Winter Potluck Project Grow will be holding a Winter potluck for all our members and friends on Sunday February 12th from 5:30-8pm. The potluck last year was a huge success with around 25 people attending, so please come! Our friend and fellow gardener, Alice Telesnitsky, has again kindly offered to host the potluck at her house at 912 Pauline Blvd. Ann Arbor, MI. You can get a map and RSVP by following the link to the invitation. Please bring a dish to share (store-bought is fine if you're busy!)
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2012 Registration
Registration has been up and running on our website since late December. More applications come in every day, but at last count we've received over 250 applications and nearly 230 have already been confirmed.
We asked returning gardeners to register by February 1st, and we want to thank everyone who has done so. If you missed that deadline, you risk losing your plot to a new gardener. If you want to keep your plot for this year, it is important that you register immediately. If you know you will not be returning to your plot, that is also helpful, so please let us know by sending an e-mail to info@projectgrowgardens.org.
Here is hoping that 2012 will be everyone's best gardening year ever!
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Pre-Order for the Plant Sale
Every year, some gardeners at our plant sale find that their favorite choices have already sold out by the time they can make it to the sale. Last year gardeners for the first time were able to order plants from our plant sale ahead of time to be sure they get what they want. This option was very popular so we are doing it again! The pick-up dates are a week before the sale on Saturday May 5th and Sunday May 6th between the hours of 10am to 1pm at 1518 Shadford. To read all about the plants offered, click on the online list. For all the details on how to pre-order, please click here.
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Seed Swap - February 18th @ Downtown Home and Garden |
 Why Not? A simple question gives birth to an ambitious urban farm project Have you ever heard of a Pawpaw? Hamtramck resident Michael Davis hadn't until this past September. From the first moment he tasted the rich blend of mango, banana, citrus and melon of the Pawpaw, Davis was hooked. A visit to Davis' home clearly shows his passion for growing things in an environmentally responsible way - an approach he calls "ghetto gardening." The hardscaping is comprised of stacked, reclaimed concrete chunks, former red sandstone, Detroit curb stones and plant life. He rescued plants he found on empty lots while on bike rides around the city. Now, irises, daylilies, pachysandra, lilacs and hostas all find their home on his land. Despite the name, it all comes together to create something far from "ghetto."
Over the years Davis has watched his little corner of Hamtramck change. His passion for the quirky little city has kept him from simply walking away. With the taste of Pawpaw fresh in his mind, it clicked. Why not? Davis, along with Jule Swartz, Robert Swartz, Evan Major, Stephen Gach and a growing number of supporters intend to bring a reduce, reuse and revival approach to six long- vacant city owned lots with the Pawpaw playing a major role. Hamtown Farms will feature more than 150 Pawpaw, pear and hazelnut trees. When complete, it will also feature more than 50 raised community gardening beds for residents to grow seasonal vegetables. In addition, the project will include a large open public space that will accommodate a wide variety of community events including a Harvest Festival in mid-October. To read the entire article, please click here |
Farm and Food Cool People Series
The first Farm and Food talk was on January 22nd and featured cool guy Chef Alex from Zingerman's Roadhouse. This was a terrific talk for anyone interested in great, local food. Alex talked for about an hour about how he became a chef and ended up starting the Roadhouse, and then took questions from the audience for another hour. The great questions included what do you do with the fruit of 9000 tomato plants (roast and freeze whatever is not used each day at the restaurant), where do you grocery shop, and what's an heirloom vegetable anyway.
The series continues Sunday February 26th at 1pm at the Dawn Farm Community Barn with Jeff McCabe and Lisa Gottlieb of Ann Arbor's Selma Cafe. While you're there you can check out the Dawn Farm-Project Grow hoophouse that Jeff and Lisa were instrumental in helping us to build. If you can come, please RSVP to info@dawnfarm.org.
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Volunteer Appreciation Party A Success!
by Lucas DiGia
At the end of January, Project Grow thanked its volunteers with a party at the Arbor Brewing Company. Project Grow relies very heavily on the support of volunteers to run the organization, manage the gardens, and assist with any events, outreach, or fundraising we do. We wanted to get our volunteers into the same room and excited for another year with Project Grow.
We must also give a big thank you to the local business's that donated prizes for us to raffle off. We gave away gift certificates from Silvio's Organic Pizza, The Brinery, and a "Lunch for Two" from Arbor Brewing!
Many of our gardeners are also volunteers, but some of our volunteers are community members that just believe in what Project Grow does. Let's thank them again and give them another reason to come back and grow with us next season!
| Brandon Hemmings winning the "Lunch for Two" from Arbor Brewing. |
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Newsletter Volunteers Needed
We are always looking for more help with this newsletter and can use your help whether you are a writer, editor, or photographer. There is much flexibility in what we print here and we are open to allowing volunteers to pursue their own passions as long as the final result is related to organic gardening. If you'd like to get involved, contact Ellen at ln1@projectgrowgardens.org. Thanks!
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