We’re back at it. 2 weeks ago, we began planting and now, the farm is slowly coming back to the life. Follow along as we showcase our progress. A little farm lab in a big city – let’s get to it.
Urban Agriculture: Tonic or Toxic?
Ever since I was child, I have been mother’s little helper in the garden. Organic, fresh, vegetables were always the preference in our household. Then, with maturity came my acceptance to college and my big move to New York City. To no surprise, there is only a limited number of organic produce available in most…
Broccoli: Do You Know How It Grows?
If you are a beginner at gardening like I am, you might not be familiar with the appearance of certain vegetable plants. You may be able to identify a large variety of them, but if you live in a city like I do, it is unlikely that you are able to grow your own produce and…
Aquaponics in New York City
Urban agriculture combines both urban and agrarian cultures. Agriculture built farmlands; industrialization built cities. The industrialization of agriculture led to monoculture, chemically-intensive food, pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, hormones, and output was valued more than nutrition, generating profit rather than solving the hunger crisis. Urban agriculture has emerged as a rapidly growing movement to help solve the…
Can Urban Farms Be Sanctuaries for Bees?
By Rachel Nehemiah Of all pollinators, bees account for the greatest amount of pollination: about 80-90 percent worldwide. And we can thank bees for about one third of our crops too – things like onions, broccoli, chilli peppers, watermelons and pumpkins rely on bees for pollination. Being so important, not only to the world as…
Proctor Academy & Educational Urban Farms
Seoul, Vancouver, Boston, New York: I spent the majority my life in cities. I feel more comfortable around grey skyscrapers and speeding taxi cabs, than bugs, wild animals, and evergreen trees. Perhaps you can imagine my surprise when I started at Proctor Academy, a small, experiential boarding school in Andover, New Hampshire — out of…
In Appreciation of Cover Crops: Plants that do Work for Us!
I don’t remember when I first heard the term “cover cropping,” but I know it was a while after I developed a serious interest in gardening and farming. An ongoing curiosity concerning the growth and care of plants has resulted in my working in the horticulture department of a zoo, as an employee of a…
Agriculture for the Urban Carnivore
Here, at the NYU Urban Farm Lab, we focus on vegetables. On our little plot of land, located right on Houston Street, next to the fast cars and amid the hustle and bustle of commuter and city traffic, we experiment with crops so as to learn about gardening in an urban setting. If we were…
The Right Cut
Fleisher’s Grass Fed and Organic Meats is a pioneer in the world of meat production, providing an alternative way to eat better meat. What makes Fleisher’s different is their dedication to using only locally sourced meat from small, organic, sustainable farms and their commitment to using every part of an animal. This is what responsible…
The Difference Between Urban Agriculture and Gardening
A friend of mine recently commented in a discussion about gardening that “It’s interesting, I’ve always thought that farming as a practice is somewhat like gardening. There are similar aspects to both don’t you think?” To the layperson that comment from my friend would have gone without much thought, it sounds reasonable so why not…
NYU Urban Farm Lab 