Early Fall 2013 — A New MoS members!

The Smiling Hogshead Ranch is a guerrilla community farm in Long Island City. Ground was broken on this one acre parcel in Spring of 2011 The property is owned by the MTA and the group of gardeners are working towards formalizing a garden license agreement.
It is a long stretch of ground that has sections of old train track, low brush areas and new tree growth. A couple billboards earn the MTA some cash. Essentially unused publicly owned land, the date was a dumping ground was full of debris and stray cats. It slopes up hill to an elevated railway bed with an active track that gets the occasional train but this will soon cease leaving more safe space to reclaim for the community enjoy serendipitous encounters, share gardening, promenade, retreat, teach and farm. Come help and find out how your individuality can fit in.

The cats are a registered community w trap spay and release guidelines. It works because there are no kittens and no rats.

smiling-hogshead-ranch.tumblr.com/

20131108-160821.jpg

a Fruit tree Espalier “fence” started

20131108-160841.jpg

Hugelkultur started at low end of property.

20131108-160957.jpg

Grapevine to welcome us, billboards for another idea

20131108-161008.jpg

rows of veggies, herbs and medicinals

20131108-161022.jpg

fried green tomatoes

20131108-161038.jpg

Eat your greens!

20131108-161048.jpg

Paw paw one and two

20131108-161057.jpg

Compost sifting. Gil was invited not only to pick up the food waste at PS 1 “Colony” this summer but to enjoy Anne’s delicious meals with them. Colony was run and fed by cuisinier, Anne Apparu.

20131108-161109.jpg

Next on the tour the railroad tracks are being treated with a mushroom bioremediation process. either side of the tracks will grow an orchard.

20131108-161123.jpg

The woodchips inoculated with mycelium

20131108-161131.jpg

The knoll where the cats are fed and dwell.

20131108-161155.jpg

A cat shelter with three inch thick insulation as per recommended by the TNR program.

20131108-161223.jpg