More people getting their hands dirty...

There is a nice article in the Home and Garden section of the Dispatch today:

The area, already home to more than 150, is seeing at least 20 new such gardens this summer, said Bill Dawson, coordinator of the Franklin Park Conservatory's Growing to Green program.

"It's just taken off this year, with the White House garden, with the economy, the 'green' movement," said Dawson, who is active in the American Community Gardening Association, which is based at the conservatory.

Trisha Dehnbostel, who oversees 12 gardens in the University District, thinks greater Columbus might have as many as 50 new gardens this summer. Her organization, Local Matters, encourages Ohio-grown produce and is trying to build a comprehensive list of area gardens for next spring.

"The movement is changing," Dehnbostel said. "Now, so many people are doing it to produce food or to give back to food pantries because of our economy. And so many churches and social-service agencies are getting involved; it's not just communities." READ MORE..

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/home_garden/stories/2009/05/24/COM_GARDENS.ART_ART_05-24-09_H1_2UDTEET.html

The Good, the bad and the beauty in Community Gardening

Wow, I want to give a shout out to Amy P, my co-blogger and give her praise for her other blog, http://sycamorehillscommunitygarden.blogspot.com/. I asked her about it the other day and she said, "I wanted to make the blog so that people would know how to start a garden and learn about the entire process. I want for the process to be transparent." On her blog it also says, "My goal with the blog: to show the good, the bad, and the beautiful about my experience with starting and participating in a community garden." I think the blog (along with this one of course!) are invaluable. I love the brochure!
When you are creating a community garden....It is OH SO MUCH MORE THAN GARDENING! I have never seen community gardening as primarily growing plants and flowers. It is about planning and working within a group of other people. I believe it is a microcosm of our family life, community and world. There have been times that I have said, "I hate community gardening." The same issues that are a part of our larger society play out in the garden too: Not knowing how to be part of a team, controlling others, perfectionism, lack of delegation, not knowing how to trust others, sexism, racism, classism...all of the ism's, fear of failure, over committing....the list goes on. I have considered not having it be a part of my life a few times over the years, but something always brings me back. Connection with people in my neighborhood. Working with a raw piece of urban land. Planning a project from nothing and watching it grow...with our without me or all of us, community gardens once sustainable have a life of their own. They become what we all put into them and there are moments that have been powerful, trans formative and insightful...not only about myself, but nature, people in groups, our city and how we all connect. It has truly been beautiful. You can't get there without planning, amending the soil, writing grants, making a plan for water...creating a sustainable foundation for the garden to flourish into something magical.
Amy is very organized and that is something I truly admire about her. Her blog addresses the planning, community resources, her feelings about not getting a grant and all of the steps to make your garden sustainable. These aspects are often over looked and many gardens die, due to lack of sustainability.
Community Gardening is not simple. It requires a great deal of planning, but even more than that, it requires that you trust others and become part of a larger whole.

"Good Neighbors" Video on OSU homepage!

If you go to www.osu.edu, you will see images of the Seasons Stage at Weinland Park Community Garden. This is really exciting because OSU is a humongous school, and community gardening is making its way into the conversations about the OSU community. You can even catch a quick glance of our own blogstress, Trish, in the video at a campus partners meeting! Here is the video link. Enjoy!

http://osu.edu/features/2008/weinlandpark/

Seed Swapping

Need seeds? Have some you've saved and would like to share?

Check out information on getting involved with this seed swap or possibly being inspired to start one!

It's a free forum and the website explains all of the details.

www.garden.org/seedswap/

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.

Need Help With Fall Cleanup?

LAFF Club – Hire OSU students for fall clean-up:

It is that time of year again when all the leaves of the trees are turning fantastic colors, but soon those leaves will be falling to the ground and making a mess in your yard and gardens. Also this is the time to do your last minute planting of trees and bulbs that will bloom in the spring. If you are too busy to take care of your yard clean-up, don’t fear because the students in the Landscape and Floriculture Forum, or LAFF for short, are here to help you. We can send two of our club members out to your house to do this clean-up. Two of the club members come out to your house and work in your yard raking leaves, planting bulbs, trimming trees and other yard maintenance. 2 members for 5 hours = $100.00 2 members for 2 hours = $50.00. If you are interested please e-mail us at: laffatosu@gmail.com or call us at: (330) 234-4057.

