Gardens of Troy

TROY Gardens 5% Day @Whole Foods South Beach, Wednesday Sept 14 8am-11pm

2011-09-08T13:16:00.000-07:00

Our generous friends at Whole Foods will be donating 5% of the day's sales to our growing garden program. Save your shopping for Wednesday, September 14th and come out to support us! We will be there during lunch and after work hours to bag your groceries and talk gardening. See you there!

Wednesday, September 14th
8am-11pm
Whole Foods Market, South Beach
1020 Alton Road Miami Beach, FL 33139

Fundraiser event to benefit TROY Gardens!

2011-02-17T20:46:00.000-08:00

Come out to North Beach next Saturday night and help us send off our friends Chip Walter and Ian Wogan on their 300 mile paddle board adventure across the Everglades. Live music, raffle prizes, drink specials, food...fun!

Edible South Florida Magazine Article

2011-01-19T18:35:00.000-08:00

Check us out in the new edition of Edible South Florida!
Click here. (pages 25-28)

Another great day at the Roots in the City Overtown farmers market

2011-01-05T16:55:00.000-08:00

Thanks to everyone who came out to shop today! We sold out of almost everything, including this latest bunch of super sweet and creamy bananas, shown here with Chef Michael Schwartz and his assistant Jackie. Head over to Michael's Genuine Food and Drink in the design district to taste them in a delicious dessert!

Regular posting to resume after the holidays.

2010-12-05T05:11:00.000-08:00

The garden team has been working extra hard these past few months, expanding and planting more delicious crops than ever. Follow us on Facebook or check back soon for updates. Happy Holidays!

Growing everyday

2010-08-22T19:57:00.001-07:00

2010-08-22T19:56:00.002-07:00

2010-08-22T19:56:00.000-07:00

Passion fruit vines engulfing the fence line.

2010-08-22T19:55:00.000-07:00

Pineapple town.

2010-08-22T19:53:00.000-07:00

A monarch butterfly (above) waits its turn as a giant swallowtail butterfly (below) drinks nectar from a milkweed flower.

Canoe trip to Loxahatchee River with Sierra Club and Inner City Outings.

2010-07-08T19:21:00.005-07:00

Thanks so much to Mark of Sierra Club and Karen of Inner City Outings for taking us on a wonderful canoe trip down (and up) the Loxahatchee River in Jupiter. Thanks also to Mr. Dell for driving, Jesus for chaperoning, and all the other great volunteers who made the trip a complete success. We are looking forward to the next trip soon!

2010-07-08T19:21:00.003-07:00

2010-07-08T19:21:00.001-07:00

2010-07-08T19:20:00.004-07:00

2010-07-08T19:20:00.002-07:00

2010-07-08T19:20:00.000-07:00

2010-07-08T19:19:00.003-07:00

2010-07-08T19:19:00.001-07:00

2010-07-08T19:18:00.001-07:00

2010-07-08T19:17:00.005-07:00

2010-07-08T19:17:00.003-07:00

2010-07-08T19:17:00.001-07:00

2010-07-08T19:16:00.005-07:00

2010-07-08T19:16:00.003-07:00

2010-07-08T19:16:00.001-07:00

2010-07-08T19:15:00.003-07:00

2010-07-08T19:15:00.001-07:00

2010-07-08T19:14:00.005-07:00

2010-07-08T19:14:00.003-07:00

2010-07-08T19:14:00.001-07:00

2010-07-08T19:13:00.003-07:00

2010-07-08T19:13:00.001-07:00

2010-07-08T19:12:00.003-07:00

2010-07-08T19:12:00.001-07:00

2010-07-08T19:11:00.003-07:00

2010-07-08T19:11:00.001-07:00

2010-07-08T19:10:00.003-07:00

2010-07-08T19:10:00.001-07:00

2010-07-08T19:09:00.004-07:00

2010-07-08T19:09:00.002-07:00

2010-07-08T19:09:00.000-07:00

Worm Day.

2010-06-05T19:08:00.000-07:00

After a few days of searching, I finally found a bait shop in Opa Locka that sells worms. Hi-Lo Bait and Tackle on NW 27th avenue and 176th street carries both night crawlers (good for enriching and aerating garden soil) and red wigglers (good for composting kitchen scraps). I picked up a cup of each and we all got familiar with our annelid friends. Nick is pictured here, showing Lulu and Kelvin he's not afraid to touch an earthworm, after they dared him to.

2010-06-05T18:55:00.001-07:00

Kelvin, feeling out the whole worm thing.

2010-06-05T18:54:00.001-07:00

Nitzy with her hands full of worms.

2010-06-05T18:53:00.000-07:00

Joel watches on as Carlos releases nightcrawlers in a garden bed.

