Project Grow's Plant Sale Saturday May 12th and May 18th!
Project Grow's major fundraiser was off to a great start with the annual Plant Sale's advance order pickup the first weekend in May. Almost 100 gardeners snatched up over 1,400 tomatoes, peppers and basil plants. That's an average of 14 organically grown plants per person. Hundreds more plants will be on sale May 12th and 19th in front of the People's Food Coop.
The general sale takes place 8 am to 2 pm at the People's Food Coop on Fourth Avenue, near Ann Arbor's Kerrytown Farmer's Market. Come on out and support your local community gardens project!
Pictures below show the plants being loaded into vans from our hoop house at Dawn Farm in Ypsilanti for delivery to their staging place in Ann Arbor, where eager gardeners came by to pick up their orders.
Deiatra Eudy shows off one of our advance orders
 Advance orders await while volunteers visit between pickups |
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New Garden Site - Platt
Project Grow will likely have 23 new garden plots to offer our gardeners soon.
Washtenaw County has generously allowed us to use property just south of County Farm Park for new gardens this season. Please click HERE to go to a recent AnnArbor.com article to read more about this.
This new site, which we will be calling Platt, is in the northwest corner of the former Washtenaw County juvenile center property at 2260 Platt Rd. just south of County Farm Park. We will have a map and description of this new site up on our website soon.
This is an especially nice site - sunny, quiet, adjacent to County Farm Park, and conveniently located right next to a parking lot even though it is set back a distance from Platt Rd. We will be giving those already on our wait list priority in applying for these plots. However, since we are getting a late start, it's important that anyone interested in applying email Kirk right away so he can add you to the list. Unlike at some of our sites, we aren't putting any restrictions on applying for more than one plot this season. Washtenaw County has been important to Project Grow for the last 40 years (our largest and oldest garden is in County Farm Park). We all appreciate this support.
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Project Grow Classes
Click here to sign up for this Sunday's Wildcrafting class from 2pm-4pm!
Click Here To See All Classes and Register For The Next Series of Spring Classes Listed Below!!
1. Wild Crafting: Sunday, May 13, 2:00pm-4:00pm, at the Leslie Science and Nature Center Woods, 1831 Traver Rd.,Ann Arbor, 48105.
Join holistic health practitioner and herbalist, Diane Feldt, for a slow stroll through the Black Pond Woods of the Leslie Science Center, to identify local medicinal and edible wild plants. Linda Diane has taught many courses locally on wild local foods and has authored several books on the subject. More information can be found on her website, www.lindadianefeldt.com. This class will be held rain or shine; come dressed for the weather and walking. Meet in the parking lot at LSNC. Class size limited to 20. Fee: $10.00 per person or a family of 2. Pre-registration and payment required.
2. Vermiculture Workshop: Saturday, May 26, 10am-noon, at the Nature House, and Vermiculture Demonstration Site, Leslie Science and Nature Center, 1831 Traver Rd., Ann Arbor, 48105.
This second of two composting workshops focuses on the science of vermiculture, how to start a worm composting bin, and the benefits of worm castings in your garden. Led by Jesse Raudenbush, a third generation vermiculturist at Starr Valley Farms, students will also take home a pound of red wrigglers, a worm composting bin, and a book on vermiculture. Fee: $35.00 per person. Pre-registration and payment required. Register at vermiculture.eventbrite.com!
3. Make Your Own Composter!: Saturday, May 26, 2pm-4pm, on the lawn of the Nature House, Leslie Science and Nature Center, 1831 Traver Rd., Ann Arbor, 48105.
Following Project Grow's very successful rain barrel workshop held in March, here is your chance to make your own rotating composter, while recycling a used food-quality plastic barrel. This barrel also includes a spout for making compost tea. By popular demand and not to be missed! Fee: $120.00. Register here now!
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The Discovery Garden Project
by Lucas DiGia
The Discovery Garden Project is in full swing! We've made big improvements at the Compost Education Center thanks to Joet's back breaking efforts at the site in addition to his push to find more experts in our community to teach courses at the garden. Under Joet, Ellen, and Yael's leadership we had two groups of kids help us prepare the gardens for Earth Day. There were over 3,000 visitors at the Earth Day Festival, and we saw many of them enjoying our gardens!
 We would also like to welcome our latest resident expert, Meghan Milbrath of Sand Hill Apiaries! Meghan's
mission is to breed "Michigan Strong" bees, and help to support the local bee population. Her passion is inspiring, and she can't wait to share it with you! If you would like to join the project and assist her in the Apiary, please sign up below!
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New! Square Foot Garden Demonstration Bed at Leslie Discovery Garden.
A new Square Foot Garden demonstration bed has been created at the Discovery Garden at Leslie Science Center. The bed was created by James Lee, certified Square Foot Gardening instructor, during his very successful class about this established and well-respected method of gardening. The 4' x 6' raised bed was filled with a special "soil-less" gardening mixture of vermiculite, peat moss and five (yep, five) kinds of meatless composts, such as those from vegetables, cows, horses, rabbits, chickens, worms, sheep, or goats. A lattice-work of 1-foot squares was placed over the filled bed and planted with a variety of seeds and strawberry plants. James will be overseeing the garden's progress over the season and people are invited to stop by and see how well it does and perhaps comparisons can be made with the other beds nearby. 
Newly planted Square Foot Garden demonstration bed at Leslie Discovery Garden
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Ask the Expert
By Ellen Rusten and Inge Ferguson, Master Gardener
Send us your questions, and we'll do our best to answer them in this column.
This month's questions:
1. The best way to transplant tomatoes
2. Avoid monoculture to reduce pests
3. Soil testing, wherein Inge shares soil test results
Click here to read the whole article.
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New Gardener Shindig
by Lucas DiGia
The 2012 New Gardener Shindig was the best one yet ! I got to meet lots of new excited gardeners-- and already found ways to make connections and help them get acquainted with Project Grow and organic gardening! Seeing the joy and excitement in new gardeners gives me the energy needed to keep volunteering!
We had a lively discussion with Kirk about organic gardening methods and then I talked a bit about volunteering with Project Grow. We ended the day with a delicious lunch provided by Marcella, Eric, and other volunteers. Sitting down and sharing a meal with the new gardeners was the best part! We talked about our plans for the summer and what we would plant. We were filled with so much optimism and hope for the season-- and while our more experienced gardeners can trust that mother nature will throw them a curve ball-- our new gardeners can also trust that Project Grow will be there to listen when she does!
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