Rethinking
Montgomery: Producing More Local Food - TONIGHT, Thursday, April 22
The Maryland
National Capital Park and Planning Commission, which has tremendous influence
over the future development (or preservation) of Montgomery County land, has
launched a "Rethink Montgomery" Speaker Series. The subject of the
discussion on Thursday, April 22 will be how we can produce more local food.
While nearly
one-third of Montgomery County is set aside as an Agricultural Reserve, the
land there is under regular threat of development. And the large percentage of
farming that is done in the Ag Reserve is for commodity crops like corn and
soybeans. Very little "Montgomery grown" vegetables or fruit end up
on our tables, in our grocery stores or in our schools because not much is
grown.
What is the
relationship between farms, urban areas, consumers, restaurants and
communities? What national trends effect
us? Can Montgomery County support small "metro farms"? How can rural communities remain vital in
metropolitan influenced areas? Addressing these issues will be the following
panelists: Ben Allnutt of Homestead Farms; Wade Butler of Butler Orchards:
Jeremy Criss, Dept. of Economic Development Agricultural Services Division, and
yours truly, Gordon Clark, Project Director of Montgomery Victory Gardens.
Join us for
what promises to be an excellent discussion on local food, to be held at the
Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission headquarters at 8787
Georgia Avenue in Silver Spring, starting at 7:30pm.
For more
information on the event and Rethinking Montgomery series, click here.
An Incubator
Farm for Montgomery County?
One crucial aspect
of the debate about producing more local food in Montgomery County is how to
get farmers the land they need to farm. The high cost of land in our county,
which is pushed up by commercial development, puts it out of the reach of all but a small handful. And few farmers want to make serious investments when
they can't get anything more than the typical 3-5 lease on either public or
private land. (Leases of 20, 40 and 50 years are preferable.)
This recent article from The Gazette, "Ag Reserve Could Be Leased to New Farmers,"
reports on a new idea that has sprung up in the past year, that of starting an
"incubator farm" in Montgomery County, one that could provide
training and affordable land to a group of young farmers. Such an incubator would be vital,
says Red Wiggler Farm Director (and MVG Advisory Board member!) Woody Woodroof,
to create a critical mass or community of farmers who want to produce fresh,
organic food for local consumption.
At the same
time the incubator would provide land for only a relatively small numberof
farmers, and it could take years before it becomes a reality, especially given
the current county budget crisis. And as local CSA farmer Michael Protas
(pictured right) of One Acre Farmnotes, that won't do anything for him and the
other farmers who are struggling today with the issue of access to affordable land.
What can we do
to help young, sustainably minded farmers come to Montgomery County and stay
here to grow our food? Stick with Montgomery Victory Gardens as we continue to
search for, and fight for, the answers.
Germantown
Community Garden Now Taking Applications
We're
delighted to pass on this announcement: Montgomery County Department of Parks
is now accepting applications for its newest community garden in the Park
system -the South Germantown Community Garden, 10841 Central Park Circle in
Boyds.
The South
Germantown Community Garden has twenty-two 400 square feet plots available for
rent for a fee of $50 annually per plot, and twenty-one 200 square feet plots
for $30 annually. On-site water and deer
fencing is provided.
As space is
limited, interested gardeners are encouraged to submit applications for
gardening at this new location by Tuesday, April 27, 2010. Applicants will be placed in a lottery for
the location and assigned plots. The Department of Parks will begin notifying
selected gardeners of plot assignments for this location on Thursday, April 29,
2010.
To get an
application, or for more information about the community gardens in Montgomery Parks, click here. You can also call the Department of Parks
Community Gardens, 301-650-2635 or email [email protected].
Green
Thumb-Arbor Day Celebration - Saturday, April 24
For the
first time ever, the Locust Grove Nature Center, in Cabin John Park in Bethesda,
will be holding a Green Thumb-Arbor Day Celebration.
Another family-oriented
event, this one will include demonstrations on container vegetable gardening
from the Montgomery County Master Gardeners, crafts, bucket rides in a cherry
picker, tree climbing demonstrations, a native plant sale, and several talks,
including one on the history of Victory Gardens presented by, you guessed it,
Montgomery Victory Gardens! (What can we say, word is getting around!)
