Category Archives: Events

Gift Cards for Spring Plant Sale Now Available!

That’s right, just in time for holiday gift giving.  What better gift than the gift of greenery.  Our Spring Perennial and Native Plant Sale is entering it’s 5th year and it gets bigger and better each year (in partnership with the Bread and Roses Collective).

Our plants are sourced from our community growing sites right in the City of Syracuse, from the Rahma Food Forest on the Southside, the 610 Gifford Street Community Garden in the Near Westside, and volunteers’ own homesites in a variety of locations.

To see a list of what we had to offer this past Spring of 2020, visit our plant sale inventory sheet (note, this list will be updated for the 2021 plant sale and is subject to change).

Gift cards can be redeemed for anything on our available list starting on April 1st 2021.  So give a gift today that will extend out mission, vision, and plants plants plants to more people in and around Syracuse and Onondaga County!

You can purchase gift cards form our Square e-commerce site at  https://squareup.com/gift/CAB9FQXG8VXT6/order

To take advantage of the discount promotions ($5 off a $20 purchase, or $10 off a $35 purchase) for being a supporting member through our Patreon account, first visit: https://www.patreon.com/alchemicalnursery and sign up for the $2.00 or higher monthly donation level.

NOTE: Gift cards only redeemable for Alchemical Nursery Project inventory items (Code ANP).

Stop the Zombie Bind Weed! Halloween Cleanup

Clean Up Day on Saturday October 31 at 2pm!
The Rahma Food Forest (3100 South Salina St) is under attack by hungry hungry bind weed. This vine is growing out of control like a zombie and it must be stopped. We need your help eradicate this invasive weed and protect the fruit trees and berries.
To kill zombies, you need to destroy their brains, best one with a chainsaw, machete, or sword.
To stop an invasive weed you must pull it from the root. Best done wearing gloves. We will also sheet mulch with cardboard and leaves to slow the bind weed from growing back.
Come prepared to be COVID safe and garden safe:
– masks required when working along side other volunteers!
– dress for the weather!
– bring your work gloves, weed forks, and hand spades if you have them.
– Hand sanitizer will be provided.
– Bring your own water.
If you REALLY plan to attend, RSVP here so we can have an accurate head count and can more effectively plan for providing supplies and the work that can be  done: https://forms.gle/58c33f2ps8sFPKHQA

Community Seed Network & Map

The Community Seed Network is here to help facilitate the saving and sharing of seeds. The reasons for saving and sharing seeds are as diverse as the people who are doing the work. Some people in the community seed movement are activists – keeping seed in the public domain by sourcing, swapping, and freely sharing. Others are educators, organizers, innovators, and conservationists – training the next generation of seed savers while helping to secure the world’s biodiversity. And still others are home gardeners – saving and sharing seeds to carry on family and cultural traditions, or simply for the joy it brings them.

via https://www.communityseednetwork.org/why

Benefits of seed saving & sharing:

  • Keeping biodiversity alive
  • Keeping Seed in the public domain.
  • Contributing to the development of regionally adapted (i.e. Landrace) varieties.

Map:

https://www.communityseednetwork.org/map

Coronavirus Response: Garden Actions and Resources For You

In response to the coronavirus pandemic and in continuation of our mission, Alchemical Nursery is taking action and making resources available for you to start or scale-up growing food in whatever space you have access to. That can be in containers, yards, or community gardens such as Rahma Edible Forest Snack Garden or Gifford Street Garden in Syracuse. We hope these efforts will support community-based food sovereignty, empowering public food supply and boosting personal resilience and wellbeing.

Food insecurity is an ongoing problem worsened by disasters of all sorts. In this pandemic’s social, health, and economic challenges, we see gardening as an opportunity to reduce strain on supply chains and provide local nutrient-dense fresh foods to people who are most vulnerable to food insecurity, home-bound, or sick. To achieve more widespread and robust gardening in our communities, we’re offering Raised Bed Training Livestreams, Garden Advising, Gardening Together (with Social Distancing), and Free Seeds Distribution.

