Somerville Scavenger Hunt: Big Tree Edition!
Look up! See it? That tall, tall pine tree in someone’s front yard? (This one’s on Hamlet Street.) Somerville has lots of tall, tall pine trees. Once you spot one, you’ll start to see these beauties all over town!
Take a look out your window, or go out on a Tree Hunt by foot, if you can. Find the biggest, most gigantic trees you can––they might be pines or any type or variety––and see if you're able to figure out what they are! The City of Somerville’s Urban Forestry Divisi
S L O W Birding
Spring is here, birds are becoming more active. Looking and listening to birds is something most of us can do, from a porch, city street, back yard, or window. This is my friends’ son, quietly sitting by a window in their home, eating toast and watching the crows in their yard. Jenn writes about their morning science and why birding like this is so great: This month is an awesome time to be birding because Spring is just starting! And from a window, the birds cannot see you,
Rainbows, Hearts, Critters, and More!
The day after St. Patrick's Day, while my three kids watched their morning cartoons during our first week of cancelled school, I was catching up on my email and saw that some neighbors up on Prospect Hill had collaborated to put rainbows in their windows. A wonderful community-building activity in this strange age of social distancing, it was a way to mitigate the loneliness, brighten someone's day, justify a nice walk, and add an element of color and surprise to the streetsc
Adventures in Seed Sprouting!
This is the second year I have sprouted seeds indoors. It is truly the most magnificent way to beat the winter blues and look forward to spring! Here is the very first sprout coming out of the soil this year. It’s a “Guy” tomato (a variety grown by long time Growing Center volunteer, Guy Amara, until he passed away. Keeping his legacy alive!) Many of the seeds I started were saved from last year’s harvest. It is super gratifying and free!!! Learn more about saving your own se
Support the Growing Center's work this April, and all season long!
For more than a quarter century, the Growing Center has been dedicated to engaging the full population of Somerville, with a focus on children and youth, in providing an open and welcoming green space dedicated to nature education, urban agriculture, and community engagement. In these uncertain times, our plan is still to continue that mission even while facing the health challenges of COVID-19 and social distancing measures which, while necessary, make it difficult to be ope