Please join us
for this great day on Saturday, April 24 from 10am - 2:30pm at the Locust Grove
Nature Center. Click here for directions and additional information.
Farmstead Fever Spreading to Jersey Public Schools
The Highland
Park public schools in central New Jersey have joined the wave of interest in
community food gardening that has taken root at schools across the country.
The People's
Organization for Progress started their edible school garden program in
December 2008, and many individuals and organizations have signed on since then,
including three local houses of worship, the Farmers Solidarity Project,
Highland Park Community Food Pantry, the public library's Green Teens group,
and now the public school district.
School system funding
is low in New Jersey like everywhere else, but POP was able to secure a $10,000
grant through the Sustainable Jersey Small Grant program, and now plans to
begin school edible gardens at each of the four Highland Park Schools. The
grant proposal even includes a "green collar jobs" component that would pay
Highland Park youth to maintain the gardens during the summer.
It's amazing
what you can do with school food gardens, if you have a willing school system, isn't
it? Click here for the story on New Jersey's newest edible school gardens. (And
thanks to Kathy Jentz of Washington Gardener Magazine for passing this on!)
Singing the
Praises of the Broad Fork!
Friends, I
have discovered a new tool this garden season, and have fallen in love: the
broad fork. While used in Europe for centuries, it hasn't caught on quite as
wellhere in the U.S., which is strange indeed given how positively dreamy this
tool is out in the garden.
No tool does a
better job of tilling soil than the broad fork. Basically an extremely large
fork with heavy tines, the broad fork allows you to till and aerate garden beds
by hand, using a natural motion that's easy on your body. It provides an
alternative to the noise, pollution, fossil fuel use, and ground compaction
caused by power tilling. And most importantly, they open and loosen the soil without
turning it, creating minimal disruption to the soil strata and to the soil's
living flora and fauna that exist at different levels and which are necessary
for optimal plant growth. (This loosening action is far preferable to the
pulverizing action of motorized tillers.)
Using it is a
cinch. You place it in the ground, use your foot and body weight to push it in,
(sometimes a little rocking motion back and forth helps) then pull the handle
down and back toward you to lift up the tines with a lever motion and break up the soil. Then
remove, step back a half foot or so, and repeat. (Remember to work backwards so
youdon't have to stand on soil you've just loosened; if needed you can also do
another set of rows perpendicular to the first.)
A variant of
the broad fork is the U-bar digger (pictured at right) - same basic design on the digger end, but a
different arrangement of the handles. I've tried both and can't decide which
one I like more, but I can tell you that if you use one of these babies you can
rip through 100 square feet of garden (or more) in relatively little time, and
with almost no stress to your neck and beck.
If you're not a broad fork/U-bar
fan already, try to find one and check it out - this is one seriously great
garden tool!
Urban Farming
Gets Real
Urban farming
is anything but a fad, as governments around the country, including our federal
government, are moving to support it. To quote wholesale this recent update
from The American Farmland Trust:
"The
federal government and a slew of states are pursuing ways to not only
officially recognize urban agriculture, but also to allow and promote urban
farming activities.
The Greening
Food Deserts Act would create a Department of Urban Agriculture within the USDA
and boost backyard conservation, community gardens and farmers markets.
Maryland is leading the way for states with a fast moving bill that provides
tax credits for land used for urban agriculture, and legislators in California
are getting behind legislation that acknowledges fresh and healthy food as a
"basic human right" and promotes opportunities for urban farms
stands, farmers markets and direct farmer-to-consumer marketing. Georgia is
looking at easing restrictions for private urban food production, Michigan is
tying urban agriculture to economic growth and Oklahoma has an urban
agriculture bill in play."
Wow! It's
great to know the "grow your own locally" wave is rolling across the
country. Let's use this inspiration to make it happen here in Montgomery County
too.
That's it for this week, friends! Don't forget to send us your feedback, as well as ideas for stories or local food events we can promote, by emailing us at [email protected].
Yours for sustainable local eating in 2010,Gordon Clark,
Project Director
Montgomery Victory Gardens