular educational programs as planned, we are still working hard to support healthy eating, food access, and remote learning in the City of Poughkeepsie.  Right this very minute, our educators are:

• Partnering with the Poughkeepsie School District to distribute PFP produce and recipe ideas to children and families in our community

• Gathering and developing video and print learning resources so students can connect to our curriculum remotely

Ms. Laura Reads Right this Very Minute

Ms. Sonya Reads Charlotte and the Quiet Place

• Planning and tending to educational gardens at Poughkeepsie schools and on the farm to ensure accessible sources of fresh and healthy food for our students

• Continuing to develop fall programming and curriculum for the new school year

As we engage in this important work you can be sure that our staff is practicing social distancing and thorough hand-washing, and we recommend that you do the same.  We know it can be a struggle to stay positive right now, but we can take strength from each other and come together to support everyone in our community in these unprecedented times. 

Be well and take care of each other, 

The Poughkeepsie Farm Project Education Team  

Change is Here!

Change is Here!

In these uncertain times, we've been working hard to find new (and safe) ways to bring you the programming you enjoy and the produce that nourishes you. 

Plant Sale is online. The online farm store is open for plant sale purchases. Browse the Plant Sale today! Orders placed by Thursday May 7 will be available for pickup on Saturday May 9. Learn more or get growing. 

CSA (Farm) Share: Sale! All New Member Fees will be waived for the next 5 weeks! New Members: Sign up for your CSA (Farm) Share by Friday May 22 to receive the discount. Save today. 

Invite a Garden Educator into your home -- Virtually, of course! Our Education team has been hard at work putting together read-alongs and other materials to support students in distance learning and keeping gardens growing for when students return. Learn more.

Distribution is going drive-thru. Unlike our usual market-style pickup, CSA this year will begin with pre-packed shares. Make your selection for the week online, we'll pack it up and have it ready for you at our drive-thru distribution day. (As soon as it's safe to go back to our regular, market-style pickup -- you bet we will!) Learn more or get your share. 

Pick Your Own will continue. That's right: you can still pick! CSA members will sign up for a weekly picking slot, to limit the number of people picking and make social distancing easy. And we'll have hand-washing stations available in the field. Learn more or sign up for CSA to get PYO access.

Free meals made with PFP produce. In need of meals or groceries? Our amazing partners Dutchess Outreach and Community Collaborative (a collaborative community food program of Hope on a Mission, Community Matters II, ChangePoint Church and Bread of Life) are offering both, with PFP veggies! (We've donated 5,000 lbs and counting.) Learn more or support our donation efforts. **Note: This photo was taken mid-March before masks were recommended!**

Buying local is easy and safe. In addition to plants, vegetable boxes, and a new way to browse CSA (Farm) Shares, our farm store is an easy way to shop for local products like Back Paddock Farm grass-fed beef and North River Roasters fair trade coffees, roasted fresh here in Poughkeepsie. Support small businesses.

Check back for more updates to other farm & education programs. We'll be posting updates here first. 
Stay safe, take care of each other, and we’ll hope to see you (if only from behind a mask) soon.

Learn to grow carrots in containers with Kathryn

Here’s how to plant carrots from seed in a container!

They can be planted early when it’s still cold, and replanted until it gets really hot - over 80 degrees.  They don’t take a lot of space to grow, and you can eat the whole plant when it’s done, not just the root. The green leaves are good to flavor soups, or to make a pesto sauce or dip, like you would use parsley. You can grow a variety of different types of carrots, in many sizes and colors, but they all taste pretty similar. Choose the ones you think you’ll like!

Supplies:

• A container or pot that is at least 10 inches deep

• Potting soil, with some compost mixed in (if you have it)

• A watering can or a cup with holes punched in it and some water

• Carrot seeds 

Steps:

1. Fill your container up with the potting soil.

2. Next, water the soil with the watering can or cup with holes. Seeds need moist soil to germinate, or start growing.

3. Check your seed packet. It will say how deep to plant them and how far apart.  This is very important to know. Space them out a couple inches apart, like I am, or sprinkle them across the top of the soil and thin them out later if you prefer.

