A Good Little Gardener

I have been busy the past couple weeks and I wanted to share some of the things I have been doing that you might like to do, too!

One, I have been reading the most expensive ($40), but fantastic book of ideas for gardeners, Panty Hose, Hot Peppers, Tea Bags, and more... It is a great book that I thought I could just scan and write down a few ideas from, but in just the first chapter about building up the soil, I have a full page of notes. I think I am going to have to keep it. Christmas present to myself, I guess.

Two, I finally subscribed to Organic Gardening. I am not a big magazine subscription kind of person, but just like the book, I discovered so many great ideas I folded back about 10 pages of things to write about on the blog. Once again, its a keeper.

Three, I joined the ACGA. I am officially supporting a wonderful organization here in Columbus. That also means I can join in on the teleconference with David King this evening, as well as any others. PLUS, it also pays for OG, gets me a newsletter, their support when finding funding, and reminds me to get my community garden on the website! Here is the link to the SHCG description: http://acga.localharvest.org/garden/M2104?ul.

good 'n planty blog

A new (to me) blog by Organic Gardening's Abby Poulette just mentioned Columbus in regards to the the Waterworks Project award and Dr. Demas's "Food is Elementary" presentation.

I did a little research and discovered that one of our blog authors is the recipient of that award at The Farm Garden at the Early Childhood Education Center...Paul!

Here is the description from the Organic Gardening/Waterworks website:

The Farm Garden at the Early Childhood Education & Family Center is a unique garden education program for students of the Outdoor Learning Environment school serving 700 children and 100 staff. The garden features an organic fruit, vegetable herb and flower garden, a play cabin/potting shed, compost area, native plantings and much more.

The program is run by local farmer Paul Etheridge, known to the school students as Farmer Paul. Farmer Paul teaches a structured farm garden curriculum for families that incorporates staff and children of all ages and abilities, helping the children build the connection between the garden and the source of their food. The program also includes a summer job training program for area teens who help to maintain the garden and work with children over summer months.

Crop to Cuisine

A great site for resources, recipes, links and much more!

There is potential for national keynote speakers, bands and presentations for the 09 conference.

Weinland Park CG Updates

Hello Weinland Park Community Members, Gardeners, Godman Guild Volunteers & Partners,

First we would like to say, thank you for all of your hard work and support for the Weinland Park Community Garden (WPCG). This year has been filled with exciting changes and sad departures. As you may or may not know, Trish Dehnbostel – the heart and soul behind the garden is now working with Local Matters (www.local-matters.org) as Senior Manager. This dream job for Trish came as an extension of her work here at the Godman Guild and we are looking forward to continued work with Trish as a partner in the future.

In addition, Jessica Roach who also helped with the garden will be going back to school for her RN. Although this is a challenging time as we transition the great roles and responsibilities of these two tireless women, it is an opportunity to truly reflect on the garden – to refine processes, organize supplies and resources and eventually expand the wonderful work that Trish and Jessica have begun.

WPCG Meetings
Although we were not able to organize a final meeting with volunteers and partners of the garden, we will proceed to have meetings next year. The first of which will be on Monday, January 12th from 6PM-7PM. This meeting will allow Godman Guild staff to introduce ourselves to returning and new volunteers as well as plan Spring preparations and begin scheduling for the year. If you are interested in staying involved with the garden, please let us know.

Personal Plots
Those that enjoyed personal plots in the past will have priority for this coming year. If you are interested in retaining your plot, please let us know your name and which plot you were assigned. If you would like a new plot, please let us know and we will add you to our waitlist.

Shed Access and Security
It has come to our attention that the security of the shed may have been compromised and therefore the lock has been changed. If you have a key to the old lock, we would greatly appreciate it if you could return the key to Elaine Williams here at Godman Guild. We will be developing a volunteer schedule with your help in January to ensure that volunteers have access to the tools and water that they will need throughout the year. Access to the shed will be routed through Godman Guild staff.

WPCG Contact Information
We are still in the process of figuring our staff roles and responsibilities so for the time being, please feel free to contact me with any questions you might have during this transition.

Katie Andrews
Administrative Program Assistant
T.E.E.N. Program
Godman Guild Association
katie.andrews@godmanguild.org
614-294-5476 ext 138
www.godmanguild.org

Green America Awards

I know of many Columbus Community Gardens that would qualify for this award. Who will be the first to apply? Bill

