Gardeners adore compost. It's a cure-all for whatever ails in the garden. The bucket on the counter turns into all that plants need to grow well to feed a household. Vegetable and fruit castoffs return to the bucket to return to the bin and then to the garden again. Tea bags, yard waste, garden leavings, and kitchen scraps all go in and come out as plant-scrumptious hummus. (The kind eaten indirectly rather than the other garlic-laden delight, of course.)
Bakoko's little creation - the Comploo - is something near to a dream come true. Taking advantage of the heat produced during the composting process, the Comploo is a sweet little building that it's easy to imagine tucked somewhere near the garden as a perfect spot to take a bit of a break between chores. Or a cozy place on a rainy afternoon for viewing the garden, plotting new plantings, or just basking in the glow of all those adorable vegetables. Heated by food, garden and yard scraps merrily composting away in bins that round the edges, when the plotting and planning is done just open a bin to scoop some of that wonderful stuff out.
Designed with public spaces like community gardens or parks (or even a cafe growing the majority of its food just out the back door) the Comploo creates a space for gathering that takes advantage of plant materials in place. Talk about a great way to warm people up to the idea of their own composting after touring the vegetable patch to see what's in season!
Plant a row for the hungry. A great way to celebrate local food is to decide to share it, and planting a row for the hungry is one of the best ways to do that. Whether or not you've signed up for the potato pledge, you can pick up a few extra plants at the Project Grow plant sale and know those little gems will help a neighbor. Now, how cool is that?
Head to the farmer's market. One of the most fun ways out there to celebrate local food is a trip to the farmers market. Meet the growers and producers that are just around the corner or right in your backyard, sample their wares, and take home a few favorites.
Consider growing some of your own. Think of this as the year to finally plant that garden, sneak a few tomato or basil plants in the flowerbed out front to start that edible landscape you've always been thinking of, or do a combo pot of edible flowers, herbs, and greens!
Join a CSA. Fresh vegetables grown locally by folks on the ground - literally - of the local food movement. Another one of the best and easiest ways to be part of a local food movement find a comprehensive guide at The Farmer's Marketer.
Volunteer with Project Grow. You can't get much more local than a community garden. Check out ways you can lend a hand and be part of the fun!
Got more ideas? Let us know and we'll be more than glad to share them with our readers!
The FDA is looking for feedback on a proposed regulation to reduce food-borne illness on fresh produce. Hoping to forge a new way ahead after the food troubles of 2009, the organization is seeking public comment electronically as well as in public meetings before issuing a rule. The organization hopes to hear from a variety of people - growers, producers, and packagers - about this topic and what concerns them most. (It's recommended reading for consumers, too, to find out what a favorite grower or local grocer might need to do to get those favorite greens to the table.)
The deadline to share with the FDA your concerns and thoughts about this important food safety issue is May 24, 2010. These handy instructions will let you see what others are saying and make your voice heard on this important issue.
Thanks to everyone who came out to put in a good word for Project Grow with the City Council. We can't thank you enough for the efforts you made. We've got seeds for a few ideas (pun completely intended), and we will keep you posted on their progress.
Meanwhile, we look forward to seeing you around the gardens around town! Thanks for helping Project Grow!
Not the most uplifting title for a post, but with the dawning of spring in the garden come both the plants we love and those we feel, well, less positive about - weeds. Of course, one gardener's weed is another's favorite flower, but that's another story. Despite this relative status, weeds need to be dealt with sooner rather than later.
This little video from Fine Gardening offers some good commonsense tips that will help control weeds in the garden. Two of the five main points - mulching and spacing plants close together - also help with water conservation!
Need plants to fill in those gaps that a weed could grow in? Don't forget our second plant sale date!
Spend time perusing the seedlings, talking with some of our experienced gardeners and growers, and start making your way to a garden full of things you love!
We'd like to thank everyone who attended the City Council meeting on Monday evening or put in a good word to their representative before the meeting. While we still await a final decision, we encourage anyone who would still like to offer their two-cents to contact their Council person. This funding is pivotal and allows us to continue the work we do with you to keep the community in the garden!
Looking for other ways to show support, too?
Don't forget our upcoming plant sales!
Join us Friday, May 8th through Sunday, May 19th at Mattheai Botanical Gardens for a three day extravaganza of events, plants, and fun!
We'll also be out on Saturday, May 16th in front of the People's Food Coop with some of your favorite heirloom varieties. Stop by to say hello and talk about your garden plans!