The Greener Grocer keeping it fresh year round...

The Greener Grocer Weekly Fresh Market Bag

In the summer of 2008, The Greener Grocer, located in the historic North Market and owned by Local Matters, launched our “Urban Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)”, a program that offered a weekly bag of fresh, nutritious produce purchased from local farms. Many of our original participants expressed gratitude about how this program helped propel them back into the kitchen, allowed them to be more connected to the source of their food and created either a new or renewed appreciation of cooking and gathering!

To build upon this success, and to provide an “uninterrupted” service to our guests, The Greener Grocer is creating a new and expanded version of this program that we are calling our “Weekly Fresh Market Bag”. Under this new program, we will offer a summer and winter sign-up opportunity, with each season operating for 26 weeks. During the summer season, we will offer only fresh, seasonal produce from local farms. In the winter season, we will offer local produce when we can and supplement these offerings with organic produce, seasonal citrus and other fruits as well as local, dried beans, locally milled flour and perhaps even some cheese or Snowville Creamery Milk! (Vegan Option is Available)

Our goal is to provide delicious, local and/or seasonal items each week on a year-round basis and provide a one-stop shopping opportunity for you!

The cost of a share for each of the seasons will be $780.00/person/per season which translates to only $30 per week! The Winter season will run from mid-November through the end of March and the Summer season will continue from the end of March until mid-November. For each season, you will have the option of paying in full or utilizing the following payment plan:
• $180 due by the first day of the new season followed by four equal, quarterly payments of $150 each (you can join at any point in a season and pay a “prorated” amount for the remainder of that season)

Currently there are 2 sites where you can pick up your weekly GG Weekly Market Bag:
• Clintonville-Beechwold Resource Center
• The Greener Grocer at the North Market

The Greener Grocer can deliver to your work site if 10 or more employees sign up!

We will continue to donate two bags of fresh produce to the Clintonville-Beechwold Resource Center for every ten bags sold at retail.

Our new season begins on Tuesday, November 18, 2008 and will run through Tuesday, May 12th, 2009

Please call 614.223.1512 or stop by The Greener Grocer at the historic North Market to get more information or to sign up!

"Diospyros Virginiana" aka Persimmon Tree

Yesterday our Farmers Market was a hit! Many people came from the neighborhood to enjoy our produce, stuffed lavender animals, sweets and aprons. The cooking demonstrations lead by local chefs were fantastic. I now have some new recipes to take food strait from my garden to my table in literally 15 minutes! Fast and Delicious...that's what I'm talking about! We also had some wonderful workshops on Rain Barrels and extended growing seasons. I had no doubt that the Urban Farmers Market would be a success, but it surpassed that. One of the best parts of the day you ask? I had many people from the neighborhood wanting to contribute in some way. They didn't have enough for their own table or enough time. Instead, they thought of us and contributed what they had from their own yards. I appreciated the thought and support. Proceeds went to a "University Area Community Gardening Fund" managed by Catherine Gervis at the University Area Enrichment Association. Residents of the University Area who become members of the garden collective can apply for mentoring and financial help for their gardens. Wonderful! There were many folks that contributed to this fund. Greg Hostettler is an alumni of The Weinland Park Community Garden and he thoughtfully gave up one of his beautiful eggplants, Kale and two Persimmon Tree plants. I left the market feeling happy and most importantly feeling connected to the people in my neighborhood. Thank you.
Check out some great information on the Persimmon at www.persimmonpudding.com

Weinland Park Community Garden Update

Exciting things are happening in Weinland Park as July draws to a close. The teen garden staff members have spent the past six weeks caring for our garden, along with keeping up projects at several other Columbus community gardens. They will complete their summer work experience this Saturday at our Urban Farmer's Market
(Aug. 2, on the corner of 4th and 18th in Columbus from 9am-1pm). Much of the past two weeks has been spent in preparation for the market, but the teens have also had a couple of wonderful educational experiences in Columbus and in Athens, OH.



