Complete the Third Street School Garden and Celebrate with Us!

The Third Street School Garden located at 121 East 3rd Street in the East Village in Manhattan was rebuilt in May 2017. The original garden was removed in 2015 because of a long and delayed facade restoration. Parents, students and caregivers volunteered their time to meet, design, and construct the new garden area and materials were funded by donations and a generous grant from the DOE. As a result, we have nearly 300 square feet of planting area and an outdoor classroom space. The garden is constructed primarily of cedar for durability and all planters and beds are raised. Half of them have sub-irrigation installed for easy maintenance and care. However, we stil need to finish the garden!

This year, we need to finish building 5 more planters that will run under a 16 foot trellis that we built. We also need to install subirrigation in them and fill them with soil. We need to add soil to existing planters. To celebrate the final garden phase, we will have a garden rededication ceremony on June 6.

Garden Planter Construction:
Purchase wood, hardware, materials for irrigation
Construction
Installation of irrigation and soil
Planting

Garden Harvesting, Cooking and Sampling
Show students how to to harvest salad greens, bowls to collect veggies, etc.
Wash and dry greens
Toss salad
Show students how to make dressing
Dress salad
Serve salad to students and get their feedbackGarden Celebration:

Save the Date
Develop invite list and program
Purchase supplies, catering, etc.
Advertise event to students, teachers, parents and caregivers
Fundraiser for event supplies
Order trinkets
Party!

Green space is lacking in NYC and especially for children. By creating this garden in the couryard entrance space, we hope to give kids a place to socialize, do homework, or find some quiet natural space. We also use the garden in the school's curriculum. We received a grant to purchase and provide light kits and seedling supplies so that classes could grow vegetable plants from seed in the winter and those plants will be put into the garden. Children will learn about the plant cycle and how their care and work can impact the garden. We also have a small compost program (also grant-funded) that further teaches children about creating soil from plant and organic material. Having integrated projects that incorporate science and social curriculum into them benefits and enhances the educational experience of our students.