Syracuse, NY--A tree grows in Brooklyn, and now a garden blooms at the James Hanley Federal Building in Syracuse. Volunteers from various agencies within the U.S. Department of Agriculture dug in the dirt this morning to create a pollinator garden in a corner of the federal building's lawn off Franklin Street. The garden is a part of a national...
Syracuse, NY--A tree grows in Brooklyn, and now a garden blooms at the James Hanley Federal Building in Syracuse.
Volunteers from various agencies within the U.S. Department of Agriculture dug in the dirt this morning to create a pollinator garden in a corner of the federal building's lawn off Franklin Street.
The garden is a part of a national effort by the USDA to create community gardens to support First Lady Michelle Obama’s efforts to emphasize gardening, healthy lifestyles and youth education.
“They want community gardens all over the world,” said Bobbi Burk, a human resource assistant with the USDA, as she dug a hole to put in a wingstem plant.
As children from the federal building's day care center watched, volunteers from the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Farm Services Agency and Rural Development planted a “pollinator garden” designed to attract bees, birds and butterflies that will pollinate plants.
So far there are more than 400 “People’s Gardens” nationwide. This is the second in Syracuse. Earlier this year students at the Edward Smith School planted a pollinator garden on the Morningside Trail that runs behind the school.
Astor F. Boozer, state conservationist for the Natural Resources Conservation Service, said he hopes that the federal building’s garden will encourage Syracuse residents to plant gardens of their own in vacant lots or other open spaces.
He cautioned that people in urban areas need to be careful about the kinds of gardens they plant. Many urban soils are contaminated and vegetables planted absorb the contaminates, Boozer said.
The USDA has soil scientists on hand that can help people determine if their soil is contaminated, he said.
