June 2017 event! Mill Creek Urban Farm & PHS Pop-up at uCity Square

Our volunteers and board members after our June event with Mill Creek Farm! 

What better way to kick-off summer than with some time in the garden? How about two gardens and a farm? Sounds like we read your minds when we planned our June event!

Mill creek urban farm

The Mill Creek Farm (MCF) is located at 4901 Brown Street in the Mill Creek Neighborhood of West Philadelphia.  The Mill Creek for which it is named runs under the land we worked on and was enclosed in a sewer 100 years ago. Over time, housing was built on the location but the land was not stable for the foundations and began to subside. The housing was eventually torn down in the 1970s, and a community garden was created on the western portion of the block. The eastern portion sat vacant except for trash and weeds until 2005 when the Philadelphia Water Department awarded 1.5 acres of vacant land to start an urban farm!

The VU Crew was responsible for harvesting, cleaning, and selling produce as part of the weekly MCF Farmer's Market in the neighborhood. There was gorgeous rainbow chard, fresh cherries picked from their trees, and so much more! We also helped create signs to let future volunteers know what was planted where in the farm and sorted through protective nets to help prevent insects from eating too much of any one crop.

Mill Creek Farm is an amazing group that is always in need of volunteers! Check out their website for more information on how to get involved.

PHS Pop-up at ucity square

We spent the afternoon in the shade with some cold drinks and hot snacks at the PHS Pop-up Garden at uCity Square. Proceeds from PHS Pop Up Gardens support PHS programs, including City Harvest, which brings together a network of community gardeners who raise fresh, healthy food for more than 1,200 families in need each week during growing seasons. The garden at uCity Square is on the site of a future development by Wexford Science & Technology and the University City Science Center. The amazing team at Sojourn Philly was responsible for this summer's food and drink program!

While the Pop-up Gardens are only open for the summer, you can stay involved with PHS by visiting their website or following them on social media. Sojourn Philly operates several restaurants and bars in the city, and you can check them out online or on social media as well!