There’s nothing more needed in the swelter of late spring and summer on a rooftop than a farm tshirt. Designed by Brooklyn’s own Duke Riley, the 2011 Eagle Street Rooftop Farm tshirt features our namesake carrying kale & a trowel.  Available for a limited time in a multicolor run, you can grab your farming gear at our Sunday market, open from 10am-4pm.

Hurrah, there’s nothing like a few rows of flats to help you imagine the green goodness of a season to come.  We’ve got some amazing peppers coming this year, from the Baker’s Creek seed bank in Petaluma, CA.  And on the phone with Johnny’s Select Seeds yesterday, we found out the phone operator was one of our favorite long-lost farmers, doing some winter work while she waits for her own season to start in chilly Maine–turns out ordering the seeds you need might put you in touch with old friends!

A dozen new super sacks, a half-dozen teen volunteers, 35 new apprenticeship applicants, and a beautiful sunny day: this is what it takes to rejuvenate a rooftop farm for springtime!  Thanks to all who lent their hands (and broke their backs!) this past Sunday for a great day of adding Long Island compost from Goode Green to our tired fields.

Unfortunate news following a harsh February–our honeybees didn’t make it through the cold.  A mid-January check-in with Megan Paska of Brooklyn Honey raised few alarms: the hive was full of winter stores, and no wax moths, mice or mites were noted.  But when Meg and rooftop farm staff Emily Francois and Shaun Dubreil picked a sudden warm day for a February hive inspection, the bees were found dead in the hive.

Similar reports came in from beekeeping friends around the city, from north Brooklyn to hives at the Rockaways.

Megan and Annie Novak, the farm manager at Eagle Street, have decided to introduce a Russian variety of bees to the hives this year.  Raised on Long Island, the colony is bred to be winter-hearty.  Although known to be less gentle to work with, it seems that in a rooftop environment, where the wind blows fierce and cold without the benefit of a tree or shrub windscreen, these hearty girls might be a better bet for urban beekeepers.

You can read more of Megan’s musings on beekeeping for the Huffington Post, and Annie’s reflections on the good work last years’ colonies did here with The Atlantic.

Wintertime brings a few key things: cold (to break the cycle of pests), cold (to bring sweetness to our crops) and cold (to give respite to our farmers).  It’s why we love New York–our seasons make such lovely, clear chapters in the year!  Snow on the rooftop gives us a chance to check for footprints, too, and see what birds have found their way up to our little farm.  In the Atlantic this month, Annie writes about what frost means to her and her crops.

A mix of Growing Chefs staff and Rooftop Farm apprentices gathered talents to prepare our end of year “Giving Thanks” dinner, hosted by the Brooklyn Kitchen. Hats off to all, especially those folks in the photo who spent all season sowing and growing with us: Tusha, Kallie, Jackie, Emily, Lilly, Shaun and Jamie.  Thanks too to Spencer, Justin, Alice, Chris and Adriana for their hands and hearts during this season and last.

Despite being a real dry one, this year has been bountiful in many ways: a new apprenticeship program full of wonderful young people, a record-breaker in programming with new chefs, educators and inspiring leaders joining us on the rooftop, and a brilliant turn out from all our crops, tomatoes to eggs.  We welcomed new rabbits, lady hens, and new hives of bees–all of whom have overwintered nicely as we ourselves retire from the rooftop to take time to cozy up with new seed catalogues.  A happy 2010 to us all, as we end the year on with thanks in our hearts!

After the first snow, our kale tasted sweeter than ever.  The rooftop has frozen solid, but that hasn’t stopped your farmers from trying to extricate a few last carrots from the “ground.”  Wishing you all a winter wonderland–eat well, keep shopping local, and have a beautiful last month of 2010!

Thanks to all who joined us at The Commons on Friday for a wonderful event supporting Scott’s photography, as well as our auction in support of our upstate farming friends, Evolutionary Organics and Conuco Farm of New Paltz, New York.  We raised several thousand dollars to help them replace their losses from a barn fire.  Lovely music from Two Lost Turkeys, excellent food and drinks from Evolutionary Organics, the Goddamn Cobras, Growing Chefs, Brooklyn Brewery, Sullivan Street Bakery, and Red Jacket Orchards.  A huge hand to all who helped, with our love and thanks!