Last week we visited the New Harvest Cafe on Cleveland Avenue, in Columbus' Linden neighborhood. New Harvest is owned and run by Kwodjo Ababio, a Columbus resident and an avid gardener. Kwodjo grows much of the food for New Harvest in a plot behind his restaurant. The garden was once a neglected, trash-filled lot owned by the city. Kwodjo took over the space and transformed it into an urban garden, eventually securing permission for its use from the city. Tomato plants grow out of raised beds created from old tires stacked two high. Collard greens grow in a large rectangular bed in the center of the garden. He also grows herbs to use in his foods. Kwodjo talked to our teens about his hopes to continue taking over abandoned lots in Columbus and create more gardens. He calls this practice "radical gardening." He spoke at length to the teens about his gardening experience and its value to his business and about making meaningful positive contributions to the community. He generously served the teens and lunch of soup and sandwiches from his restaurant. The teens also spent some time out back in his garden, helping to weed, water and stake tomatoes. The teens seemed to really enjoy meeting Kwodjo and some were quite inspired by his "radical gardening" philosophy. It was great for them to see such an excellent example of ways that gardening can be valuable both as a business endeavor and as a very visible means of transforming urban neighborhoods.

Also last week, we took a day trip to Athens, OH in order to visit Companion Plants, which grows and sells a wide variety of medicinal plants and herbs. At Companion Plants, we were given a tour and then had time to wander and explore. The teens heard about jewelweed, a plant that can help build up one's immunity to poison ivy, explored the aromatic herbs growing in Companion Plants' greenhouse and learned that weeping willow tree bark has a chemical component similar to that found in aspirin. After purchasing some plants for the Weinland Park Community Garden, we headed into town to enjoy lunch at a worker-owned cooperative restaurant in Athens. Overall, the trip was a success, a nice break from garden work for the teens and refreshing for them to have an experience together outside of Columbus.



Check back soon for pictures and an update from our experience at this Saturday's Urban Farmer's Market!

Link to story below

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2008/05/20/watch20x.ART_ART_05-20-08_B1_CPA8GP7.html?sid=101

Bill

Wellington and Charles School help rejuvenate SouthSide Community Garden

Students from two area schools came out in force to help the SouthSide Settlement House Community Garden get growing again.

Erin Noviski and 45 -8th grade students from the Wellington School and Annie Carlson and her 'Green Team' of students from The Charles School combined their efforts along with the Growing to Green program of the Franklin Park Conservatory to help get this green space active once again.

Several area residents came out also on this cold, rainy and muddy morning to work with us. The garden has had problems with an invasive grass species taking over the plots. Many of the gardeners are seniors and were having a tough time battling the maintenance. New, smaller plots were laid out, grass seed was sown, trash was cleaned up, rocks were cleared and trees pruned and mulched. The sun came out in the afternoon as the Charles School arrived to help with remaining chores and cleanup. they even were able to plant a few sunflowers at the entry way. The plan was to work with SouthSide Settlement House to make the garden easier to maintain, involve more South Side residents and create an avenue of sustainability.

The garden will always welcome assistance from other neighborhood groups and our fantastic Community Gardens Network!

Thanks All,

Bill Dawson

CLINTONVILLE COMMUNITY MARKET

A gift to our compost from new WPCG Member Cortney Porter---Thanks!

CCG Article

Great article on Columbus community gardening, featuring City Farms Jonathan and Chris. Click on the title of this post to find out more.

Shepherd's Corner

Great Plant Sale this Saturday May 10th! Their yearly open house day is also coming up the first Saturday in June! Check out our google Calendar on this page for more information on Columbus Community Gardening events like this.

Their mission statement:

"Shepherd's Corner is a small corner of creation seeking to recreate the land's wholeness by rediscovering the life-giving harmony between the people and the land. Here, people of all backgrounds can learn to become reconnected with the natural environment, themselves, one another and the Creator who made them all. "

Greener Grocer / North Market

Support and buy locally grown produce!