4. Carrot seeds are very small and don’t need to be buried. Press them in gently so the soil is touching them on all sides and if you want to cover them, sprinkle just a little soil on top - gently.

5. Place your container in a sunny spot.

6. Use a watering can to make sure the soil stays moist and they will start to sprout in 10 days or so. Keep them watered well for good growth.

7. Harvest when the root starts to peak out of the soil and is the size you want them to be. Your seed packet should give an estimated number of days until harvest.

Growers Row: COVID Can’t Stop This Tractor!

The farm crew has been moving full steam ahead. Because while so much is unknown, one thing is certain: we all have to eat. So, we have spent the last six weeks:

Seeding in the greenhouse. More than 100,000 seeds are starting their green little lives, some of them destined for our online Plant Sale while others are headed for farm fields (many for the first May Share harvest). (PS: Plant sale is online now!)

Clearing and replanting the high tunnels. Usually we have Vassar Intern help with this… but this year we’re doing it all ourselves. Goodbye winter greens, hello summer darlings. 750 cucumbers and over 1,000 tomatoes were planted in our high tunnels, cozy and protected from cold spring nights (and potentially deadly frosts), to give them a head-start to the season. 

Plowing our fields and laying down compost. We’ve made a lot of beds for all of those tens of thousands of seeds destined for the farm fields. 

Planting our first field crops! Arugula, scallions, beets and chard are starting to take root. Kale, collards, cabbage, bok choy and more are soon to follow suit. 

Showing our perennials some love. Rhubarb is up, and looking great so far. The raspberries have received their annual bedding of compost and woodchips, and the strawberries are looking very… er, green. (PS: Read about updates to PYO here.)

n addition to all of the work we are usually doing this time of year, we’ve also:

Launched an online store, where you can buy vegetables, CSA shares, and local products. 

Made some important decisions about what CSA and PYO will look like this year.

Scrambled to donate as much food as we can -- so far, we’ve donated 5,400 lbs of food and counting. 

Spent a sum total of 30+ person hours per week simply washing our hands. Crazy but true.  

And yet -- despite ramping up to full-steam-ahead way earlier in the season than anyone was expecting -- we are still finding energy to be excited about this season. We hope you are, too. Because we’ve got some good vegetables (and some good energy) coming your way. 

COVID can’t stop GOOD. And COVID can’t stop this tractor.

Changes to Plant Sale

In response to the current COVID-19 outbreak, we are making necessary changes to Plant Sale. To ensure the safety of our community, we have moved our Plant Sale this year to an online platform!

Here’s how it works: 

Browse your plants. 

Plant starts are available on our farm store. You can search for the name of the plant you want, or browse by collection. Examples of collections are: 

• Flowers, Perennial

• Tomatoes

• Peppers, Hot

• Peppers, Sweet

• Pollinator-Friendly

• Vegetables, Annual

Buy your plants. 

The farm store will open for plant sales on Monday April 20 at 10am. Starting Monday April 20, add orders to your cart. When you’re finished making your selections, pay online. You will receive an automated response confirming your order. 

Orders placed from April 20 - April 30 will be available for pickup on May 2. 

Orders placed from May 1 - May 7 will be available for pickup on May 9. 

Buy pottery and local products. 

TBD

Receive your pickup slot. 

You will receive an email the day before your pickup assigning you to a time slot on either May 2 or May 9. This 2-hour slot (ie: 10am-12pm, 12-2pm, or 2-4pm) is the window in which you can pick up your plants. 

Pick up your plants. 

Be in and out in minutes with our fast and easy drive-thru setup! When you turn off of Raymond or Hooker, you will see a large white tent as soon as you enter (before you pass the colorful barn). We’ll be there with your order (and gloves and masks, of course). Roll down your window to check in, give us your order number, and we’ll direct you to a table with your order on it, set back 6 feet. Put it in your car and you’re off. 

Our goal is to continue providing plants to our community while following best practices including use of personal protective equipment and maintaining 6 feet of social distance. 

Happy Gardening!

Changes to CSA

In response to the current COVID-19 outbreak, we are making necessary changes to ensure the safety of our staff and CSA members. 

