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Inside The New York Botanical Garden

Urban Farms Tour: Youth Gardening

Posted in Programs and Events on August 8 2012, by Matt Newman

If the grow-at-home herb garden went over with your child about as well as that “educational” video game you got him for his birthday, and dinner salads are essentially your little Superman’s kryptonite, there’s hope yet for any parent: the Urban Farm Tour series. Last time out, we explored the borough that hip-hop built (depending on which generation you speak with, anyway), guiding visitors through a few of the most well-established and promising Bronx farms to support the urban agriculture movement. Now, we’re getting the kids in on the act.

On Saturday, August 18, the Bronx Trolley sets out to celebrate the influence of youth on our gardens. This time, we’ll be featuring two significant community plots, Brook Park and Drew Gardens, along with the school garden of C.S. 211. These are only a handful of the major hubs in our borough for greening, growing, and outdoor summer programming. And there’s more than enough activities during our daytrip to turn your kids into miniature green thumbs, with introductions to vegetable growing, a beekeeping mini-workshop, and time spent learning the ropes as urban chicken farmers.

That’s not a typo–I did say chickens. We’re hoping to create the next generation of eco-travelers and foodies, after all! There’s even a complimentary lunch available for trolley riders, meaning no mid-day crash and inevitable descent into kid-sized crankiness.

A workshop underway in Brook Park. (photo courtesy of Friends of Brook Park)

Attendants should plan to meet at the New York Visitors and Convention Bureau at 9 a.m. on Saturday, August 18. The trolley departs from Midtown Manhattan at 10 a.m. sharp and returns at 3 p.m. But even if you can’t commit to a full day of touring the Bronx, you’re welcome to take the train and meet us at Drew Gardens (East Tremont Avenue and West Farms Avenue) for lunch and workshops at 11 a.m. Just make sure you RSVP; tickets are $20, and can be reserved by calling 718-817-8026 or emailing bronxfoodsummit@gmail.org.

This is a chance to see a lesser-known side of the Bronx, the one that’s quickly reshaping it into the greenest borough in New York! And you might give your kids a new hobby or two in the process. Isn’t that enough reason to get outside for one Saturday?