Learning Library
These are a fraction of our favorite resources. Check back often for more. Call or email us to suggest others that you would suggest we share!
Local Garden Resources & Organizations
Local Food Resources
Gardening Education
Nutrition, Food, & Cooking
Policy & Advocacy
Research & Reports
Articles & Blogs
Local Garden Resources and Organizations
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Soil Testing
- UMass Extension tests soil from anyone in the country for nutrients & heavy metals for $18 when you send a sample. Can't be beat.
- MSU Extension tests soil for nutrient contents. Other tests available for additional fees.
- Compost (see more of how to make your own below)
- Reclaimed Materials
- Local Plant & Seed Sources
- Urban Livestock
Local Food Resources
- Michigan Fruit Availability Guide-- What's fresh when
- Michigan Vegetable Availability Guide- What's fresh when
- Real Time Farms - Everything about food in your local area...markets, farms, events, info, etc..
- Michigan Foodie Self-Guided Tours - Online brochures by Pure Michigan that offer regional tours which showcase Michigan culinary destinations that are comitted to buying locally.
Gardening Education
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Square Foot & Small Plot Gardening
- Creating Raised Bed Planters - By: Iowa State Extension
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How to Container Garden
- Square Foot Gardening for Beginners
- Make a Square Foot Plan
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Soils
- Improving Soils for Vegetable Gardening - By: Ohio State Extension
- Soil Resources from Michigan State Extension - Anything you want to know about soil & soil science will likely be here.
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Hoophouses & Season Extension
- Hoophouse Guide - USDA
- Hightunnel Guide - USDA
- Floating Row Cover Guide - USDA
- Field Tunnel Guide - USDA
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Community & School Gardening Start Up
- Start-Up Basics from Gardening Matters in MN
- Start-Up Guide from Gardening Matters in MN
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Urban Agriculture
- SPIN Farming. Systems of sub-acre food production that documents economic possibility of small plot intensive agriculture.
- BackYardChickens.com - Everything you want to know about raising chickens at your home.
- Also try RaisingChickensForEggs.com
- Local organizations-classes and workshops
- Matthei Botanical Gardens
- Toledo Grows
- Project Grow
Cooking, Food, & Nutrition
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Recipes
- Get Fresh! Free cookbook detailing how to use Michigan-grown food in healthy home-cooking.
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Cooking Measurement Equivalents for Whole Fruits and Veggies
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Food
- Tips to Trim Food Costs - By: Kansas State Extension
- Food Preservation & Storage - Dozens of resources from the Purdue Extension Service on how to preserve various fruits and veggies in a variety of ways.
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Nutrition
- Nutritiondata.com - Nutrition data for most foods, including raw, cooked and/or processed foods.
- Healthy Eating Pyramid from Harvard School of Public Health
Policy & Advocacy
- Michigan Food Policy Council
- Food System Economic Partnership-Michigan
- Federal Policy Advocacy Handbook - How to better advocate for more progressive federal food policies, from the Community Food Security Coalition.
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On the Public Health Law & Policy site, search for the following articles:
- Establishing Land Use Protections for Community Gardens
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Establishing Land Use Protections for Farmers' Markets
- Govtrack.us - Non-partisan website offering tracking of the U.S. Congress, including bill summaries, legislator statistics, and voting records.
Research, Reports & Data
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Food Security
- Food Environment Atlas from the USDA - Myriad demographic data related to food & food security.
- Food Security Data, Information and Resources from the USDA's Economic Research Service (ERS).
- Seeds of Change: Strategies for Food Security in the Inner City - Probably the most comprehensive document on an urban community's food system. 400pp (warning: large file!)
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Impact of Community/School Gardens and Urban Ag
- Urban Ag and Community Food Security in the United State: Farming from the City Center to the Urban Fringe - 30pp report on how urban farming can improve local food security.
- Health Benefits of Urban Agriculture from the Community Food Security Coalition
- Family Gardens Effect on Nutrition & Exercise Report
- What Good Is Community Greening? from the American Community Gardening Association
- Benefits of Community Gardens & Another One Quicksheet from Growing Matters in MN
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Community Food Project Case Reports
- A Dietary, Social, and Economic Evaluation of the Philadelphia Urban Gardening Project
- Lessons Learned from Community Food Projects, 1999-2003 from the Community Food Security Coalition.
- Weaving the Food Web: Community Food Security in California - a 21pp booklet detailing 8 community-based food projects.
- A Guide to Community Food Projects - Compilation of 7 case studies of innovative projects that were funded by the USDA's Community Food Project's grant program.
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Community Action Guides
- What's Cooking in Your Food System? - A Guide to Community Food Asessments - 123pp guide that highlights food-related resources and needs, and how to increase participation and collaboration. Includes 9 community food asessment case-studies.
- Community Food Systems - A Guide to Concept, Design & Implementation - 47pp
- Getting Food on the Table: An Action Guide to Local Food Policy - 87pp
Articles & Blogs
- The Civil Eats Blog promotes critical thought about sustainable agriculture and food systems as part of building economically and socially just communities.
- The Ethicurean - A leading blog featuring food news, food policy, food safety, and more. Make sure to check out their weekly e-mail digest.
- Purdue University Extension - Community Garden Resource Page - Huge collection of educational articles related to everything community gardening.
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