We’ve agonized over many of these decisions, all of which have been informed by CSA member survey results, state and local mandates, best practices, and availability (or scarcity) of resources. We hope you will trust that we are doing the best we can. 

As of right now, here’s what you can expect for the start of the CSA season. (CSA Members: Check your email for specific communications regarding start date, PYO registration, and other details.)

We will offer pre-packed shares. Unlike our usual market-style pickup, CSA this year will begin with pre-packed shares.

We realize this is a big change, in that it will limit how much members can customize their shares. We are looking into options to provide members with more choice within this model, and will trial them if/when it becomes feasible to do so. 

Shares will be packed in reusable bins in a plastic liner. The liner is important for both food safety and product quality reasons (ie: so greens don't dry out). Produce should be taken home in the plastic liner.

Pick Your Own will continue. Members will sign up for a weekly time slot which will be their slot for the season (or until we can revert to our unregulated PYO schedule). Handwashing stations will be made available.

We ask that members limit the number of people coming to pick, as much as possible, for the safety of fellow members.

These changes are temporary. We like the old model, too! We love seeing entire families in the Pick Your Own fields, enjoying them together. We love the market-style pickup and being able to give you the freedom to choose and customize your weekly share. We love the community chaos of a distribution Tuesday. Unfortunately, despite exploring a number of scenarios, a market-style pickup is simply not feasible in this current climate. We are as sad to see it go (temporarily) as you are. 

As soon as we can safely return to the “old” way, know that we will. (We can’t wait!) Until then, we hope you will be there to weather these changes with us.

Victory Gardens: Then and Now

By Kathryn B. and Caitlin, PFP intern

What are Victory Gardens? 

The simple definition would be the planting of gardens by citizens to grow fruits, vegetables and herbs for their own sustenance in order to ration the canned food for the soldiers at war. This movement began during World War I and was soon practiced by many Americans as a way to survive, by using any available space to grow food. More than just that, these gardens were seen as a symbol of patriotism and safeguard during the war, boosting the morale of both troops and citizens as they contributed their labor to the cause and had the reward of fresh produce for their families.  With almost 20 million gardens planted around the country, these gardens became a normal, everyday activity performed by many Americans during both World Wars.

Victory gardens were also a way for communities to work together to keep everyone fed as they tried to make ends meet on their canned rations. You may have heard of the idea of “Grow a Row”, or growing an extra row of food to donate to a food bank, or to a neighbor that may be overworked, out of work, or without the time or space to grow their own food.

Why grow one now? 

The reasons may be different today, but we think we should all bring back the idea of Victory Gardens for a number of important reasons. 

With the necessity of social distancing, growing your own food results in less need to leave your home and risk your health. Having your own garden means an economical grocery list and the ability to offer different and nutritious fresh vegetables, fruits, and herbs for your family. A home-grown garden also requires a fair amount of time and effort, giving the feeling of doing something helpful and positive and some much needed physical activity. Growing your own food and becoming self-sufficient during a pandemic, such as COVID-19 can be very valuable. No matter how small the space, whether you live in an apartment or on a farm, gardening is for everyone.

Gardening not only provides fresh vegetables, fruits, and herbs, but it is an activity that the entire family can participate in together. Victory gardens can promote sustainability, self-sufficiency, healthy eating, and community building. Much like the school gardens that have been created in the Poughkeepsie area, they can transform an empty space into something new that can help promote food sovereignty and food justice for everyone in your community.  Additionally, gardening promotes sustainability because you have access to fresh food right in your own yard, and can conserve the many resources used to truck food across the country. 

Victory gardens, school gardens, and home gardens all are easy to set up with a few tools and materials. People are buying seeds more now than ever to start up their own home garden.  If seeds are planted now, there will be enough surplus to preserve food for the Winter months ahead and ensure your supply of healthy vegetables year round!

Now, some gardening Q & A :

What do you need to get started? 

Most fruits and vegetables require an area that gets 8 hours or more of sun. Find the sunniest spot in your yard or balcony, and determine what kind of container you can fit there. Many plants can be grown in a pot, or even recycled buckets and other containers. You may be able to do some form of vertical gardening, or hanging planters, too! If you need to garden on a windowsill, you can still do many herbs, miniature varieties of vegetables, and a PFP favorite, microgreens!

f you have a lot of space but aren’t sure about your soil, you may want to build raised beds. Common sizes are 4x4 feet or 4x8 feet, or a narrower 3 foot width if kids will be helping you harvest. The basic form would require lumber, or another material as the frame, and soil to fill them, and some tools to put it together.

