Walpole, NH (January 20, 2022) – Monadnock Grows Together is a free local resource for gardeners and small-scale urban farmers looking for advice, information, and support. Monadnock Grows Together is excited to announce a free three-part winter workshop series, registration required!
Garden Planning Workshop
When: February 8th, 2023, 2:00-4:00PM
Where: Keene Public Library, Heberton Hall or Virtual
This workshop presented by Antioch University Community Garden Connections will help you to plan your gardens for the 2023 season. We will set growing goals for the year, map out plans with the square-foot gardening method, and engage with specific topics of interest such as seed starting, soil health, and pest management. Let's put hope into action together by planning for this growing season!
This program will be presented in person at the library, but you can join virtually through Zoom. For an invitation, please register at the link below and provide a valid email address. A Zoom link will be sent out at least a day before the presentation.
Getting Ready to Compost
When: February 8th, 2023, 1:30-2:30PM
Where: Healthy Home Habitats Demonstration Gardens, 25 Beech St. Keene, NH
It’s a great idea to turn your daily food scraps into compost, right? Then why is it so bothersome? Did you know that food scraps, when combined with other so-called yard wastes, are superior plant fertilizers over standard, commercial options?
Petrochemical-based fertilizers have no organic matter, important micronutrients, or the critical bacteria & fungi needed to create & support healthy soil -which creates healthy and delicious plants! Come see a variety of tools & methods in action that make it easier to turn your food scraps into power-packed nutrients for your garden & landscape -as well as the secret ingredients!
You’ll be able to touch & try various methods of inside & outside composting options to discover which works best for your lifestyle, family & space. Feel resourceful, satisfied and happy at making your yard landscape chemical-free, healthier and sustainable. As a bonus, you'll also be helping your community reduce its landfill waste! Please note: Limited registration spots available! Register today!
About the Presenter:
Michele Chalice is an Environmental Landscape Designer. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Landscape Architecture from the University of Illinois and a Master’s degree in Resource Management from Antioch University. She has practiced as a licensed Landscape Architect in Illinois and Wisconsin for over three decades. She now helps residential clients in the Monadnock region design and enjoy less yard-WORK in home landscapes that have less grass, fewer chemicals, more American/native plants, more seasonal color, and more nature…at home for a healthier family, a healthier landscape, and a healthier world. She offers home consultations on restorative landscape management, environmentally-friendly landscape designs, and co-gardening services. She is also available for public workshops and in-person or online public programs. You can find out more at www.HealthyHomeHabitats.com as well as on Facebook and Instagram @healthyhomehabitats.
Grow Food Everywhere:
Great Gardens for All Settings
When: February 28th, 2023, 6:00-7:30PM
Where: Virtual, Zoom
Get ready for an abundant, joyful gardening season in this virtual workshop with garden educator and farmer Deb Habib. The presentation emphasizes no-till methods that build healthy, living soil using low-cost local materials to create climate resilient, weed-free gardens. Be it container gardening for small or temporary spaces, or transforming a lawn to a food producing, pollinator attracting landscape, this workshop will inspire new or experienced gardeners as spring approaches.
This program will feature how-to slides, and time for Q and A and idea sharing among the participants and presenter. Home, community, and market gardeners with any level of experience are all welcome.
About the Presenter:
Deb Habib is a farmer, educator, and cook who loves sharing her three decades of experience to help grow healthy, vibrant communities. She is executive director of Seeds of Solidarity Education Center in Orange MA and co- founder of the North Quabbin Garlic and Arts Festival. She is the author, with her husband Ricky Baruch of the book Making Love While Farming: Field Guide to a Life of Passion and Purpose (Levellers Press, 2019). Deb holds a Doctorate of Education (UMASS) and MS in Environmental Studies (Antioch NE) where she has served as faculty.
Monadnock Grows Together is funded by the Urban Agriculture Conservation grant Initiative. The National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) established the Urban Agriculture Conservation Grant Initiative in 2016 to help conservation districts and their partners provide much-needed technical assistance for agricultural conservation in developed or predominantly developing areas. Since July of 2016, NACD and NRCS have awarded six rounds of grants, totaling over $4 million to 81 conservation district projects across 34 states.
CCCD is working in partnership with Antioch University New England's Community Garden Connections (CGC), the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT), Monadnock Farm and Community Coalition (MFCC), and the Keene Public Library within the city of Keene, NH to offer technical assistance, education, and gardening equipment to small-scale urban farmers and gardeners for growing their production capacity while conserving natural resources such as soil health, water quality, and pollinator habitat.
For questions or assistance in registration:
The Cheshire County Conservation District promotes the conservation and responsible use of our natural and agricultural resources for the people of Cheshire County by providing technical, financial, and educational assistance. Our goal is to encourage the stewardship of healthy soils, productive ecologically sound farms, diverse wildlife, productive sustainable forests, healthy watersheds, and clean water to ensure those resources are available for future generations. Established in 1945, the Conservation District operates out of Walpole, NH where we work alongside the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and other conservation partners. For more information, contact Amanda Littleton at 603-756-2988 ext.4 or email at amanda@cheshireconservation.org
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