Here’s a great opportunity for gardeners to get free compost and check out West Philly’s Dirt Factory. The Dirt Factory, which opened almost a year ago at 4308 Market Street, is inviting neighbors to Dirt Day on Saturday, May 18 where you can receive free compost created at the facility from waste contributed by local residents, attend free workshops and tour the facility. In addition, there will be free food from West Philly businesses, plantables, and even free buckets for collecting your compostable waste. The event will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and here’s the workshop schedule:

• 11 a.m. – noon:  Making Your Own Compost featuring Christine Tilles, Penn State Extension Educator
• 1-2 p.m.:  Vegetable Gardening with Compost featuring Jessica Herwick, Penn State Extension Master Gardener

Everyone can take home up to 10 gallons of compost for free at tomorrow’s event, and while there, take a tour of The Dirt Factory to learn how the compost was made. Attendees are requested to RSVP at compost@universitycity.org

Reminder: The Dirt Factory is open for compostable waste drop-off from 5-6 p.m. on Wednesdays. For more information go to: universitycity.org/dirt-factory

Here’s a chance to learn a lot about the quality soil – especially if you plan to grow something in it. The Soil Kitchen will be open in Clark Park this Saturday and Sunday, from noon to 5 p.m. Urban soil is often full of contaminants like mercury, cadmium and lead, so if you want to have it tested and see if it’s safe to use, bring a plastic bag of dried and homogenized soil (with as few stones as possible). The University of Pennsylvania Department of Earth and Environmental Science’s mobile lab will be on site to do the soil testing. The results will be provided for free and can be location-anonymous. You can also learn strategies for dealing with gardening on contaminated soil at this event.

NOTE: if it rains tomorrow, the event will be held at the lobby of Hill College House at the University of Pennsylvania (3333 Walnut St).

For more information visit the Soil Kitchen 2013 website. And here are soil sampling instructions… in comic strip form:

Members of the St. Bernard Community Garden are rejoicing today after the City stepped in at the last second to save a piece of their garden.

The plot of land at 1010 S. Saint Bernard St. went up for Sheriff’s sale today, meaning a developer could have snatched up the plot and evicted the gardeners. Gardeners and their supporters have been frantically raising money to buy the land in case the City, which had pledged to help the gardeners if it could, was outbid. The City and the gardeners could not combine on a bid.

Auction bidding today on the property started at $10,000 and rose to $50,000, more than the gardeners could pay. No one from the City had bid, leading some to shout complaints. According to a report on the Saint Bernard Community Garden website, the bidding was put on hold. When it resumed the City bid $71,500 and the sale was closed.

The City’s purchase is the first in a number of steps that could ensure the long-term viability of the garden.

“Our goal is to see it eventually transferred to a land trust and remain a community green space and asset for decades to come,” the website reads.

Gardeners began turning soil at 1010 St. Bernard soon after burned-out buildings on the plot were removed in 1997, about the same time the plot’s owner stopped paying property taxes.

Though today’s bid was a victory for the gardeners, the story doesn’t end there. The garden is spread across two plots – 1010 and 1008 S. St. Bernard. Back taxes are also owed on 1008 and gardeners say will likely come up for sale next year. The money they have raised so far will be saved – and more will be raised – for that auction.

Update: The event has been rescheduled for Saturday, Sept. 8 due to rain.

Chester Avenue Community Garden (4715 Chester Ave) is hosting a plant/seed swap, bake sale, and an overwintering workshop from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Community members are invited to participate. This is a fundraising event for a new front gate and kiwi tree supports. Here’s what you can bring to trade at the plant swap:

-Winter hardy vegetable starts
-Fast-growing cold season seeds
-Heirloom garlic
-Berry bushes
-Perennials including flowers and bulbs

You can also purchase plants available for sale at the garden. Suggested entry donation for this event is $5. For more information visit the event’s Facebook page.

 
The Dirt Factory has been open since June 19 and is already seeing a pretty high turnout of neighbors dropping off compost. This Saturday (July 7) The Dirt Factory presents the first two in a series of workshops at their facility at 4308 Market Street. At 10 a.m. residents are invited to a composting workshop taught by compost expert Christine Tilles. She will teach you how to reduce the amount of material that you send to the landfill while creating compost for your garden in just a few months. Organic materials such as leaves, grass clippings, and food scraps can be converted into a rich organic material that plants love. You’ll also have a chance to see a few different backyard compost methods in action.

Also on Saturday, at 11:30 a.m. come learn about vegetable gardening in the cool season. Master Gardener Julie Cox will talk about vegetables that are grown in the Spring and Fall, and how and when to plant the fall crop. She will also discuss garlic, which is planted in the Fall to enjoy next year.

Both workshops are free and will also include prizes and giveaways.

If you are interested in attending any of these workshops, please RSVP at sustainability@universitycity.org.

Compost Drop-Off Reminder: neighbors can drop their compost off at The Dirt Factory every Wednesday, from 5 to 6 p.m. As concerns holiday hours, please note that The Dirt Factory is always open on Wednesdays 5-6 unless reported otherwise on this website: http://universitycity.org/dirt-factory.

The University City District (UCD) is inviting the public to a celebration of dirt tomorrow. Actually, a celebration of really high quality dirt.

The Dirt Factory, UCD’s new public compost facility, located in a vacant lot near 43rd and Market, officially opens tomorrow and there will be free food and drinks, music and a lot of dirt talk.

The Dirt Factory features two huge, “Earth Tub” composters, each with a capacity of 3,200 pounds. The Pedal Co-op will pick up compostable material from local businesses and residents and deliver it to the site, which is located at 4308 Market St. Residents can also drop off material. All of that will be combined with leaves from sidewalks and streets around the neighborhood to produce compost, which will then be available to residents for gardening projects.

Besides the big commercial composters, the site will feature smaller, residential composters that will be used to demonstrate how home composting works. A few raised beds are also on the lot to demonstrate best practices in urban gardening.

The name for the facility was chosen from 86 suggestions. Stephen Metzger and Carina Giamerese will get 6 months of free compost pick-up from The Pedal Co-op for the winning name.

Wednesday’s opening ceremony runs from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. and will feature food and drink from Dock Street Brewing Co., Four Worlds Bakery and Little Baby’s Ice Cream.

Stay tuned for more info and hours of operation.