project leader
Justin M
location
330 St. Nicholas Avenue
Manhattan (Harlem)
latest update rss
Time lapse of our hard work!

the project

The Saint Nicholas Miracle Garden is a new kind of urban community garden with a strong public presence on a well-trafficked corridor in Central Harlem, just off of the famed 125th Street. Our garden takes advantage of its location to be both an environmental asset for the neighborhood, and a part of our community members’ lives. It  promotes greening and environmental awareness, and serves to educate our neighbors and children in the community about gardening, healthy food, and sustainable living. In addition, the garden’s compact size and dense urban context gives us the opportunity to promote vertical urban gardening and test innovative methods for maximizing our shared space and resources. Our community and users work together to promote that community gardening should be visible, accessible and inclusive in order to help engender a more sustainable urban lifestyle.

the steps

The garden has been in planning for some time, coordianted by Harlem neighborhood volunteers and 596 Acres.  We have a 4-year renewable NYC Parks Department GreenThumb license for the site and have developed a program for the garden, and incuding a vertical garden concept.  We have a work day planned on May 19th to continue building out the first phase of the garden and we need funds for materials.  Once the first phase is constructed we will cotinue to develop and build out the garden with our garden members, neighbors and supporters.  

why we're doing it

Benefits to our Harlem community:

  • Greening and activation of vacant, underutilized land in the community that was once Manhattan's first "miracle garden."
  • The opportunity, space, and sharing of resources that allow community members to grow healthy food or plants for the neighborhood’s beatification
  • Provide a highly visible and easily accessible (by walking, bike, or public transportation) place for community-focused environmental awareness, health and education
  • Provide a location for the safe and managed collection and reuse of organic waste, reducing the burden on the City’s waste stream
  • Provide a place for small-scale neighborhood gatherings and activities focused on urban environment, health, and community.”

Conversation

An article was published in the NY Daily News about our garden. http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/uptown/st-nicholas-miracle-garden-planned-vacant-harlem-lot-article-1.1318720

budget

 




Item Quantity Price Cost
Rain Barrel & Water System      
Two 4-port rain barrels + linking 1 $319.00 $319.00
Downspout diverter 1 $29.95 $29.95
Hose 1 $40.00 $40.00
Hose reel/stand 1 $15.00 $15.00
Hose nozzle 1 $10.00 $10.00
      $0.00
Subtotal     $413.95
       
       
Composting Center      
Compost bins 4 $90.00 $360.00
Compost turner 1 $30.00 $30.00
Worm bin and worms 1 $20.00 $20.00
Signs 1 $30.00 $30.00
      $0.00
Subtotal     $440.00
       
       
Meeting Area      
Benches 2   $0.00
Furnishing anchoring hardware 3   $0.00
Enviro-coat concrete paint 1   $0.00
Concrete paint materials 1   $0.00
      $0.00
Subtotal     $0.00
       
       
Pest Control      
Peta rodent traps 4 $15.00 $60.00
      $0.00
      $0.00
      $0.00
Subtotal     $60.00
       
       
Vertical Garden      
Cordage, twine or wire 1 $30.00 $30.00
Recycled bottles 40 $0.00 $0.00
Tires 4   $0.00
      $0.00
Subtotal     $30.00
       
       
Container  Garden http://www.globalbuckets.org/
Sub Irrigated Planters      
Completed 5 gallon buckets 6 $0.00 $0.00
5 gallon bucket (2 per pot) 12 $2.78 $33.36
1" X 5' PVC pipe 1 $3.00 $3.00
Plastic cup 6 $0.00 $0.00
18 gallon tote 12 $4.98 $59.76
Plastic containers (milk, juice ,nursery flats) 60 $0.00 $0.00
Zip Ties 1 $0.00 $0.00
Garbage Bag (box-40 count) 1 $13.98 $13.98
Raised beds      
Lumber (4' x 4'  x 2' container) 2 $0.00 $0.00
Landscape fabric (400 sq ft) 1 $39.98 $39.98
Chicken wire 1 $30.65 $30.65
Trees      
Lumber (4' x 4'  x 4' container) 2 $0.00 $0.00
Tree 2 $29.99 $59.98
Straw bails      
      $0.00
      $0.00
Subtotal     $240.71
       
       
Butterfly/Flower Garden      
Ceramic planters 2 $0.00 $0.00
      $0.00
      $0.00
Subtotal     $0.00
       
