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From my friend, Stephanie Chiorean: Philadelphia Orchard Project Music Festival Saturday, July 17 @ 3:00-8:30pm Liberty Lands Park, Northern Liberties (3rd & Wildey, Philadelphia, PA) Please join us for the 2nd annual POP Music Festival and fundraiser! Musical performances by 5 great local bands: West Philadelphia Orchestra, Betty Iron Thumbs, Elder Brother, The Mean, and The Weeds. Generous in-kind donations and support from Northern Liberties Neighborhood Association/ Liberty Lands Park, Johnny Brenda’s, Philly Compost, and Philadelphia Brewing Company. Food available for purchase from Honest Tom’s Taco truck, Dapper Dog, and Buttercream Cupcakes. Please contact Kim (kjordan@phillyorhards.org) to volunteer or for more information. Also, thanks to everyone who voted for PoP in the Green Heroes Grant contest, which I posted about in April.  They won!  From the PoP newsletter: In April, the Philadelphia Orchard Project was voted first place in the national Green Heroes grant contest and awarded a corresponding $15,000

I threw some dwarf sunflower seeds in one of the self watering planters on a whim.  They ended up taking pretty well, and the bright yellow brightens up the garden beautifully!

It’s been a busy few weeks – I’ve been traveling for a big project at work, and then I hit the beaches of Florida for some vacation with the family. There’s a lot of exciting articles and some new contributors in the works, so check back over the next few days as we resume a more regular posting schedule. One quick plug:  while I was gone, my cousin Bob (also an urban gardener) launched his new site, www.ohsanfran.com.  His latest video, Happiness Project 1.0: Swings has been making the rounds on the internet.  I’m hoping he will shoot some videos of San Francisco’s vibrant food scene for Grown in the City.

As you know, I’m a big fan of gardening as a tool of youth engagement and education.  That’s why I was so proud of the work of two of my colleagues – Rich Lukas and Ryan Scherzinger, who installed a sustainable schoolyard exhibit in New Orleans’ City Park this past April.  The sustainable schoolyard is based on a model that began at Brent Elementary School in Washington, DC.    The New Orleans exhibit, which had a kickoff on April 9, will remain as one of the park’s  permanent installations for the foreseeable future. The schoolyard, which was sponsored by APA and the National Association of Realtors, has several different “teaching moments” throughout the space.  These include an exhibit on edible gardens, a demonstration of square foot gardening (sponsored by LSU Extension), a functioning compost pile, and exhibits on water storage and recycling.  There are also what I like to refer

Back in March, I was visited by good friends from Philadelphia.  I hadn’t seen them since graduate school, and on Sunday morning, while shopping for brunch food, they showed up with a cute little plant.  I repotted it and put it out in the balcony garden.  Every time I look at it, it reminds me of them.  Thanks for the “friendly reminder,” Andrew and Alice!