Lastly, you’ll need seeds or seedlings to plant!

Where to get seeds and plants:

Well, you’re in luck! PFP has a yearly plant sale coming up, and we also have a seed bank that we sell seeds from. There are many other reputable seed companies out there, and you can find varieties that do well in the Hudson Valley from regional companies like Hudson Valley Seed Co., Turtle Tree Seeds, Fruition Seeds, or TrueLove Seeds!. If you are buying a seedling to transplant, make sure to inspect it for any signs of stress or disease like wilting, brown leaves, or signs of fungus or pests. You don’t want to introduce diseases into your garden!

What to grow? 

Grow what you will eat! Fruits, vegetables, or even grains if you have the space. There is a huge variety of options for the Hudson Valley. A few of my favorite container options are peppers, greens, beans, tomatoes, eggplant, herbs, strawberries, and carrots. I’ve also done things as large as squash or potatoes in pots successfully!

What to keep in mind? 

Growing something new is an adventure and an experiment! We learn new things all the time as gardeners - it’s part of the reason I love it. Sometimes your plants may not all make it, and that’s normal, don’t be discouraged. However, many issues can be fixed if you pay close attention to what the plants are telling you, so make sure to check on your plant “babies” every day if you can - besides, it’s something to do! That first taste of home grown produce will be worth it.

Growers' Row: April Showers Bring Gloves? and Gratitude

Everything is changing. 

We are washing and sanitizing everything. We are going through a lot of soap and a lot of gloves. We have given up our beloved “lunch club” where we take turns cooking lunch for each other. We are even eating at separate tables.

 It all feels so… strange. Little is certain.
Here is what we know:
We are still growing food.

We are showing up every day to plant seeds. To water them. To spread compost and make beds in the fields for them to grow in. 

We are finding ways to adapt our CSA to overcome these new challenges. We are exploring ways to keep everyone in it as safe as possible, while continuing to grow and distribute food as planned.

We are showing up for our students. While the Poughkeepsie Food Power at Home program is on hold due to school closures, we are collaborating with Chef Dave and PCSD to make bagged fresh vegetables available to our students and their families. Last week we distributed 180 bags of carrots, radishes, and turnips at 6 meal delivery sites in Poughkeepsie. This week we are delivering 200 bags.

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We are showing up for our emergency food providers. Now more than ever, our Foodshare Program is needed. In the past four weeks we have scrambled to donate 3,000 pounds of produce to organizations like Dutchess Outreach, Hudson River Housing, Salvation Army, Second Chance Foods, and the Rondout Valley Growers Association. (If you haven’t already, join us on Instagram or Facebook to follow along with our community efforts.) 

We are still breathing. We are moving air in and out of our lungs, and not taking that for granted. 

We are feeling grateful to have fresh, nutritious food to eat -- and to be able to provide that food to others. 

We are feeling lucky to be able to come to work every day; to be able to perform an “essential service” for a living, and to love doing it.

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Having work. Having food. Sadly there are plenty of folks who have not been assured of a constant supply of both of these things. But many of us -- at least until recently -- have not had to worry about these things. 

We have been able to take them for granted. 

We have even taken for granted the chance to have a face-to-face conversation; the twinkle in the eye of one of our CSA members whose deadpan jokes often go unnoticed by those around her. 

Food. Friends. Occupation. Now, more than ever, these feel like gifts. We will strive to hold these gifts in our conscious awareness -- now, and months from now. After folks have returned to work. After grocery stores have ceased to become scary places, and people can thoughtlessly brush shoulders in a crowded aisle. After things have returned to “normal”.

May you find moments of peace and gratitude amidst this chaos. May you find your own lessons in it, and ways to feed your body (and your soul) throughout it. 

Breathe.  

And if you’re hungry, reach out to us.