       
Soil      
Sphagnum peat moss (3 cu ft) 35% 5 $9.97 $49.85
Coconut coir (250 g) 35% 5 $0.00 $0.00
Vermiculite  (2 cu ft) 20% 1 $25.13 $25.13
Perlite (2 cu ft) 10% 1 $13.95 $13.95
Dolomite 1   $0.00
Fertilizer 1 $0.00 $0.00
Mulch     $0.00
      $0.00
Subtotal     $88.93
       
       
Misc. Expenses      
Soil testing 1 $75.00 $75.00
5 gallon bucket 2 $2.78 $5.56
Zip lock bag (1 gallon) 1 $0.00 $0.00
600 ml plastic beaker (3 cup capacity) 1 $0.00 $0.00
Penetrometer 1 $0.00 $0.00
Lock for gate 1 $30.00 $30.00
GreenThumb sign 1 $0.00 $0.00
Routed Parks sign 1 $0.00 $0.00
Storage Unit 1 $297.00 $297.00
      $0.00
Subtotal     $407.56
       
       
Total Expenses     $1,681.15


SUBTOTAL = 1681.15
ioby Platform Fee  $35
ioby Fiscal Sponsorship Fee (5%) $84.06
3rd Party Credit Card Processing Fee (3%) $50.43
TOTAL TO RAISE = $1681.15

 

 

updates

Time lapse of our hard work!

Click here to view a short time lapse summary of Yesterday's work to create a structure for the garden.

Update from first 2 months!

Since our first workday on April 21st we have:
- Signed the lease with Green Thumb
- To date raised $1,731 through IOBY and recieved $44 in cash donations
- Received $500 compost grant and $485 grant from Citizens Committee for the rain catchment system
- Set up a website, facebook, twitter, flicker, google+, pinterest, foursquare, & youtube pages
- Cleaned the lot
- Built a door between the garden and private lot
- Set up 4 compost bins (workshop to be held in July)
- Built vertical garden on the front gate and by the compost bins and planted with wildflowers
- Built 39 sub-irrigated planters
- Planted 32 varieties of vegetables, herbs, and lettuce (see Dropbox/St. Nick's Garden Layout- Crop Spacing and Counts)
- Planted a variety of plants in the butterfly garden
- Started garden open hours on June 8th

A lot has happened in the garden in the past 2 months. Now it is time to think about what else can be done in the garden, which will be discussed during the *next meeting on Saturday 6/29 at 1pm*. People have mentioned the following and feel free to discuss further on google groups https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups#!forum/st-nicks-miracle-garden;

- Building planters out of wood pallets and tires (see pics attached)
- Getting free mulch/compost from NYC Dept of Sanitation
- Building and planting vegetables outside the lot for the public to consume
- Monitoring the garden with technology and social media; watch this cool video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IryIOyPfTE

*Compost*: Currently only Jennifer Lee can place items in the compost bins (located in the back of the garden) to ensure the browns and greens are balanced, will be posting signs. We will be having a compost workshop in July and after that the compost will be open to members and have drop off hours. If anyone asks, we are not accepting food scrapes at this time.

*Open Hours Sign Up*: If you are an active/individual/family member please sign up for 3 primary slots and 3 back up slots (3hr shift).
See word document attached for description of duties. http://www.signupgenius.com/go/904084BA4A82EA20-garden 
The sign-up link is also on the website under Members -> Sign Up http://www.stnicholasmiraclegarden.org/

Thanks everyone for your hard work so far.


-Amanda Monzon

photos

This is where photos will go once we build flickr integration

donors

  • Michael S.
  • Jennifer L.
  • Kate F.
  • Brandon W.
  • Corane H.
  • Madeline M.
  • Shari L.
  • Dorothee P.
  • Mariana C.
  • Tracy M.
  • Sara F.
  • Faith H.
  • Grady W.
  • Umesh R.
  • Richard B.
  • Bonnie G.
  • Adrianne G.
  • Derek P.
  • Joshua H.
  • Marga H.
  • Beth L.
  • Heddy N.
  • Melissa O.
  • Chelsea L.
  • Lashana L.
  • Dara R.
  • Landon W.
  • Jennifer L.
  • Bonnie M.
  • Jana H.
  • Jonathan W.
  • Amanda M.
  • Sara H.
  • Justin M.