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DCL
A person is said to have a green thumb when "almost any plant he/she plants will turn out to thrive well under his/her care." According to the Old Farmer's Almanac, the term probably comes from one of two sources: "Either its origin is linked to the reign of King Edward I of England, who enjoyed fresh green peas so much that he had half a dozen serfs working to keep him supplied, a prize going to the one with the greenest thumb, presumably from hours of shelling; or it comes from the fact that repeatedly handling clay pots encrusted with algae will stain a gardener's thumb (and probably fingers) green."
Either way, this glossary term has been done proud by the GreenThumb program in NYC. Established in 1978, this program remains "the nation's largest urban gardening program, assisting over 600 gardens and nearly 20,000 garden members throughout New York City." Its aim is to "foster civic participation and encourage neighborhood revitalization while preserving open space. Community gardens provide green space and easily accessible recreational opportunities in the areas that need them most. GreenThumb was initiated in response to the city's financial crisis of the 1970's, which resulted in the abandonment of a tremendous amount of public and private land. Residents of these devastated communities transformed these unattractive and unsafe spaces into green havens."
That gets two green thumb's up?
