UPDATE (July 15, 2016): The meeting turned out to be anticlimactic as the developer did not show up. The developer is seeking a zoning variance to build the apartment building. The land is zoned for single-family homes only. Those present at the meeting voted overwhelmingly against the variance.

University City’s hot real estate market is putting another community garden under pressure. A public meeting has been scheduled for Thursday, July 14 to discuss a proposed apartment building on one of the parcels that make up the Holly Street Neighbors Community Garden.

The garden is located on four small parcels along 41st Street between Baring and Powelton in the West Powelton neighborhood. A proposal to build a 6-unit apartment building at 320 N. 41st St. is scheduled to go before the Zoning Board of Adjustment in September. One of the four parcels that the garden sits on was up for Sheriff’s sale in May, but was taken off at the last minute. Another parcel is owned by a real estate company and a third parcel has recently been claimed as part of an inheritance.

The Holly Street property has officially been a community garden for about 12 years, but nearby residents have been planting on the vacant lots for decades.

“People have gardened here for years and years and years,” Winnie Harris, who has been managing the garden since it began, told Plan Philly in May. “We wanted the land before anyone else wanted it. And now just because University City is a hot real estate market, you want to build in every open space? I don’t think that’s right. I think the people that were there first should get preference.”

The meeting begins at 7 p.m. at the Mount Zion Church at 4110 Haverford Ave.

Volunteers from local credit unions and the Democratic National Committee recently finished building a “health and wellness” garden at CHOP’s Karabots Pediatric Care Center at 48th and Market, a project built for the Democratic National Convention later this month and designed to operate long after the convention leaves.

The vegetable and flower garden will provide fresh vegetables for the Karabots Center and host wellness and nutrition workshops and other events for patients. The garden is at the western edge of the Karabots property, along 49th Street, and is only regularly accessible through the parking lot to the rear of the building.

Credit Union volunteers have a tradition to “leave behind” projects in cities hosting the national party conventions. A similar project is underway at UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital in Cleveland, the site of the Republican convention.

PIC’s Spring Plant Sale will be held at St. Andrews Chapel (42nd and Spruce) this Friday and Saturday (Photo courtesy of PIC).

The annual Parent Infant Center’s (PIC) fundraising plant sale kicks off today at 4 p.m. at St. Andrews Chapel (42nd and Spruce). The two-day sale is an opportunity not only to purchase annuals, perennials, fruits, veggies, herbs and houseplants locally, but also to support PIC’s Tuition Assistance Fund and to visit the beautiful St. Andrews Chapel at 42nd and Spruce, which is usually closed to visitors.

The sale hours are:

Friday, April 29 – 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.
Saturday, April 30 – 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

New items will be brought in especially for sale days on Friday and Saturday, so customers who stop in to pick up advance online orders will want to take a moment to browse the weekend inventory.  Continue Reading

Soil Kitchen will be at The Dirt Factory on Saturday, Apr. 23 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., which means you can bring some of the soil from your garden to be tested for lead and other poisonous elements. While there, you can also pick up some high-quality organic compost. The Dirt Factory will be distributing up to 10 gallons per person of screened compost produced from University City’s fallen leaves and food scraps.

All this is part of the Dirt Day activities to be held at The Dirt Factory. All participants will receive a consultation on their test results, and free soup! See the infographic below on how to prepare a soil sample for testing.

The Dirt Factory is located at 4308 Market Street. For more information about the site, click here. And here is the event’s Facebook page (please RSVP if you’re planning to attend).

UPDATE (April 15, 2016): If you wanted to pre-order your plants at the annual Parent Infant Center’s Plant Sale, but didn’t get a chance yet, here’s good news: Pre-sale deadline has been extended through Monday, Apr. 18. Please go to http://picplantsale.org/ to browse the selection of plants and to make your purchase.

A large variety of annuals, perennials, fruits & veggies, herbs and other plants is currently available for pre-order at the annual Parent Infant Center (PIC) Spring Plant Sale. The sale will be held on April 29 and 30 at the beautiful St. Andrews Chapel (42nd and Spruce), which will be turned into a pop-up garden center that weekend.

This annual event supports PIC’s Tuition Assistance Fund. About 100 volunteers help prepare and run the sale.

Over 100 varieties of plants are available for online pre-order, and you can pick up your order on Thursday, April 28 (for orders over $250), or during the sale on Friday, April 29, 4-6 p.m. and on Saturday, April 30, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. There are also $1 raffle tickets available for a chance to win a $100 gift card to Talula’s Garden.

For more information about the sale at St. Andrews Chapel (42nd and Spruce), visit: http://www.parentinfantcenter.org/support-pic/plant-sale

          “Bamboo Lot” at 5123 Baltimore Ave.

As was reported last spring, Greensgrow West, which is currently renting the former Elena’s Soul space at 4912 Baltimore Avenue, had secured a new, bigger location on the 5100 block of Baltimore, on the so-called “Bamboo Lot.”

We’re happy to report that Greensgrow is preparing to welcome customers at the new location by mid to late summer. The new location will have an expanded garden and education center, including a plant nursery, a farmers’ market, a greenhouse, an outdoor classroom, and gathering space. Here’s what Greensgrow West Assistant Manager Lee Baldwin writes about the relocation:

“We will be operating our retail sales out of our familiar 4912 Baltimore Avenue location through mid to late summer. Our current plan is to use the hot months of July and August to transfer the bulk of our operations to the new 5123 Baltimore Avenue location. We are usually at our slowest during late July and early August, and so there will be less impact on our customers if we move during that time.”  Continue Reading