We are writing to request your support on an urgent issue. As you may have heard, the City of Ann Arbor is proposing to make drastic cuts to its 2010 and 2011 budgets. Many local programs, including Project Grow, are slated to lose funding. While we receive a modest amount of money from our local government - $7000 annually - this financial contribution comprises 15% of our annual budget. The loss of this support will have a major impact on our ability to deliver the accessible and inclusive organic gardening activities that Project Grow is known to offer.
You can help make a difference! If you believe in building community, living sustainably, and growing organic vegetables here in Ann Arbor, then we urge you to contact your city councilperson and the mayor, and ask them to continue supporting Project Grow. Below, please follow the link to locate your councilperson's and the mayor's contact information. Please be sure to share with them a personal story and request that they continue to support Project Grow. Also, please feel free to share this information with your family and friends.
The Project Grow Board of Directors has identified the following important issues to address with City Council, so feel free to use them in your communication:
::currently, sustainability and local food are in the limelight
::locally and throughout the country more people are gardening in this poor economy
::the demand for Project Grow garden plots is so high that we have had to turn away over
forty applicants this year
::Project Grow's garden activities provide opportunities for all, regardless of income or
disability
::Project Grow is reaching out and fostering new relationships with other area nonprofits,
including Food Gathers and Avalon Housing, to ensure all members from our
community have the opportunity to eat fresh, organic foods
We thank you in advance for your continued support. Together, we can make an impact on our community!
Marianne Rzpecka, long-time columnist for the Ann Arbor News and Detroit Free Press, wrote a wonderful piece in the Ann Arbor Chronicle on gardening fever and how to channel all that energy wisely. Plant some cold weather tolerant vegetables, and search for those first spring flowers - crocuses and bloodroot - sending their shoots determinedly upward. We thought it was good advice!
The most recent edition of the Slow Food Huron Valley newsletter features Royer Held, a wonderful and knowledgeable gardener, who also just happens to be a Project Grow volunteer! Royer leads a number of classes for Project Grow, and helps make our heirloom gardening and seed collection possible. (You can see some of Royer's and our other volunteers handywork at our upcoming plant sales - Friday, May 8th through Sunday, May 10th at Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Saturday, May 16th in front of the People's Food Coop.)
Heirlooms: A Journey in Taste
by KT Tomey
According to Royer Held, the ideal tomato texture should be creamy to slightly succulent. A creamy tomato, in his opinion, is one that you don’t have to bite into. You can just press it against the top of your mouth and it squishes. Succulent, on the other hand, is more firm than creamy, with more substance. The worst possible texture scenario is crunchy, a dire situation Held refers to as “a grocery store tomato in winter.” Software developer by day, Held has become something of an heirloom plant authority in Ann Arbor, and he absolutely loves tomatoes. Especially heirlooms. So what exactly are heirloom fruits and vegetables? The term “heirloom” refers to plants that are "open-pollinated," i.e., by insects, birds, wind, or other natural mechanisms (sometimes heirlooms are hand-pollinated to preserve the purity of the variety). While the definition can get a bit complex when it comes to fruit trees because they are reproduced by grafting (instead of through pollination), basically, heirlooms exclude hybrids and genetically modified organisms.
Take two tomato varieties: Olga’s Yellow Round Chicken, a Russian heirloom variety, vs. the Celebrity Supreme hybrid tomato. Whereas a bucket of the “Chickens” will each have a slightly unique shape, size, texture and color, the “Celebrities” are bred to look like a Hollywood tomato—uniformly shaped, smooth and red. But aesthetics are not the defining feature of a Hollywood tomato. Hybrids are specifically bred to withstand mechanical picking, the anticipated long journey from industrial farm to fork, as well as drought, frost, and pesticides.
One thing the “grocery store in winter” hybrids are not known for: taste. Mark Wilson of Wilson’s Farm has been specializing in heirlooms since 2001, and his preference for these varieties can be summed up in two words: “better flavor.” Wilson, who got into farming about ten years agowhen he discovered it was easier to sell his extra garden produce rather than give it away, hangs a shingle at the Ann Arbor Farmer’s Market all summer. He sells melons, tomatoes, peppers, onions, summer squashes, grapes, and beans, but is most known for delicious tomatoes. His most popular are pink, yellow and red Brandywines.He also recommends trying the Charentais French melon, celebrated for its heady, perfumey aroma and deep, sweet flavor. (The French traditionally serve Charentais with prosciutto, but also feature them as an hors d'oeuvre by cutting them in half, scooping out the seeds and filling them with a sweet wine such as Barsac, Marsala, Port or Madiera.)