Nature Hills Nursery Green America Awards
We are pleased to introduce the inaugural Nature Hills Nursery Green America Awards. These awards will be presented annually to groups and organizations that are making a difference in their communities. We are looking for community groups who are committed to improving their local environment by planting trees, bushes and shrubs to make their communities a better place to live.
What types of community improvement projects qualify?The award winners will be chosen from those groups who submit a local environment community project that makes best use of the trees, bushes and shrubs that Nature Hills Nursery will award.
Examples of potential Nature Hills Nursery Green America Award winning projects could be:
- A local soil erosion control plan that utilizes plants to stabilize steep hillside slopes or river banks.
- The reclamation of an abandoned lot where a house or factory once stood with the creation of a fruit orchard that will provide much needed fruit to nearby low-income residents.
- Creating or refurbishing the landscape in a community park.
- Creating a wildlife habitat for birds or animals on donated land that is (or has been) abandoned or neglected.
Our goal is to help communities reclaim land, turning eyesores into oases. We want to help dedicated invididuals, groups and organizations make their local communities better by providing a living gift of trees and plants that not only clean the air but also provide respite and a natural retreat. With each reclamation, wildlife and beauty can once again flourish.
Why did we create the Nature Hills Nursery Green America Awards?Nature Hills Nursery has been fortunate to prosper from growing and selling plants. All of our plant production is carefully managed so the soils we depend upon are not depleted of their resources, ensuring a healthy soil environment for continued plant growth. We feel it is time to give back a portion of the plants we produce annually to projects that will help reduce carbon dioxide and beautify communities.
Submit your application for the Nature Hills Nursery Green America Awards
Award DetailsNature Hills Nursery will donate $5,000.00 of plant materials annually to the earth friendly award-winning projects. Awards will be presented to a Grand Prize winner in the amount of $2,500.00 of plant materials. First place winner will receive $1,500 in plant materials and the Second Place winner $1000.00 in plant materials. The plant materials can contain trees, fruit trees, bushes and shrubs, perennials and vegetable seeds.
Grand Prize - $2,500 of plant materials (Example 25 perennials, 45 small fruit bushes, 50 shrubs, 15 fruit trees, 15 trees)
First Place - $1,500 of plant materials
Second Place - $1,000 of plant material
Application Dates: October 15, 2008 – April 1, 2009
Winners announced April 17, 2009
Awards will be issued to each winner in the form of a gift certificate which can be redeemed for plant materials from Nature Hills Nursery. It is our hope that, by providing plants, we can help these winners create places of beauty and nature in their local communities.
Eligibility Requirements:
· Eligible submissions will be accepted from charitable or educational organizations that operate as a non profit entity
· Awards must be used by the winning organization to complete their project plan and cannot be sold or used in any way other than for the project described in the application submitted by the organization.
Submit your application for the Nature Hills Nursery Green America Awards

Majora Carter, founder , Sustainable South Bronx

Majora Carter is an inspiring leader, who took on her own neighborhood in the South Bronx. She believes passionately in environmental justice, that regardless of your race or class that we all have the right to live in a safe and livable neighborhood. She rallied the community around kids' health and pollution in the air and water effecting everyone. She left the "Sustainable South Bronx" and started "The Majora Carter Group", a consulting firm that "trains people who need work to shepherd in new green technologies, transforming polluted sites into lush community spaces and generally ensuring that EVERYONE has a stake in the clean energy economy." (UTNE Reader Nov-Dec.'08)

Check out her moving interview. She speaks from the heart, shares her personal experience and brings that passion into to everything she does. I just quoted this yesterday and feel compelled to do it again today!

"Although the connections are not always obvious, personal change is inseparable from social and political change."---Harriet Lerner

We live in a time of struggle in our community, regardless of how we're personally effected...we are all connected. This is a time for all of us to come together, collaborate, share resources and make some real change here in Columbus, Ohio. There has been an elephant in the room and that is that many of our neighborhoods are NOT EQUAL in safety and livability. Now is the time for that to change on a city wide level and it's exiting to see it actually happening. Community Gardening, Graffiti and Litter Clean ups, Safety plans, increases in civic association memberships and a collective understanding that it is not only the time for change, but it is a necessity. Pulling out the old slogan, "Think Globally, Garden (or fill in the blank) Locally!

CHECK IT! Majora Carter's TED interview:

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/majora_carter_s_tale_of_urban_renewal.html

Farm’s Open Harvest Draws 40,000 in Colorado

I was checking out the Garden Rant Blog when I came across their post about a really wonderful couple, Joe and Chris Miller.

They opened up their farm at the end of the season to anyone who wanted to harvest the leftover potatoes, carrots, and leeks. 40,000 people showed up! The highways around the farm were shut down!

Could we apply this idea to the leftover veggies and flowers in Columbus community gardens?

Here is an interview with Joe Miller from NPR in an audio format. It is a beautiful story that captures the state of our economy, the importance of food, and the power of a community supporting each other.

Autumnal Assesment

In the shadow seasons the reasons are unknown to all save a few who hold the seeds in their hearts. Hello Columbusopolis! The gardens @Milo and 4scf are brushing their teeth and preparing for bed. Removing the waste at this stage of the year is both a melancholy and meaningful activity. One can prune in autumn. The metaphor of the maker remains self evident. What is impeding progress and growth? What needs attention at this stage of the green life cycle? Who cares? We do - the plant people. The grass roots givers and shakers. Community gardens are a way we can help our new president to solve social problems. It is scary simple. A friend and I just had a nice lunch with mustard greens from our fall planting. Nourishment Nice New Day!

Animal (poo) Dreams

are you a gardener frustrated by the lack of easy to get compost necessary to grow your toms, cukes, broc and corn? intensive planting requires a steady supply of goodness and making enough for one bed let alone an entire garden for a season means dedicating time and money toward collecting materials, compost pile construction and management. if you are looking for a poop connection and you are nowhere near horses, cattle, et al, sources from craigslist can help with free compost and affordable hay and straw. these last two have skyrocketed in price but keep looking until you find some in your price range. my chickens help out in the home garden but a community garden, unless secured and with caretakers on site, are not animal friendly places. being in the city look for neighborhood fertility options like krogers. i gave 2 garbage cans to a market where i lived and would pick them up every day filled to the top with discarded produce. hay mulch, alfalfa pellets, day-lay industrial chicken farm compost, cover crops and rotation have helped in the gardens i have planted recently but there is nothing like real compost from manure, urine, straw and time. as i meditate on next years projects and how to keep costs low and productivity ample i'd like to hear from columbus and area people who have a system, strategy or source ideas for soil tilth and plant happiness.

Tulips....It's not too late!

It is not too late to tip toe through your own tulips! Don't forget the feeling of seeing tulips poking out of the soil in Spring. Planting bulbs in October and November is also another great activity to bring us all together in our gardens. Many of our local nurseries will donate bulbs to community gardens. Here are some fun photos of people and tulips. It seems that tulips are a popular backdrop for people all over the world.