The Neighborhood Farm Initiative is a non-profit in Washington, D.C. that brings people together to gain skills to grow their own food in our city. Founded in 2008, our founders wanted to make sure that adults had access to garden education in D.C. and set up a demonstration garden at the Mamie D. Lee Community […]
For the past three years, Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum has been leading a collaborative Smithsonian project on Urban Waterways. The project comes out of a desire to explore the various issues facing urban communities and document the diverse responses to such challenges. Rivers, typically imagined in the context of a wild, natural landscape, are often “forgotten” […]
For the past three years, Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum has been leading a collaborative Smithsonian project on Urban Waterways. The project comes out of a desire to explore the various issues facing urban communities and document the diverse responses to such challenges. Rivers, typically imagined in the context of a wild, natural landscape, are often […]
I am a gardener and veteran garden guide at Monticello. I was inspired by my grandfather Harry, who was a first generation Italian American. My grandfather always maintained a wonderful garden. I have fond memories as a young boy climbing high up in his apple tree and dropping apples to him below. I remember the […]
Until late winter of 2007, my only productive interactions with plants had been with the most common houseplants. Neither our family’s efforts during my childhood to grow tomatoes nor my obstinate individual ones to grow watermelons in conditions I later realized were completely ill-suited to the plant had been successful. But in 2007, after having […]
Sixteen teenagers. Four iPads. Two days. One summer on an urban farm in Washington, D.C. Lots of questions. Every summer Common Good City Farm welcomes a group of local teens as part of their Summer Youth Program. The teens in this employment program spend six weeks weeding, selling produce from the garden, learning to farm, […]
Ramon G. is from Toluca, Mexico. Ramon has been gardening ever since he could remember because that’s what he was taught to do since he was young, to work in the fields. Maria: When did your interest in gardening start? Ramon: As a kid I didn’t like gardening as much but once I had my […]
On May 16, 2014 I interviewed Simon. He has a garden and is growing tomatoes. “Gardening is a very great way to relieve stress and enjoy my own time,” Simon said as he watered his garden. He told me about his childhood and how his father was the one that taught him how to garden. […]
Natalie is a teacher, gardener, dancer, and owner of a non-profit organization in Washington, D.C. I had a chance to sit down with the amazing multi-tasker and talk to her about gardening. She grew up around gardens and even though gardens have been in her atmosphere since her early years she was never as interested […]
I interviewed Laura G. and asked her several things about her colorful garden. Her garden has grown in the last year. She told me, “gardening takes the stress away from work and dealing with problems daily.” Nicolas: Why did you start gardening? Laura: I started gardening because my mother had her own garden and I […]
As a child Heisi watched her father grow various vegetables in their backyard in Washington, D,C. It was then that she realized she would like to follow in her father’s footsteps and grow a garden of her own. Though her father was an expert in gardening, the real question is whether Heisi inherited that expertise. […]
Since she was young, Maria’s dream has been to have a place with lots of flowers. Asking herself to make the dream come true she figured out that the solution was to make a garden for herself and others. I had the chance to interview with Maria and Oscar, students at Paul International High School […]
This story was created by teachers who participated in the Smithsonian Gardens & National Postal Museum professional development workshop “Telling Garden Stories in the Digital Age,” July 2014. The teachers were challeneged to explore green spaces near the National Postal Museum, create a persuasive garden story, and design a semi-postal stamp to encapsulate their cause. The […]
This story was created by teachers who participated in the Smithsonian Gardens & National Postal Museum professional development workshop “Telling Garden Stories in the Digital Age,” July 2014. The teachers were challeneged to explore green spaces near the National Postal Museum, create a persuasive garden story, and design a semi-postal stamp to encapsulate their cause. Every fifteen […]
This story was created by teachers who participated in the Smithsonian Gardens & National Postal Museum professional development workshop “Telling Garden Stories in the Digital Age,” July 2014. The teachers were challeneged to explore green spaces near the National Postal Museum, create a persuasive garden story, and design a semi-postal stamp to encapsulate their cause. The stunning […]