MOSAIC CLT’s Community Gardens Is Holding A Christmas Tree Sale!

Christmas Tree (1) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Please come and purchase your Christmas Tree in support of MOSAIC Community Land Trust Saturday and Sunday, December 7-8 2:00 PM-7:00 PM at the Community Garden at 423 Chestnut Street

We are offering a $5.00 discount for all orders placed prior to our tree sale.  Please use the attached order form to purchase your tree by Friday, November 29.

If you cannot complete the form online, please email your selection to Laura Washington at wash5000@msn.com with your payment information and we will reserve your tree! 

Or join us at the garden and purchase your tree!  We will be at the garden December 7th and 8th from 2 to 7 PM, singing carols, sipping hot cocoa, and getting into the holiday spirit, so please stop by!

Hope to see you December 7th and 8th at the Garden!  Thank you for your ongoing support of Community Gardens in our neighborhoods!  Happy Holidays everyone!

Tree PreOrder Form

Philadelphia Flower Show Opens Tomorrow

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Philadelphia County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

You may not have even noticed, but after just three years, the Philadelphia International Flower Show is back to being the Philadelphia Flower Show.

The global moniker was always a stretch, but its quick demise was surprising, given the fanfare surrounding its debut.

“Calling something international doesn’t really mean anything, and ‘Philadelphia International Flower Show’ was a mouthful,” said Drew Becher, who became president of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society in mid-2010, after the new name had gone into effect.

Produced by PHS, the show runs Saturday through March 10, at the Convention Center, following sneak peeks this afternoon and Saturday morning for members. [Tickets run from $15 in advance for children to $32 for adults at the door.]

Officially, the new name is PHS Philadelphia Flower Show – and it’s all about branding.

Read more:  http://www.philly.com/philly/home/gardening/20130301_Flora_Fantastic.html

Young Dauphin County Farmes Strike Gold With Sunflowers

Image via Wikipedia

This is today’s feel good story.  It’s a pleasure to report on something positive happening to farmers in our state.  Pennsylvania is still an agricultural powerhouse but farmers have it tough these days.

Two young brothers (Joshua and Nathan Crissinger) own a dairy farm in Dauphin County.  In 2009 they scattered a bag of birdseed on an empty field to see what would grown.  Sunflowers grew and ended up being sold for birdseed, which netted the two young men some extra money.  This launched a whole new business for the duo but not the one you would think.

Last year, the brothers decided to plant sunflowers as a cash crop to convert into birdseed once again.  Another fortunate event happened.  The owner of a gigantic greenhouse complex in McAdoo made a business proposition to the brothers to buy their sunflowers.  Not for birdseed but to sell as fresh-cut flowers.

Last year the brothers sold 17,000 fresh-cut sunflowers to the greenhouse in McAdoo.

This year Josh and Nathan planted 1.5 million sunflowers to be harvested and sold to the McAdoo greenhouse as fresh-cut flowers.  Last year’s total harvest is now being shipped daily from the farm!

The feel good ending to the story is that Josh and his fiancée are to be married, in a gazebo surrounded by four acres of his sunflowers, in September!

Urban Gardens In York City

Here’s an awesome article from York City Limits blog about urban gardening. 

http://www.yorkblog.com/yorkcitylimits/2011/04/urban-gardens-sprout-in-york.html