Pesticides on your food, How to decide between organic and non-organic produce.

file:///Users/growinghope/Desktop/EWG_pesticide.pdfEWG_pesticide.pdf

Growing Hope and Affiliate Gardens get into the SPRING Spirit!

Ypsilanti, MI, March 22nd –In celebration of the upcoming planting season, Growing Hope will host a Community Gardeners’ Potluck at the Ypsilanti Senior Center for all Growing Hope-affiliated gardens and gardeners participating in the Community & School Garden Development Institute (CSGDI). Gardeners from over 25 community and school gardens throughout Washtenaw County that Growing Hope has helped initiate or sustain will join together to enjoy food and drink, discuss successes and challenges from last season, share plans for the upcoming months, and give advice and support to each other.

While it might still be snowy and cold out there, the growing season is just around the bend. Excitement is building in gardeners’ minds, as now is the time to buy seeds, start plants indoors, and get your bed designs ready for the season.

At the Gardeners’ Potluck, Growing Hope will proudly announce the graduates of the Winter 2007 Community & School Garden Development Institute: Genesis Christian Academy and Cultivating Community, UofM. The Community & School Garden Development Institute is a series of practical and hands on sessions for groups interested in starting and maintaining organic gardens in community and school settings. School and community gardens are ideal ways to improve nutrition, enhance neighborhoods, foster education, and bring people back to the "roots" of how to till the soil and help something grow. Along with the two winter graduates, Growing Hope is preparing to assist four fall CSGDI grads start gardens. Genesis Christian Academy and Cultivating Community, along with four fall 2006 CSGDI graduates – Saline Community Garden, Riverside Neighborhood Association, Willow Run Alternative High School, and Daycroft Montessori School – will be unveiling new gardens this spring.

The five Thursday evening sessions of the Institute covered key aspects of developing and sustaining gardens, emphasizing how garden teams can effectively plan, start & maintain garden. Growing Hope has graduated 11 groups from the Community & School Garden Development Institute since its inception in the winter of 2006.

Growing Hope is dedicated to helping people improve their lives and communities through gardening. Based in Ypsilanti, Michigan, we work with neighborhoods, schools, community groups, and families to develop and sustain organic community growing spaces; we build on the strengths of individuals and the community to bring the benefits of gardens to all. For more information email us at info@growinghope.net or call Growing Hope at 786-8401.

Project Grow's Heirloom Seed Swap!

Growing Hope isn't running this, but we're excited to pass on this super cool event from Ann Arbor's Project Grow. It's been really cool to see Project Grow put focus on heirlooms in the last few years-- from an heirloom tomato seed sale, to the heirloom garden at Carpenter & Golfside, to this! Hope you'll check it out!

Project Grow’s
Heirloom Seed Swap

Saturday, March 24th, 10am-12pm
Leslie Science Center
1831 Traver Road
Ann Arbor, MI
743-996-3169
Projectgrowgardens.org


Project Grow’s Heirloom Seed Swap will feature hundreds of seeds including tomato, pea, bean, melon and pepper from Project Grow’s own heirloom garden!!
Bring your own seeds to swap or just come to pick some up!!
The seed swap will also feature a special exhibition of photographs of early rural life by the Washtenaw County Historical
Association, and a display of antique gardening implements!