THIS MONTH IN THE GARDEN

Gardeners are preparing for spring planting!

UNCG Gardens

The UNCG Gardens is in its tenth (10th) season this year. The community garden has 50 plots which are leased to groups at UNCG -- student groups including Spanish classes, the School of Education Global Garden, Classics classes, and faculty and staff. The extra produce is donated to Spartan Pantry, a food pantry on campus. Students in the Garden Club at UNCG hold regular work days on Wednesdays, facilitated by Susan Andreatta, professor of Anthropology. About 50 students are active in the Garden Club, but come out in groups of 7 at a time to work in the garden. The deep connections that students and then alumni make to the garden is what keeps the garden going.


Mt. Hope UCC Community Garden

The community garden at Mt. Hope United Church of Christ, in Whitsett, started last spring as a pizza garden for youth. The plantings of oregano, peppers, basil, and tomatoes soon escaped their rock circle (pictured in the photo above). As financial hardship from COVID hit, Cindy Hyle, the community garden coordinator, expanded the edible garden to 3 large mulched areas on the church grounds. They’ve grown 3 seasons of produce to share with the church congregations, neighbors in the community, and donating extra produce to Greensboro Urban Ministry.

UPCOMING OPPORTUNITIES

Growing More Than Veggies

Alongside fresh produce, community and school gardens grow deep relationships and community engagement, provide space for physical and mental wellness, and support life-long learning and academic success. This series will focus on aspects of community development highlighted through gardening. All programs will be held the 3rd Tuesday of the month, from 6–7 p.m. We plan to offer 4 sessions in the spring and 4 more in the fall.

This series focuses on resources and experiences for community and school gardeners in Forsyth and Guilford counties, and is open for anyone to attend! Each session will include both a presentation and time dedicated to questions, discussion, and dialogue. Facilitators for this series are Quina Weber-Shirk, Cameron Waters, and Leslie Rose. (FREE, visit the Extension website to register).

  • March 16: A Year in the Garden: Planning & Organizing for Success
  • April 20: Designing Gathering Spaces in School & Community Gardens
  • May 18: Drip Irrigation
  • June 15: Share the Bounty: Donating Fresh Produce


Other Events


  • 2021 Piedmont Spring Gardening Series, 11 am March 4 - April 22 - The horticulture agents of Forsyth, Guilford, and Yadkin Counties are partnering to offer an introductory gardening series. This eight-part class series will focus on general planting and maintenance tips for growing ornamental plants and edibles. The topics covered will be most pertinent to new and beginning gardeners, but all are welcome to attend! (FREE, visit the Extension website to register).


  • MU Sembrador Huerta Familiar Sostenible, 7:30-9pm Every Wednesday from March 17 to June 9, 2021/ Cada miércoles del 17 de marzo al 9 de junio 2021

  • The webinar series will be delivered in Spanish using the Zoom platform. The series will cover topics related to sustainable vegetable gardening, soil fertility, pest management, health & nutrition benefits of gardening, vegetable preservation, leadership & community integration, and considerations/challenges of transitioning to commercial production. 

  • El seminario en línea se impartirá en español utilizando la plataforma Zoom. El seminario cubrirá temas relacionados al cultivo sostenible de vegetales en huertas, fertilidad de suelos, manejo de pestes, beneficios nutricionales y a la salud, preservación de vegetales, liderazgo e integración comunitaria, y consideraciones/desafíos de la transición a la producción comercial.


RESOURCES



  • Does your learning garden need seeds? Contact Quina Weber-Shirk, Community & School Garden Agent, jjwebers@ncsu.edu.


  • Green Schoolyards of America’s Covid-19 Outdoor Learning Page serves as a compilation of resources to help teachers and administrators creatively and realistically navigate repurposing outdoor spaces as classrooms. Many of the resources listed here are not specially focused on school gardens, because the truth is you don’t need a growing space to have an outdoor classroom or to teach outside. That being said, many of the tips and strategies recommended by Green Schoolyards of America and their working groups are relevant to folks invested in school garden programming and infrastructure.