Beef from Just This Farm

Hi Friends of Just This Farm:

Now is the time to make your 2008 order for Grass Fed Beef from Just This Farm. I will be taking orders on a first come, first serve basis. So if you would like to order beef this year, I encourage you to make your order soon.

This year, I have purchased five steers directly from "Pomme De Terre" farm, a certified Organic farm located in Creston, Ohio. These steers are a breed called Beulingo, which do well on a 100% grass based diet and are known for their docile temperament and ability to gain weight quickly. These animals have been raised on organic pasture, and have eaten organic hay during the winter.They are very healthy and should do well here. (See attached Photo). They have never had any antibiotics, growth hormones, or synthetic products of any kind. They will be living on chemical free pasture here at Just This farm for the next 7 or 8 months.

I am taking orders and asking for an upfront deposit to cover my costs in purchasing the animals. The deposit will a little less than half of the total cost. The remaining amount will be due when you pick up your order in December. The animals will be butchered by a family owned and operated butcher shop located in East Liberty, Ohio.

This year I have raised my prices because beef prices in general are higher due to high feed and fuel costs. I am selling three sizes: 1/2 (side of beef), mixed 1/4 (portions from both front and rear quarter), and a mixed 1/8 portion.The exact amount you receive will vary depending on the size of the animal. All orders will be a mix of Steaks, Roasts, Ground Beef and some organ meats. If you order 1/2 or 1/4 you will have the opportunity to give the butcher shop specific butchering instructions.

Order Size Final estimated amount Cost per Pound Deposit Amount
1/2 (side) 200 lbs $6 per LB $500
1/4 (mixed) 100 lbs $6.10 per LB $250
1/8 (mixed) 50 lbs $6.20 per LB $125

To place an order, send a check made to Just This Farm for deposit amount of the size you wish to order. This is my address: Just This Farm 7657 Feder Rd., Galloway, Ohio 43119. If you want, you can also contact me by email to let me know your order.

This year, in addition to the Grass Fed Beef, I will be growing lots of delicious produce,fruit and Thanksgiving turkeys. You can find Just This Farm at the North Market (Sat mornings), Clintonville (Sat mornings) farmers markets.

Thank you for supporting local, chemical free agriculture. If you have any questions, please contact me by email (kevineigel@gmail.com).

Kevin Eigel

Just This Farm

Registering Fruit Trees

http://www.lifecyclesproject.ca/

This program is NOT local, but it is a wonderful idea starter for community gardening in Columbus!

This organization registers fruit trees around Vancouver, provides teen employment, supports local businesses with fruit processing/juicing, coordinates available backyards for gardens with gardeners, and organizes a good, local, organic food directory.

SO COOL!

Here is more information from the homepage:

What's New at LifeCycles
Fruit Tree Project Hotline
Call the Fruit Tree Project Hotline at 89-FRUIT (893-7848) to have your trees picked this season. Click here to find out more about LifeCycles Fruit Tree Project.

Fruit Tree Project looking for Partners
The Victoria Fruit Tree Project is currently looking for local processors to partner with to expand our food product line. Click here to find out how to partner with LifeCycles Fruit Tree Project.

Employment Opportunity for Youth
The YouthRoots Program is looking for three Youth Development Team Members. Applications are due Friday, September 21st 2007. Click here for more information on the positions and how to apply.

The YouthRoots Program, along with the Youth Service Provider Network, has launched YouthCore.ca. It includes an events calendar, an interactive youth map, and directories of youth programs and places in the region. Click here to check out the website.

Sharing Backyards
Just Launched! Our Sharing Backyards program is designed to link people that have space to grow food but don't have the time our inclination to do so with people who are interested in growing food but do not have access to space to do so. Our new online system makes linking potential gardeners easier than ever.

Good Food Directory
The Good Food Directory is your source to local and organically grown foods. The directory includes everything from fresh produce to delicous sweets and candy. Please note that the directory is still in development phases. Feedback is greatly appreciated.

Garden Art Ideas (4)

How cool are these images I found on Flickr?

Surly Girl, Betty's, and Tip Top

are purchasing from the Weinland Park Community Garden!