Wilson’s Farm’s heirlooms are considered a specialty item today, but 100 years ago there was no such thing as commercially bred hybrid plants. The plots of farmers and gardeners across the country each had their own personality. Saving and replanting seeds from each generation of plants allowed varieties like the Cherokee Moon and Stars Watermelon and the Elephant Heart Plum to adapt to their climate, and the selection of crop varieties reflected a farmer’s unique tastes. The transition to the less interesting and flavorful hybrids started around 1900 and today, many traditional heirlooms are at risk of falling off the nation’s radar—and plates.
Erica Kempter, co-owner of Nature and Nurture LLC and organic gardening teacher, worries that the disappearance of heritage foods will create a loss of genetic and cultural diversity. According to Kempter, who is particularly fond of a purple carrot named the “Dragon,” “we’re losing genetic diversity because farmers are not growing open pollinated varieties.”This concern, shared by farmers, gardeners, environmentalists, foodies, and chefs across the country and, in fact world, was the inspiration for The Ark of Taste. Launched by Slow Food just over ten years ago, it aims to preserve and celebrate traditional foods at risk of being forever forgotten—and never tasted. The Ark is essentially a catalog of endangered foods, and includes foods with names as unique as their personalities. Heirlooms such as Aunt Ruby’s German Green tomato can be found on the Ark, along with other traditional foods of all kinds.
Preserving these varieties, according to Kempter, is also important in keeping seeds and crops in the hands of the people, not corporations (we are facing a conglomeration of seed companies since Monsanto has been buying up seed companies of late).
Thinking you might give heirlooms a try this season? A good place to start is the Seed Savers Exchange catalog, “in person” seed savers exchanges, or by contacting Project Grow for information about seed and seedling sales. Look for seeds that originate from the Detroit area’s latitude and climate (e.g., Rome). Once you start growing them, you can save your own seeds, an act Royer Held refers to as “getting in touch with your inner peasant.” Of course, you can also have a great time tasting these varieties, many of which show up at events like the September Ann Arbor tomato tasting and competition in which the medal is awarded to the tomato rather than person who grew it. Bon appetit!
The White House is preparing to put in an organic garden to supply vegetables, herbs, and berries for use in their meals. According to the New York Times article, Michelle Obama decided to move forward with the garden when her pediatrician expressed concern over her daughter's eating habits.
“A real delicious heirloom tomato is one of the sweetest things that you’ll ever eat,” she said. “And my children know the difference, and that’s how I’ve been able to get them to try different things.
“I wanted to be able to bring what I learned to a broader base of people. And what better way to do it than to plant a vegetable garden in the South Lawn of the White House?”
For urban dwellers who have no backyards, the country’s one million community gardens can also play an important role, Mrs. Obama said.
Feel inspired to transform your own house lawn into a garden? Check out some of our upcoming classes and don't forget you can find a selection of amazing seeds from our heirloom collection for sale at People's Food Coop.
Thankfully, the USDA, like Project Grow, is creating garden space where none existed before. On the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birthday, Tom Vilsack, Secretary of Agriculture "broke pavement" on the first of many community gardens at USDA sites around the country.
The People's Garden honors Lincoln and his creation of the Department of Agriculture, which he called The People's Department in his last address to Congress.
"The garden will showcase conservation practices that all Americans can implement in their own backyards and green spaces. As a component of the garden, pollinator-friendly plantings will not only provide important habitat for bees and butterflies, but can serve as an educational opportunity to help people understand the vital role pollinators play in our food, forage and all agriculture."
HuntPark is home to a new ProjectGrowCommunityGarden site available this summer to gardeners. Strong support of the neighbors and the Ann Arbor Parks and Recreation Department helped make this new site possible.
Julie Roth, the Hunt Park Steward who had already worked with Natural Area Preservation (NAP) and neighbors on work days to plant some new trees and perennials helped bring the issue to neighbors who responded enthusiastically. According to Roth, “I think the gardens will bring a stronger sense of community, more neighborhood sense of investment in and ownership of the park, and of course even more visual interest.They are being placed in a very underutilized, flat and open area behind the tennis courts.”
“We have worked long and hard with the Parks Department to get gardens open in park areas, especially where the neighbors have approached us about opening a garden like they did at HuntPark,” said Melissa Kesterson, Executive Director of Project Grow. Other parks where community garden sites exist include BuhrPark, GreenviewPark, and CountyFarmPark.
The addition of this site brings the total number of community garden locations up to thirteen throughout Ann Arbor. Gardeners come in all shapes and sizes, but space can be at a premium. Project Grow through its sliding-scale fees, classes, and supportive network of experienced gardeners – staff and volunteers – makes it possible for families and individuals to foster their green thumbs.
