The New York Botanical Garden officially kicked-off the 2010 Community Vegetable Gardening Season with a ribbon-cutting ceremony in the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden on May 12.
In a celebration of the benefits of vegetable gardening and using fresh produce in daily meals, Bronx schoolchildren participated in hands-on educational planting activities and local community gardeners received a “Get Growing” package of materials, courtesy of the Botanical Garden and Scotts, to help them begin the gardening season.
The New York Botanical Garden has a proud tradition of promoting vegetable gardening and its life-long benefits to its visitors, school groups, teachers, and amateur and professional gardening students through the Family Garden and Bronx Green-Up programs, which are supported with funds contributed by both private and public sources.
Through its national Give Back to Gro™ program, The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, a supporter of the Botanical Garden’s community vegetable gardening activities, strives to promote community gardening and educate the public on edible gardening best practices. Give Back to Gro program partners include Keep America Beautiful, Garden Writers Association, Plant A Row for the Hungry, National Gardening Association, and Franklin Park Conservatory.
Participants:
Aurelia Greene, Deputy Bronx Borough President
Gregory Long, President, The New York Botanical Garden
Cordelia Gilford, Member, Advisory Committee, Bronx Green-Up
Su Lok, Director, Corporate and Community Partnerships, The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company
Gail Cunningham, Senior Vice President, Keep America Beautiful
Robert LaGasse, Executive Director, The Garden Writers Association
Gerard Lordhal, Director Open Space Greening Program, GrowNYC
Jada Nicole Young, 9-year-old member, Bronx Green-Up’s Padre Plaza Success Garden, the Bronx
36 Pre-K students, C.S. 67, the Mohegan School, the Bronx
The event took place as scheduled: 10:15 – 10:45 a.m.
Program
•Remarks
•Ribbon-cutting ceremony
•Children’s planting activity
•Presentation of Youth Gardener Award to Jada Nicole Young
•Installation of “Give Back to Gro” sign
The event took place at:
The New York Botanical Garden
Bronx River Parkway (Exit 7W) at Fordham Road
Bronx, New York
