Phactory / DVPN Garden Project

Sunday, June 29th, 10am-3pm

Gardeners, time to get dirty! We will be assembling raised beds in the back 2 courtyards. We will need: bags of plain topsoil, or clean garden soil (no miracle grow garden soil, that stuff is nasty!) and compost. I will be bringing my little garden cart, if anyone else can bring a wheelbarrow or cart that would be awesome

Carpenters - please bring your hammers, nails, saws (no electric, but we may have access to a generator. Assume we don’t though and bring hand tools) And if anyone has untreated lumber to donate, please let us know.

Haulers/builders/woodchucks - there’s still some work to do in the front 2 courtyards. Plans are in progress for building a cement block wall over the large entrance, and there’s some wood and debris to get out of the way to make installing that easier. But we’ve gotten down to the bare concrete floor of the back courtyard, woohoo!

Artists/artisans - we’ll be wanting to turn the courtyards into a soothing inner city oasis. Put on your thinking caps, and start planning ideas for ways to transform the space from it’s current bare brick and concrete. We’ll be needing you all soon

Please note - with all the construction, you will still need to wear long pants, work gloves, closed, shoes, etc.

And watch for announcements about a pre-work breakfast - See you all next weekend!

-Raff

Work on the roof will be happening at the Phactory this sunday - anyone who would like to help is welcome to come out.  Just contact Michael at phactory@gmail.com or call 215-RECYCLE  to let him know you will be coming.   

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This from Michael:

“I will be onsite Sunday may 25th - possibly doing roofing work with Cory Suter, or at least discussing/planning for it.  I have currently prioritized (with him) doing some patching work on the “connecting building” roof where flashing has been ripped out, and fixing the roof drains there.  I don’t know if we’ll actually get it done or will just
be planning for what we need to get it done.  I’ve prioritized this because the connecting building is in relatively good structural shape and preventing further water damage to the wood is a high priority.

If anybody wants to come out on site to either help out, or to do other things (such as doing some measurements of areas to seal off) it would be much appreciated.  The sooner we get the building secure and sealed up, the better.”

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Just a reminder -the next planned gardening /cleanup workday is Saturday, May 31.  But if you can’t make weekends, let us know!  We’re hoping to get crews together during the weekdays as well.  And as always, watch this space, we’ll keep posting more opportunities to get involved :) 

-Raffaella

I want to send out a big thank you to everyone who came out on sunday, despite it turning soggy later in the day.  We got a lot of planning accomplished  - detailed maps of the two cleared courtyards, lists of materials needed, and a lot of good discussions on what sort of plants will do well in the courtyard. 

I also want to thank everyone who came out for the open house, it was great to see so many new faces!  

Moving forward, we’re continuing to gather info and make plans long-term for the outdoor space.  We’ll also be posting here soon the plans for our next work day. Carpenters & builders, be ready to show up with tools!  It’s time to lock down the site, and start building raised planting beds

 Watch here and on our other email lists for more details over the next 2 weeks.

 -Raffaella

Apologies for not being a compulsive blogger - I will try to do better!  But I do have some news of interest:

First, our next cleanup workdate is Sunday, May 18th from 10am to 3pm.   As usual, wear heavier shoes, gloves, long sleeves & pants, and be ready for a good workout.   We’ve already cleared a large space in the front, and are working our way back to the fully cleared courtyards.  

Michael will also have an open house during that time period - if you haven’t had the chance to see the site, please do stop by! 

 I also have some brainstorming for my fellow green thumbs - Since we can’t dig down, we need to build up!  So, lets hear your ideas for creative wall/hanging gardens, raised beds, etc.   I have old windows to use as the lids for coldframes, so we can have veggies growing even in the cold months.  And here’s another idea -  a labyrinth made out of raised planters, with herbs, veggies and flowers growing in them.  So, there’s a few possibilities to get you started, can’t wait to hear what you all come up with!  

 We have another call for volunteers - the gate to the courtyards needs repairing, and we’ve seen a lot of postings for free fencing materials.  But what we don’t have? Someone with a truck or other means to get them!  If you have a vehicle and/or are willing to help out with transporting things to the Phactory, please let us know.

 And thank you again to everyone for their time and contributions, you people rock!

-Raffaella, chief instigator and resident green thmb

Well, for those on the message boards this will be old news, but we will be having our first official cleanup and work dates this month!  

Saturday, April 12, 10am - 5pm-ish
Rain or Shine (we have projects that can be moved inside)
The Phactory Building - we’ll be in the courtyard between buildings, or inside. the main building, depending on weather. The main project will be clearing the old lumber and debris out of the courtyard, and clearing space just outside of it for raised planting beds and cold frames.

Sunday, April 27th - Planting time!
We’ll be getting the garden rolling, more info on specific projects for this date to be posted soon.

Michael from the Phactory LLC and our very own Franklin will be at the Wicked Faire this weekend to promote the Garden and Building projects.  Be sure to stop by their table and say hello!

http://www.wickedfaire.com/labyrinth/

Thanks to the folks at PhillyOrchards we now have info on renting equipment to clear the space.   And we are starting to work out plans for how to best use the space. 

If you are interested in the behind-the-scenes planning and want to help, drop us a line!   We need people who are willing to get out there and track down resources, follow up leads, do research, etc.  There’s more to a garden than just putting plants in the ground!  ;)

Just email garden@dvpn.org to volunteer

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http://syndicated.livejournal.com/dvpn_garden/

Clearing the site - the first hurdle

We need to find out where we can rent equipment, such as a truck with a plow or mini-bobcat, to clear and remove the trash and weeds from the site.  We’ve assessed what we’ve got to deal with, and doing it by hand just isn’t an option.

If anyone has info on local rental companies, or any other ideas for clearing the space, please do post it here!

This will be the official information source for the garden project.  Updates will happen weekly, though not on any set schedule.