Barrels of...

2010-05-21T20:53:00.000-07:00

Claudia graciously volunteered her truck for a last minute rain barrel pick up from our organic juice bottling friends. Thank you Rafael for setting up this wonderful donation of 10 sweet-smelling blue barrels. Four barrels went to the new Little Haiti Community Garden, and six went to TROY. Now to install those gutters...

Farmer's Market Fun

2010-05-21T20:45:00.000-07:00

A group of school kids came by the market Wednesday and fell in love with our passion fruit. They said it tastes like a mix of oranges and pineapples and mangos!

2010-05-21T20:41:00.000-07:00

Sharing means caring. Everybody try!

2010-05-21T20:40:00.000-07:00

A big thanks to loyal Ozzy passion fruit fans Liz (Center) and daughter Sophia! A big bon voyage to Sophia, who returns to her native Australia next week. Thank you so much for your support!

Field Trip to Kiwanis Meeting, Farmers Market

2010-05-05T21:47:00.000-07:00

Nitzy, Nick, Carlos, Antonio and Steve joined Mr. Dell and Ben on a twofold mission of fundraising and fun. First stop was the Biscayne Bay Marriott on 16th street, where we were invited to the monthly Kiwanis Club meeting, to give a presentation about our garden program. Kiwanis of Biscayne Bay, through our own Maggie Arias(who joined us for lunch as well), donated $1000 last year with a promise of $500 more contingent on the presentation we made at today's lunch.
We were treated royally and fed well. We got to meet and speak in front of some of Miami's legal elite, winning their admiration and pledge for continuing support. Thanks guys!

After lunch we made our weekly appearance at the Overtown Roots in the City farmers market on NW 10th Street and 2nd Avenue, selling our fresh organic produce to raise money for a new shade house.
Thanks to all our loyal customers for the great support and encouragement. The students are ecstatic to be meeting so many nice people and trying so many cool new things!

2010-05-05T21:33:00.000-07:00

Lunch was great--soups, sandwiches, quesadillas, salads--no time for a siesta though, we had to rush over to Overtown for the market!

2010-05-05T21:30:00.000-07:00

Thank you Kiwanis of Biscayne Bay for your kind contribution to our wonderful program, we will put it to great use!

Purple Power.

2010-05-05T21:27:00.000-07:00

As seen on Emeril live with award winning celebrity Chef Michael Schwartz, our purple passion fruit continues to intrigue and inspire the masses. Try this: empty the golden nectar and crunchy seeds of this sweet fruit into a tall glass of cold sparkling water and stir for a zesty refreshment on a hot day.

Overtown Market week #5

2010-05-05T21:22:00.000-07:00

Don't be fooled by Steve's lucky jacket, it was 90 degrees in the shade today, and extra humid.
The garden team was cooler than cool though, unloading plenty of refreshing passion fruit, crispy spring onions and invigorating herbs. We got to sample goat's milk chocolate ice cream from Hani, and vegan ceviche and cranberry scones from Michele--all excellent and natural.
Despite earlier plans to close for the summer, Roots in the City Overtown farmers market will remain open year round, continuing to provide fresh local produce to a growing clientele.
Come see us next Wednesday afternoon!

Farmer's Market Week #3

2010-04-23T08:02:00.000-07:00

This week we brought our beautiful red chard, swiss chard, kale, carrots, tomatoes, scallions and bush beans; we sold almost everything! Pictured above from L to R: Nitzy, Jovares, customer Vanessa, Antonio, customer Marisol and Lekeisha. Catch us next Wednesday at the Roots in the City Overtown farmer's market from 1-4. Corner of NW 10th Street and 2nd Ave. We should have passion fruit, loquat and the regular goods.

Baynanza 2010, 1st Annual Bay Lumber for Gardens Clean-up and Harvest

2010-04-18T19:56:00.000-07:00

Captain Steve of the Pelican Island Skipper took us out to Pelican Island where we planned to collect useable drift lumber, and bring it back to the new Little Haiti community garden site. There the beautifully weathered wood could be used to build raised beds, arbors, trellises, benches, shelves, fences, etc. The trip was a great success, bringing in a huge selection of unique and useful building material, that would otherwise have been considered garbage. Next year's effort promises to be exponentially bigger and better. Contact us if you would like to volunteer yourself or your truck! (Mr. Dell and Steve shown in photo, riding out to the island on the Skipper)

2010-04-18T08:54:00.000-07:00

Antonio and team collected wood from the coastal rocks and bushes...

2010-04-18T08:52:00.001-07:00

...and piled it up in spots around the island, to be carted back to the dock.

