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Subject: Market Farming

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  • From: "Ava Devenport" <essenheal AT iname.com>
  • To: market-farming
  • Subject: Re: previous message
  • Date: Thu, 6 Apr 2000 14:48:27


Lawrence,

Going along with the theme of community gardening, we have many low-income
housing developements in and around the city. We got together a group of
Master Gardeners and interns through our local extension office to
volunteer hands-on work, experience and education regarding small community
food plots. We also got local company's to donate wood, nails, soil and
seed.

Once we had the supplies and the work-force, we went to the developements
and taught the residents how to build raised-bed vegetable plots, how to
plant, weed, care for and harvest their vegetables and at the end of the
season, a home-economist (also through our extension office) came out and
gave a workshop on canning, freezing, etc.

Each resident had their own raised-bed to plant and care for, this preceded
the possibility of any argument over who should get what. The project was
a such success, that the local homeless shelter requested the same project
for their soup kitchen and the Juvenile Justice System requested a
volunteer group to come over and teach the kids in their system how to grow
their own plants and vegetables. It did your heart good to see these
individuals find a little piece of heaven in the daily 'chore' of
maintaining their plots and receiving such joy from the 'task'. Nothing
to soothe the soul like putting your hands in dirt!

I also got together a group of volunteers to help one of the local
elementary schools put together a "gift garden". During the summer break,
the involved teachers and children planted their raised beds in Loofah,
Strawberry Corn and Bird-house Gourds. After they harvested, the children
decorated their bird houses, soaked and dried their loofah sponges and put
the red mini-ears of corn into glass jars for popping. Everything went
together just in time for the kids to give their gifts at Christmas. What
a delight that was!

Blessings,
Ava






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