Plots vary in size while water, tools, and a notice board are available at each site. A site coordinator manages each garden site and answers questions and offers help when needed. To see the garden sites, maps, and download an application visit our website and click on CommunityGardens. Hard copy applications are available in the Project Grow newsletter or by contacting the office directly at 734-996-3169.
This great article in the New York Times about the Sustainable Sites Initiative is a really fascinating read. The idea is to offer guidelines for landscaping similar to those that now exist for green building. Use of native plants, permeable walkways, and rainwater catching (for lack of a better phrase) are integral parts of the system.
To view the full report, visit sustainablesites.org and offer your two-cents until January 20th.
Feel inspired to begin creating your own sustainable site?
Or you can attend The Stewardship Network Conference at the end of this month! An inspirational two days of talks and presentations about native plants and restoration efforts in Michigan and the Midwest.
This time of year the focus is often on gifts to give and receive. Gardeners know all about giving and receiving - giving the soil all you've got to receive a bounty of tomatoes and eggplant to can and then give away; gratefully giving up evenings, early mornings, and clean hands for a bouquet of zinnias or a hearty row of basil to make pesto to share with friends at the next potluck - and most likely don't think about it. It is simply part of the process.
Project Grow gardeners are no different, of course. Over the course of this past summer the gardeners gave and grew as usual, but something other than pesto and bouquets emerged. Project Grow gardeners grew and donated nearly 300 pounds of organic, locally grown produce to Food Gatherers during the 2008 growing season. And that's not including a tally of the food raised and given away by organizations like the Packard Community Clinic and the Beth Israel congregation whose patches are cultivated with the sole purpose of sharing the bounty.
Project Grow gardeners at all ten sites shared a portion of their harvests with others in the community that are in need. Everything from tomatoes to zucchinis to winter squash landed at Food Gatherers warehouse for immediate distribution to the community. "Good food is meant to be shared, and our gardeners bring that to our community's table," says Melissa Kesterson, Executive Director of Project Grow.
The City of Ann Arbor will be considering restoring Project Grow's funding this Monday at its weekly Council meeting. We would like to have a good show of support before the City Council on Monday, July 7 at 7:00 PM at the Guy Larcom Building on Fifth Avenue.
In the past, Project Grow received only $7,000 per year from the City to support community gardens. This year the City notified Project Grow that the annual amount would be eliminated from the City budget. The small amount helps us to keep our plot fees low and to subsidize low income and elderly gardeners at Project Grow gardens. It is an important source of funding for the organization and we could really use the financial support so that we may continue to provide quality space to garden for years to come. We hope that a good showing from our many gardeners will help convince the City Council that our gardens are a great asset to the community.
The City Council meets at 7:00 PM in the City Hall Council Chamber, 2nd floor of the Guy C. Larcom, Jr. Municipal Building, 100 N. Fifth Ave. If you would like to speak on behalf of Project Grow, public comment is at the beginning of the session and you will need to sign up beforehand.
We encourage you to show your support for Project Grow next Monday.
Common Dreams posted a story last week, "Food Banks Ask Gardeners to Grow Extra for Hungry", that is a good reminder of how we can use our gardens to help the community. You can donate produce to your local food bank. I don't know about you, but we always have more than we know what to do with, and it's a joy to share fresh, organic vegetables.
In Ann Arbor, we have Food Gatherers, a local non-profit that always welcomes donations of produce from your garden. Check our their donation page for details on how. We frequently have Project Grow volunteers who are willing to collect produce from one of the community gardens on a regular basis to make it easier to contribute. Watch for emails about that during the growing season.
An interesting article appeared in the New York Times over the weekend, titled: Banking on Gardening. It's about, what else, saving money by growing your own food. Apparently this year saw record numbers of new gardeners purchasing seeds and gardening supplies. At Greenview Gardens, where my husband and I have kept a vegetable garden for the last four years, we are for the first time seeing no vacant spaces.
Are you new to gardening? Do you garden to save money? Tell us about it by commenting on this post!
you too can share your funny tomato photos with other Project Growers!
Project Grow is on the popular photosite, Flickr, and we would love for you to contribute your gardening photos to the "photo pool" we have created. Once you have a Flickr account (free), you can join the group and then add your photos. Or feel free to just visit the pool to see what Project Grow gardeners are up to!
Project Grow is a private, non-profit organization with an emphasis on community gardening and gardening education.
We host many Community Gardens throughout the Ann Arbor area. Find out more at the Project Grow Website.