2010-04-18T08:51:00.001-07:00

Jovares and James haul a cart of wood from the far side of the island

2010-04-18T08:50:00.000-07:00

Jovares and Antonio pile wood by the dock, to be sorted and loaded onto the boat

2010-04-18T08:35:00.000-07:00

Our new friend Javier helps Claudia bundle up the wood according to size, for easy loading onto the boat

2010-04-18T08:30:00.001-07:00

Deck full of wood

2010-04-18T08:29:00.000-07:00

We were conveniently able to back the bed of the truck right up to the bow of the boat for a seamless offload.

2010-04-18T08:28:00.000-07:00

The Pelican Island Crew

City Year service learning day at TROY photos by Ryan Holloway

2010-04-15T23:09:00.000-07:00

Click here

Roots in the City Farmer's Market, Overtown.

2010-04-09T08:21:00.000-07:00

Pablo of the Garden Team mans the TROY tent at the official Roots in the City farmer's market grand opening ceremony Wednesday in Overtown. Pablo was one of four student ambassadors chosen to represent the Gardens of TROY at this prestigious event that featured the mayor and other dignitaries, as well as some of Miami-Dade's finest farmers. Our passion fruit continues to be a big seller, inspiring some of Miami's top chefs and mixologists with its intense tangy goodness.

Farmer's Market

2010-04-06T18:46:00.001-07:00

Customer Nadine selects her passion fruit, as garden team member Abrian assists at our first trip to market. The experience was a complete success, prompting our return this week, with another basket of passion fruit (we sold completely out last time), as well as other assorted goodies. Visit us at Roots in the City farmer's market Wednesday from 1-4 pm on the corner of NW 2nd Ave and 10th Street

2010-04-06T18:37:00.000-07:00

The tangy, sweet yellow juice, and crunchy black seeds of the passion fruit are a refreshing tropical treat.

2010-04-06T18:34:00.001-07:00

Jovaris and Nitzy, harvesting.

2010-04-06T18:32:00.000-07:00

Ehh..."What's up doc?"

Press Release

2010-04-05T13:53:00.001-07:00

Contact: Ben Thacker FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

786_303_4131

Benjamin.foto@gmail.com

Website: http://www.gardensoftroy.blogspot.com

1^st Annual Grass is not Green Day Promotes Resourcefulness in Sustainable Urban Food Gardening

TROY Academy and City Year Miami join forces Saturday April 10^th from 9am-3pm, for a day of working, learning and fun. Roughly 60 middle school volunteers will work side by side with TROY garden team students to cover the school’s lawn with natural mulch, eliminating lawn maintenance costs and creating ideal planting and growing conditions for dozens of species of edible and flowering plants.

Grass is not Green aims to educate the public about viable alternatives to ineffective and inefficient landscaping practices, while promoting healthy habits and communities through sustainable food production methods.

With a 12 month growing season in South Florida, regular tree pruning and chipping ensures a constant source of an otherwise costly resource: mulch. Applying mulch regularly to garden beds and around trees has been shown to improve the health and growth rate of plants while discouraging weed growth, reducing irrigation needs and building up quality soil.

By “slam dunking” the schoolyard with a ten inch layer of wood chips donated by County tree crews, TROY’s already productive garden will be able to expand tremendously. Mounds of mulch are ideal locations to plant warm weather ground cover crops like sweet potato, calabaza pumpkin, ginger, oregano and Malabar spinach, as well as tropical favorites like banana, papaya, sugarcane and pineapple.

In addition to shoveling and spreading mulch, volunteers will rotate through a series of workshops like juicing and smoothies, compost bin design and construction, rain barrel water catchments, saving and planting pineapple tops to grow pineapple plants, and cover crop seed setting. DJ Leo of GUDE Vibes will be on hand as well, providing fun family-oriented entertainment.

TROY Community Academy, located at 3300 NW 27^th Avenue, is an alternative High School for at-risk youth in Miami’s inner city. The garden program, now in its second year, has seen success through horticulture therapy. Students who repeatedly fail in traditional classroom settings are often ideal candidates for the garden team, where they learn to respect and nurture living things, while providing their families with much needed nutrition.

For additional information please contact Ben Thacker at 786-303-4131, or visit us on the web at http://www.gardensoftroy.blogspot.com

First Garden Class Field Trip

2010-03-24T21:43:00.000-07:00

The Miami-Dade College North Campus Green Urban Living Center (GULC) hosted a group of TROY garden ambassadors today for an afternoon of ecology. Mr. Dell drove us over in the van, and we were kindly accompanied by Elizabeth and James. A big thanks to Marcia and Jake of GULC for taking the time to teach us about native plant and animal habitats, offering up some interesting tidbits. Did you know that many so-called weeds are actually useful plants? L to R: Mr. Dell, James, Dominick, Cristina, Antoine, Katherine, Steve, Jake, Elizabeth, Nitzy, Marcia.

