On June 21st, the Senate passed the so-called “farm bill,” officially named the Agriculture Reform, Food, and Jobs Act of 2012. The 1,010-page bill encompasses numerous policy and spending provisions, including conservation, food aid, nutrition, rural development initiatives, and specialty crop research. The bill was approved with overwhelming bipartisan support, and now goes to the … Continue Reading

Where I live in East Harlem, it can be tough to find fresh, affordable fruits and vegetables. Fast food chains occupy many of the storefronts, and the produce selection at our local Pathmark can be pretty slim. That’s why this spring, my roommates and I decided to pitch in and buy a farm share. Community … Continue Reading

For three decades, nonprofit TreesNY has been planting, pruning, and protecting urban forests, and training New Yorkers in forestry and stewardship. Its many programs and workshops have made our city greener and our streets more shady. But its newest project is one dear to our hearts. May we present FruiTrees New York, an ambitious (delicious) … Continue Reading

With Fourth of July barbecues on the horizon, Earth Matter NY is working hard to get the dirt on compost out to as many summer revelers as possible. Earth Matter is dedicated to advancing the practice of composting in and around New York City, with the mission to improve soil health and reduce the amount … Continue Reading

If you read our blog, we know you care about green spaces, sustainable food, and healthy neighborhoods. Maybe you’re a Greenmarket shopper or a window box gardener. Maybe you’re a beekeeper or a commercial farmer. Maybe you know the ins and outs of urban growing, or maybe you’re just struggling to keep your kitchen basil … Continue Reading

The locavore pizza joint Roberta’s is a neighborhood institution in Bushwick. A recent Friday afternoon found it filling up for lunch, the air scented with wood smoke from its backyard pizza oven, customers chatting in an open-air patio. But across the patio and through a wooden gate, a different world awaits. Fig, apple and peach … Continue Reading

On a balmy Sunday afternoon in Greenpoint, we stepped into a warehouse off Eagle Street. Down a hallway and up some winding stairs, we emerged onto a bright, crowded rooftop, lined with rich soil and neatly arranged into rows of green and brown. This is Eagle Street Rooftop Farm: a jam-packed 6,000 square feet of … Continue Reading

Step out of the subway at 138th St. in the South Bronx and the scene that greets you isn’t exactly bucolic farmland. Cars zoom by on their way to the Major Deegan Expressway, and overhead, a Metro-North train rattles its tracks as it hurtles south. But tucked between the busy on-ramp and the train tracks, … Continue Reading

Last month, Brownstoner featured Get Dirty NYC!’s own Stephanie Corrado in its “Hot Seat” interview section. We were thrilled to be the focus of a Brooklyn-based community website. Thanks to Brownstoner for helping get the word out about our work! Here is the interview in its entirety: Welcome to the Hot Seat, where we interview folks involved in … Continue Reading

Last month, students at the Bronx Guild High School broke soil in an empty field and planted an apple tree together. What’s more remarkable is that this tree was the first of a planned 150-tree orchard that may soon be bearing not only apples but peaches, pears, and figs. Thanks to the school’s urban agriculture … Continue Reading