Archive for April, 2010

Recently we spoke with Carrie from Burlington Area Community Gardens! Carrie loves that the Burlington Food Council allows her to network with other local organizations that share similar values.

Burlington Area Community Gardens became involved in with the Burlington Food Council by seeking signatures for an invitation to Michelle Obama.  Burlington Area Community Gardens invited Michelle Obama to come and visit the gardens. The invitation couldn’t have been possible without collaboration of the Food Council! Hopefully the First Lady will come for a visit this fall!

The goal of Burlington Area Community Gardens is to connect with local agencies who serve the lower income of the Burlington community to tell clients about gardening and that they have an option to garden. They offer garden plots to members of the community. They have 11 different sites all over the city! People from all different backgrounds have garden plots! In early February returning members can begin their renewal process! After the month of February the application process opens up to first comers! You are allowed to pick your 1^st and 2^nd locations! The cost for a plot ranges from $10-55, but scholarships are available! Burlington Area Community Gardens never turn away gardeners! They supply you with seeds and some seedlings! Check out their website to learn more about the registration process and download the application!

Burlington Area Community Gardens is working on expanding!

*Callahan Garden is in the works and will hopefully be opening next year!!

Burlington Area Community Gardens is starting up a project called produce for the people. They are starting to work with Campus Kitchens, The Intervale Center and Friends of Burlington Gardens who are all part of the Burlington Food Council!

Don’t miss these two great opportunities to fill your yard, garden, or neighborhood with flowers and food:

Burlington Permaculture is holding its Spring 2010 Fruit Tree Giveaway from 4-6 p.m. Sunday, April 25, at the Archibald Neighborhood Garden. Open to all Burlington residents, trees will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis. As an added bonus, Burlington Permaculture will be teaching anyone who receives a tree how to plant and care for it! Plants available include: pear, peach, plum, and paw paw trees as well as raspberry plants. Supplies are limited so come early.

Grow Team ONE is continuing the Friends of Burlington Gardens annual plant sale tradition with a Perennial Sale 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, May 8, at Roosevelt Park in Burlington’s Old North End. A beautiful assortment of potted perennials (flowers, herbs, and some surprises!) will be available for just $5 each. Proceeds will be split between Grow Team ONE and Friends of Burlington Gardens to support the development of neighborhood gardens and garden-based education and outreach.

Thinning out your perennials? Have extra 6″, 8″, or 10″ plastic pots? Teams of volunteers will be collecting plants and pots and re-potting donations through May 6. We’ll even help you dig up your plants!

For more information, to donate plants or pots, or to volunteer, please contact Jess Hyman at 598-3139 or growteam@yahoo.com.

A new report by the CDC lists behavioral , policy and environmental indicators for vegetable and fruit consumption by state, and Vermont’s numbers are kind of amazing.

The data shows that Vermont adults rank second highest in fruit and veggie consumption, after the District of Columbia, and Vermont adolescents rank #1 with a paltry 11.4% of adolescents reporting consumption of at least 2 servings of fruit and 3 servings of vegetables a day. I’m proud to say we’re #1, but 11.4%? That’s 1 in 10 teens eating their Fs & Vs!

Not surprisingly, Vermont also has the most farmers’ markets per capita at 10.5 per 100,000 people. The Burlington Food Council makes an appearance as the only local food council in the state in 2009 (though there are now several additional councils cropping up in central and southern Vermont!).

At Friends of Burlington Gardens (FBG), there is a direct relationship between longer days and increased phone calls. We knew spring was on its way far before the flowers began to break through the ground. Where can I find a community garden plot in St. Albans? What workshops are coming up? Who do I contact to get a soil test? We may have a shorter growing season here in Vermont, but that gives us plenty of time to get ready for the summer ahead.

For those just getting started in the garden, we’re now recruiting for our hands-on Community Teaching Garden at Ethan Allen Homestead. From May-September, participants meet twice a week to plant, water, weed, and harvest. Seeds, plants, and instruction are all part of the package. Last year, the sweet potatoes were delicious and participants grew one of the largest pumpkins I saw all season. Happy growing!

We had a productive Burlington Food Council meeting this morning, which featured Lisa Coven, the Land Steward at Burlington Parks and Recreation, as our guest speaker. Some great connections were made between participating organizations, and we learned a lot about Burlington Area Community Gardens. It is not too late to get a plot, so sign up today!

Did you know that April is Compost Month in Burlington? There are events and workshops taking place to promote composting, including a free public tour of Intervale Compost Products on April 21 – call to sign up. Visit the Chittenden Solid Waste District’s website to learn about how you can get involved.