Grant Helps Fund Portable Hoop Houses

October 19, 2021

GC of Madison Supports City Green in Clifton, NJ

Thanks to a $10,000 grant from The Garden Club of America’s (GCA) New Jersey Committee (NJC), City Green, an urban farm and garden organization in Clifton, New Jersey, recently acquired two portable hoop houses to grow vegetables year-round. The grant was secured by the Garden Club of Madison (GCM) to support City Green’s mission to revitalize urban areas through agriculture and educational programing. City Green also provides inner-city communities with access to fresh, local produce through CSAs, Farm Markets, and City Green’s moving farm market, the Veggie Mobile, that stops at thirty-four sites throughout northern New Jersey.  

Flexibility and collaboration are cornerstones of many projects involving GCA member clubs. When the original plan to build a greenhouse at one location was denied due to land restrictions, GCM and City Green agreed that the funds could be used to purchase two portable “Gothic High Tunnels,” one to be utilized at City Green’s Farm Eco-Center in Clifton, New Jersey, and the second at its twelve-acre farm at the South Branch Preserve, Mount Olive, New Jersey. The two hoop houses provide approximately 2,000 square feet for curing vegetables and extending the growing season through January. The hoop houses will ultimately increase efficiency and production, while allowing City Green to serve thousands of individuals in need. In 2020, City Green grew over 60,000 pounds of produce ranging from carrots and potatoes to tomatoes and squash. Their outreach was nearly 2,500 individuals and families. This year, with the new hoop houses, City Green expects to exceed that number.

City Green's reach extends to four counties in northern New Jersey, providing safe, sustainable vegetable and flower gardens for at-risk, urban communities. This effort is enhanced by an outdoor educational program that provides hands-on gardening programs for almost 2,000 inner city students. The program ensures interaction with the natural world, access to hands-on experiential learning, and an understanding of where food comes from.  

The GCA has four area committees: Boston, New Jersey, New York and Philadelphia. They were formed to combine the resources and talents of member clubs in a concentrated geographic area to accomplish major community projects that could not easily be carried out by a single club. The area committees are comprised of representatives of GCA member clubs and may include representatives from other related organizations who share the mission of the member clubs. 

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