Will you join us in these efforts? Can we help you through these efforts? Reach out with a comment here, on Facebook.com/AlchemicalNursery, or by emailing us at info [at] alchemicalnursery [dot] org.

1. Livestream Trainings: Raised Beds

VIDEO #1: A 15 minute tutorial from the Bitternut Homestead including learning about hugelkultur beds, herb spirals using urbanite, using biomass to build bed structure and borders, what to plant and when. This is the time to create or prep your raised beds for vegetable growing. Our last frost in Syracuse is around the first week to the middle of the month of May, depending on your micro-climate and whether you are in the city or outside of it. So you have time to get these in place if you want to be ready for planting out. You can also direct seed to beds very soon, even before the last frost, if you use cold hardy plant seeds such as spinach, arugula, radish.

VIDEO #2: A tour of garden beds at the 610 Gifford Street Community Garden; and a look at a few edible spring perennials.

2. Garden Advising

Have questions about gardening? Need some advice? We all start somewhere. Alchemical Nursery is open to requests for garden advising, connecting folks with more experienced gardeners who can offer guidance, suggestions, and problem solving. To reach out for advise, please fill out our Request for Garden Advising form (https://bit.ly/SyracuseGardenAdvising). To be on the response list as an advisor, please email info [at] alchemicalnursery [dot] org stating your interest, preferred email, and main areas of expertise.

3. Gardening Together

As of right now, our scheduled gardening dates and times are still going forward as planned; it’s really possible to practice social distancing of at least 6 feet in the garden, while getting the advantages of being outside in the fresh air and warming soil.  If your children come to the gardens you must manage them appropriately to not congregate or get closer than 6 feet to other people; and we would recommend you bring hand sanitizer as we do not have hand washing facilities at our sites for the public.  Gloves and your own tools in hand will also be best practices.  We will follow all CDC, NYS, and local governmental directions regards activities.  Please follow our social media pages and visit our website for the latest information on scheduled events.

4. FREE SEEDS DISTRIBUTION / SYRACUSE & CNY SEED SHARE

Alchemical’s non-profit organizational applications for free seed donations have been submitted and we are awaiting the awards and deliveries.  We look forward to sharing these free seeds with you so that you can grow your own food at home and boost your family’s food security.  Distributions will take place at our community gardens and by appointment at our Otisco St office location.  More info to come.

Our Syracuse & CNY Seed Share document is up and running at https://bit.ly/SyracuseSeedShare

You also may be interested in our CNY Public Harvest map, to source plants and public edibles.

Let us know if you have questions. For now, consider posting what seeds you have to share and your contact info, or reach out for seeds! Please do share this link, in these times of need, we are hoping this tool for food security mutual aid will reach many people who are for the first time thinking about growing food!

 

Rahma Food Forest Stewardship Team Orientation

This date is for an orientation work day for individuals wishing to join the stewardship team at Rahma. Spots in this training are limited to 15 people in order to provide adequate instruction and attention to volunteer needs. You should be willing to become a return volunteer stewarding the site for other volunteers at future work days. Orientation will include full instructions on processes and procedures for you to be a part of the stewardship team crew :>)  You must register at the Facebook event page or contact Frank directly at 315-308-1372.

The Rahma Edible Food Forest Snack Garden is looking for volunteers for the 2020 season. This permaculture project supports the watershed and the Rahma Free Health Clinic at 3100 South Salina St in the southside of the city through landscape maintenance, stormwater management, providing free pick fruits and berries to the community, and educating clinic members and patrons.

We are looking for groups or families that would like to coordinate a date (or two) for coming and helping. We are also looking for individuals who would like to join the stewardship team, agreeing to host volunteers and be on site once a month during the April-September season. Learn more about the free clinic at https://www.rahmafreeclinic.com/

Berry Blitz

Berry Blitz at Rahma Food Forest Snack Garden (3100 South Salina St, Syracuse) involves cleaning the berry bushes of trash and vining weeds such as cleavers and bindweed; picking berries of many sorts such as currants, gooseberries, raspberries, mulberry, and jostaberry; and eating berries!

