Over the course of this spring, I've had the awesome pleasure of gardening with two different sets of young people-- aged two to eleven. I.E., I hosted two groups of kids' workshops in my front yard. Back in February/March, we met to build, fill and plant raised beds complete with shallots, potatoes, green beans, tomatoes, peppers, and squash. In April when we gathered again for our monthly...
On Wednesday this past week, Hartsfield Elementary's Hawks, one of Hartsfield's after-school groups came for a visit to my garden. We chatted about everything from legumes fixing nitrogen to pollinators to varieties of corn to seasonally available produce to bees and chickens. They were especially interested in the methodology of grafting fruit trees. Meanwhile, we tasted snap beans, fennel,...
A recent article in the Jacksonville Times-Union, Poverty, But Obseity: The Hunger Paradoxdescribes the ways in which the lack of nutrition in "energy dense" foods and the availability of healthy food have contributed to a simultaneous obesity epidemic and increasing food insecurity. It's a great article about kids gardens, food security, nutrition, and the growing food movement. Also, take a look...
"The Man in Overalls Wants you to Have a Garden" By Kathleen LaufenbergFor Nathan Ballentine, gardening began as an elementary school pastime. Now, however, the 24-year-old Tallahasseean is on a mission to grow his own food, convince you to grow your own food — and get everybody to share some of what they've grown. "I love how food is able to bring so many different and disparate communities...
People invite me to their houses to for me to offer ideas and advice and/or to scout out sites for where I'll place their new Square Foot Gardens... and every now-and-again, they ask, "So is this all you do?" This question always makes me smile.I know (I assume) this question originates from intrigue. How cool, they must think, I'm able to keep busy just doing food gardens. If they only knew......