Earth Day in the Garden

By Kathryn B. and Sonya Joy

April is National Garden Month and we have lots of fun family-friendly ways to celebrate Earth Day and Garden Month while staying safe at home! One thing we can all do is start getting our gardens ready, so we’ve also got a few tips to reuse things to grow your own food from seed and ways to make your garden more Earth-Friendly.

Morse Worm Garden

If you’re looking for a reading suggestion to cure your boredom, Acadia Tucker’s newest book “Growing Good Food: A Citizen’s Guide to Backyard Carbon Farming,” tackles sustainable gardening practices to help do your part for the planet. The book is inspired by the idea of Climate Victory Gardens, pulling from the war-time Victory Gardens, a term coined by George Washington Carver, for gardens used to support self-sufficiency during periods of food rationing. It’s a great read to learn the basics of cultivating healthy soil and “farming” carbon, whether you want to start incorporating regenerative methods or dig into permaculture design.

Don’t forget about last month’s Ag Literacy book recommendations, which will soon be posted in video form on our social media accounts!

Need a fun project? We’ve got you covered:

Grow a Vegetable Garden:

Planting a diverse selection of fruits and vegetables helps build healthy soil, minimize pest and disease issues, and gives you a consistent bounty of fresh produce!

• Plant nitrogen-fixing vegetables like beans and peas to decrease your fertilizer needs.

• Perennials like Asparagus, Rhubarb, Strawberries and Raspberries all build healthier soil. There are many perennial herbs like chives, lavender, mint and rosemary to add diversity.

• Root vegetables like carrots, radishes and turnips aerate the soil. Plus, the whole plant is edible, not just the root!

• Add organic matter and compost regularly, and mulch to decrease watering in hot summers!

• Interplant quick growers like lettuce and beans with your cucumbers, tomatoes or corn to save space and keep the soil shaded. The 3 sisters, corn, bean and squash are a great example.

• Farm carbon and make new healthy soil with sheet mulching or Hugelkultur mounds:

Plant a Pollinator Garden:

Beyond growing your own food, you can also help the bees out by planting a pollinator garden with colorful flowers! Native plants and perennials should be your focus to be the most earth friendly and to provide lots of food sources for bees, butterflies, birds and other pollinators that we all need to grow our favorite foods.

• Attract all types of pollinators with colorful perennials like Bee Balm, Swamp Milkweed, and Butterfly Weed! 

• Herbs like Lavender, Chamomile and Anise Hyssop have multiple uses - as herbal teas and fragrant pollinator attractors!

Celebrate Spring with Natural Dyed Eggs

Looking for a way to celebrate Spring with things you already have at home? Use your beets and turmeric powder to dye eggs! For this fun activity, you’ll just need your plant-based dyes and some household items to share this special tradition with the whole family! Follow directions and get more ideas from Sonya Joy on this handout.

Download Instructions

Make Recycled Newspaper Planters

Reduce, Reuse and Recycle in the garden! April is when many seeds will get started here in New York. Why not start seeds with reused materials? Making seed pots out of old newspapers is not only a thrifty use of old newspapers, but also good for the planet: newspaper is biodegradable, and provides a mulch and fertilizer for young plants as it breaks down.

Download Instructions

Build a Worm Bin

Recycle your food scraps into dirt! You can opt to build your own worm bin or purchase one to start Vermicomposting (that’s composting with worms!). The “worm castings” left by the worms will make free, rich fertilizer for plants in your garden!

Download Instructions

 WORM BIN TIPS:

• To use a plastic storage bin or recycled plastic container, drill holes in the top for ventilation. You may want to cover the holes with some screening to prevent the worms from escaping

• Drainage is key: drill a hole toward the bottom of the bin to drain liquid out of the composter. Worm bins need to stay damp, but not wet. 

• Use shredded recycled paper / newspaper for worm bedding.

• Feed your worms fruit and vegetable scraps, shredded paper, coffee grounds, eggshells, plain rice, pasta or bread. Avoid food scraps that have oils or dressings as well as animal products like dairy, meat or bones.

• Not all worms are suited for recycling waste / living in this situation; consider using Red Wigglers, who live in decaying organic matter instead of soil. Earthworms do not do well in the worm bin!