Growing and growing.

2010-03-23T15:58:00.000-07:00

Dominick says...it's tomato time.

2010-03-23T15:56:00.002-07:00

Nitzy loves her cherry tomatoes!

2010-03-23T15:56:00.001-07:00

Bush beans, delicious raw or steamed.

2010-03-23T15:55:00.000-07:00

Mint looking robust and in good company.

2010-03-23T15:54:00.000-07:00

Tropical Mysore raspberries, at season's peak in the Gardens of Troy. Mmm.

2010-03-23T15:53:00.000-07:00

Marinara anyone?

2010-03-23T15:51:00.000-07:00

Snow pea teepee, doing its job.

2010-03-23T15:50:00.000-07:00

Lookin' plump...

2010-03-23T15:48:00.001-07:00

Happy to be outside the fence; Pablo, Erica, Eric, Josh and Kevin help bring fresh piles of horse mulch and compost inside for garden use.

2010-03-23T15:46:00.000-07:00

Mulch and compost are brought inside and used to plant trees like this young mulberry.

2010-03-23T15:45:00.000-07:00

Inspecting for weed action.

2010-03-23T15:40:00.000-07:00

Nitzy expertly distinguishes between young crops and pesky weeds. Keeping garden beds free of weeds ensures maximum nutrition and moisture for food crops.

2010-03-23T15:29:00.000-07:00

Colorful kitchen scraps. Raw food chef Cristina Archila shows off a bucket of TROY-bound compost material. Archila and husband Delio have been collecting their organic fruit and vegetable juice byproducts, which are picked up three times a week and taken to the school's quickly growing compost heap. Thanks!

2010-03-23T15:25:00.000-07:00

The beginnings of a native forest. We planted these native stopper and lignum vitae trees outside the sidewalk on the school's west side. Thanks again to Carlos Ara for donating the trees and helping us plant them!

2010-03-23T15:23:00.000-07:00

Roots in the City gardens, Overtown. This beautiful project, now in its third year, is managed by Permaculturist Maggie Pons, who has graciously offered TROY a plot to work. Look out for updates on TROY in Overtown soon.

2010-03-23T15:22:00.000-07:00

Tons of tomatoes.

2010-03-23T15:13:00.000-07:00

The big poinciana tree near the entrance to the school had been plagued with a native fungal disease, and was exuding a foul odor, reminiscent of rotten garbage. Lucky for us tree expert Carlos Ara and his crew happened to stop by for a visit. Francisco is shown here, volunteering his time, and getting a bird's eye view of the gardens. Thanks guys!

2010-03-23T15:12:00.000-07:00

Amazing.

2010-03-23T15:10:00.000-07:00

Ready for pickup.

2010-03-23T15:09:00.000-07:00

Upon inspection, the noxious fungus can be seen as a dark ring in the center of the stump.

2010-03-23T15:06:00.000-07:00

Eric and Pablo prepare a hole for the Jamaican Cherry tree that will replace the removed poinciana. By filling the hole with water and allowing it to slowly drain, the boys ensure that the young tree will have access to water in the crucial post-transplant period.

2010-03-23T15:05:00.000-07:00

And the cycle continues...

Friday Horse Day.

2010-03-08T09:11:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Mr. Ryan Holloway for another successful horse manure morning. Thanks to North Miami's Enchanted Forest park and all our horse buddies as well.

2010-03-08T09:10:00.002-08:00

Holloway thanks the horse for doing his part.

2010-03-08T09:10:00.001-08:00

Ain't that purty?

On the fence about waste management.

2010-03-08T08:44:00.000-08:00

Always trying to do our part to keep TROY clean and green, garden team members often take it upon themselves to go the extra mile. Commendable as that may be, sometimes valuable lessons are learned along the way. Today's lesson is DON"T STORE HEFTY BAGS FULL OF LEFTOVER CHOCOLATE MILK CARTONS ON TOP OF THE RAZOR WIRE IN THE HOT SUN. Please. Everything was going fine until the bag snagged on the razor wire and began pouring out a (disgustingly) rank yellow liquid, some of which (uggghhh) got on my pants. Luckily the bag landed in the dumpster, but the stench was almost unbearable for nearly three days.

2010-03-08T08:42:00.000-08:00

Rotten milk=a bad bad thing.

Lady Bug Liberation.

2010-03-08T08:34:00.000-08:00

In a last ditch effort to control the aphid infestation plaguing our collard greens, we ordered a batch of lovely lady bugs. Though they may look cute on the outside, these red polka-dotted ladies are killers! Known to devour entire populations of pesky garden pests, we thought we'd invite a few thousand to dinner.