self-help

We Started Here

post from ioby.org We Started Here is ioby’s multimedia storytelling series exploring the work of neighborhood leaders across the country. Video and photography by Dan Lane and Erin Moore of GoodEye Video. Written by Tobin Hack. When Justin Moore thinks of his grandfather, he sees him hard at work on a “project,” pouring and forming concrete in […]

From Food Desert to Urban Oasis

We hear a lot about food deserts that impact many of our urban communities throughout the United States. At Urban Patch we are developing an initiative that will take on this critical issue with our local community and local farmers.  As we develop the program we hope to make a real and immediate impact on […]

We Started Here

We have had an incredible year at Urban Patch. Thanks to many friends, collaborators and organizations we think we have made real progress in making the inner city better.  One of our earliest collaborators and supporters is ioby.org, a national organization that does crowd funding and resourcing for urban and environmental projects. In fact, our […]

Fall Creek Gardens & Urban Patch Winter Solstice Celebration

 

Black Walnut Harvest

          We have a small harvest of black walnuts! Black walnut trees are beautiful  and very valuable. Walnut trees produce delicious nutmeats and the tree’s timber are in high demand. A mature tree can yield 50K or more. Black walnut trees are a goldmine. Black walnut veneer — attractive and durable […]

Indy Star: Inspiring urban neighborhoods is a family affair

Inspiring urban neighborhoods is a family affair By Erika D. Smith “It really started with this picture of my grandfather.” Justin Moore fished around in the pocket of his suit jacket for his smartphone. He tapped the screen a few times, and found a black and white photo of a distinguished-looking, balding black man. The […]

Fundamental Education

In 1954 the U.S. Congress funded the Board of Fundamental Education, an innovate public-private partnership based in Indiana, New York, and Texas. The document excerpt below gives a summary of their model — one that we might consider recovering for the challenges that we still face today.  Click on the images to enlarge.     […]

Community Garden 2.0

Urban Patch has helped to start the Saint Nicholas Miracle Garden in Harlem.  During Earth Week the group of community members received their approval to turn a vacant city-owned lot into one of the city’s newest Green Thumb sites, and had their first work day cleaning up the garden. The site is small (like everything in […]

Past Forward: Harlem Edition – new urban garden project underway

Urban Patch has been working with community members and 596 Acres to create a new community garden in Central Harlem in New York City.  The garden is currently a vacant city-owned site, but new garden member Vaughn Wallace found some research that the site was a garden over fifty years ago and was, in fact, the […]

Stone Soup Kitchen Winter Canning Workshop Recap

Urban Patch and Fall Creek Gardens recently hosted our December canning workshop.  Our participants made Grape Jelly , Strawberry Jam, Apple Marmalade to USDA standards for use at home or as holiday gifts.