Join Frank and Ursula on Sunday morning between 9 AM – 10:30 AM on Sunday July 21st for this extravaganza. All are welcome.  Please RSVP at https://www.facebook.com/events/737117806720718/

ANP PDC participants should arrive on time at 9 AM, and will qualify to gain a badge in Curriculum Topic #11 Plants and Cultivated Ecologies. Please note in your RSVP response if you are attending to qualify for ANP PDC credit. More about THE ANP PDC at http://alchemicalnursery.org/blog/get-involved/the-anp-pdc-a-slow-local-permaculture-education/

 

Rahma Edible Forest Snack Garden 10 Year Environmental Benefits Assessment

JULY 13, 2019 – Day of Service at Rahma

On this training & volunteer day we’ll learn about Rahma’s environmental benefits using free scientific software called i-Tree Tools from the USDA Forest Service. A basic environmental benefits report about Rahma will be shared and discussed, then we’ll measure trees on site to conduct a more detailed analysis using the i-Tree Eco software. We ask that tree ID experts help each forest garden sampling teams – please come if you can, or invite friends to help!

A digital copy of the preliminary report is available here as a PDF.

This Day of Service will be led by volunteer permaculture practitioners Robbie Coville and Frank Cetera. Please consider volunteering or donating to Syracuse’s permaculture mutual aid organization Alchemical Nursery, or even join the board of directors! Interested individuals of any skill level are welcome to get involved. To donate please consider our $1/month campaign at https://www.patreon.com/alchemicalnursery.

McKinley-Brighton Artwork & Student Garden at Rahma Edible Forest Garden

It’s taken quite a few years to figure this out, but we finally created a relationship with McKinley-Brighton school that worked! The kids and teachers did a great job with integrating their artwork into the garden, and we even coordinated a new growing space just for them to have fun and learn in. :>) Check it out when you’re heading down South Salina St! By the way, strawberries are ripening as we sleep and breathe, grab a snack, and take a look at what’s new, what’s old, and what’s in real.

Continue reading →

Syracuse Grows Member Garden Meeting: March 19 Notes

The resource drive will take place on April 27th. We need 2 or more people and shovels on site to unload compost and woody debris/mulch. Also, Syracuse Grows is looking for pickup truck drivers to help move material around and will pay for cleanup costs. The HQ for the Resource Drive will be on the corner of Colvin & Salina St.

Spring seedlings partnership with the Brady Farm was announced: member gardens will get a $20 credit to pickup seedlings at Brady Farm. The images below link to the available seedlings list passed out at the meeting (front and back). Most items will be available starting May 6th (farm is open Monday-Friday 9am-3:30pm and Saturday 9am-1pm). Spring greens/brassicas (broccoli, cabbage, collards, mustards, pac choi) are only available the week of April 22 – 27th, 9am-3pm.

Seedling List – Back

Seedling List – Front

Syracuse Grows Mini-Grant Program for member gardens is available this year. Applications are short and just call for receipts and status updates if awarded. Awards are reimbursement-based with a maximum of $400 per garden. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis at the 2nd Tuesday of each month.

Other funding opportunities were discussed: the Parks Conservancy offers up to $2,000 grants and Syracuse community gardens within the city are eligible. The Gifford Foundation’s What If grant is another potential funding source, with rolling applications and a history of awards to community gardens.

We announced the upcoming Plant Sale & Swap hosted by Alchemical Nursery & Bread and Roses.

Spring 2019 Plant Sale and Swap

PLANT SWAP & SALE, natives and edible perennials
SATURDAY, MAY 4, 11:30 AM-2:30 PM
@ BREAD & ROSES COLLECTIVE, 405 Westcott Street, Syracuse
Berry bushes, shrubs, rain garden plants, woodland flowers, ferns, perennial vegetables and more! Informal garden tours also available.  With plants available from both Bread and Roses and the Alchemical Nursery.

Sign up as a supporting patron for this year – https://www.patreon.com/alchemicalnursery –  and get $10 credit at the sale to put towards the purchase of anything from the Alchemical Nursery stock!