Garden Notes2016 Fall

This issue: Gardener Survey Inside,Fall Event Info and More!

DEADLINE: Sunday, OCTOBER 22nd

Fall garden clean up makes it possible for us all to get a good start in the spring!

PLEASE REMOVE ALL:Plastic Planting Containers String Tomato Cages Diseased Plants Fencing Burlap & Weed Cloth Sticks & Trellis Materials

Hunger Action Month

Agricultural Programs Staff

Alex BryanDirector of Agricultural Programs

Julie LehmanGarden Project Manager

Hilary ParkinsonGarden Resource Coordinator

Dilli ChapagaiImmigrant & Refugee Liaison

Ben CrockerBuildings & Maintenance Coordinator

Majel MaesOffice & Administrative Coordinator

Megan BaxterGP AmeriCorps Member

Ben SommersLansing Roots Manager

Katherine WilburMarketing Coordinator

Ian PetersAmeriCorps Demo Farm Coordinator

September marks Hunger Action Month for Greater Lansing Food Bank. During this time, GLFB highlights stories of hope and help throughout the community. Unfortunately, about one-in-five of our Mid-Michigan neighbors are at risk for going hungry. Visit GLFB at glfoodbank.org to learn more about how we can all work to help our friends and neighbors in need.

End of the Season Garden Plot Clean UpBring a trash bag to take home your trash and all other man-made items.

CHOP UP THICK, WOODY STALKS with a SHOVEL (sunflowers, corn, etc.)

HARVEST ANY RIPE CROPS (you may continue to harvest after the clean-up deadline).

Failure to clean your plot may cost you gardening privileges next year!

Grow-A-RowDo you have extra produce? Grow-A-Row is an arrangement with GLFB partner agencies (pantries, shelters, etc.) to accept fresh, garden-grown produce donations on-site. Your extra fruits and veggies can be used to help those in need! For a list of locations that will welcome these donations, the most highly requested items and other recommendations please call GP at (517) 853-7809.

The mission of the Greater Lansing Food Bank is to alleviate hunger one meal at a time, and to create a future where everyone has access to nourishing food.

SAVE THE DATES!Perennial Plant ExchangeSeptember 17, 12:00pm – 1:30pm2401 Marcus St, Lansing, MI 48912

A great, big, fun, old-fashioned plant exchange! Bring specimens from your home garden to share with others and leave with some new favorites.

Garden Project Harvest Potluck & Garden ShowcaseSeptember 22, 6:00pm – 7:30pm5815 Wise Rd, Lansing, MI 48911

Join us for some fun as we celebrate the end of a great growing season together and the beautiful, new Hill Community Garden. Short tours of our new greenhouse will be available.

For more information & to RSVP for either event, call (517) 853-7809 or email gardenproject@glfoodbank.org.

Garden Leaders Training! February 18, February 25 and March 11

Mark your calendar for the annual late-winter series of Garden Leader Training sessions. Begin planning now if you are thinking about starting a new community garden or taking on a leadership role at an existing garden in 2017!

Borrow from the Resource Center!

g Shovels, hoes, rakes & more g Water Baths & Canning Pots g Pressure Cookers g Food Mills g Canning Jars (can be kept) g Educational resources: books videos, fact sheets and more

Resource Center Open by Appointment

2401 Marcus St., Lansing, MI 48912Corner of Foster & Marcus, one block south of Kalamazoo (on Lansing’s East Side).

2016 Resource Center Stats

37 open shifts

1721 total visits

584 unique visitors

10,864 seed packets distributed

26,622 plants distributed

Serving nearly 900 gardeners!

Our new Flower Bed & Picnic Table

2016 GARDEN PROJECT HIGHLIGHTSVolunteers make it happen! We couldn’t do what we do without the dozens of individuals and groups, and countless hours of work donated by the community. Whether it’s sorting thousands of seeds, digging in the dirt or helping distribute resources, we appreciate your support. A huge THANK YOU to our volunteers!

More than 20,000 seedlings! We are thrilled that the new Hill Center greenhouse allowed us to grow our own plant starts for the first time! Located near the Southside Community Center, the site contains a large community garden and hoophouse. It was developed in partnership with the South Lansing Community Development Association, Lansing School District, and Sodexo Magic.

The GP community garden network now encompasses 130+ sites in the Greater Lansing area! More than 100 hardy souls braved the heat at our Annual Community Garden Tour. Participants could opt to walk, bike or take a bus to visit various GP gardens. It was a beautiful evening to explore the sites and hear community stories. Thanks to all who helped make it a success!

We appreciate our donors! Okemos Nursery School generously donated 650 pounds of seed potatoes, which our gardeners are now using to feed their families. Also, REACH Art Studio’s Teen Center designed 25 ‘tree spirits’ that were gifted to the Resource Center Demo garden. Thanks to all those who have donated plants and gardening supplies!

Lansing Roots is celebrating 4 years of operations! Eleven farm businesses are supported, including a honey bee farmer! Half of the farms are owned by refugee/immigrant families. More than 120 community members subscribed to a Roots Community Supported Agriculture (CSA veggie box) share. Farmers supplied produce and flowers for 10 farm market stands throughout Greater Lansing.

Andy T’s Farms, Bake N Cakes, Bath Township Farmers Market, Camphil Ghent Elders Community, Capital Region Community Foundation, Charter Township of Meridian, Chippewa Middle School, Christian’s Greenhouse & Flower

Center, Church World Service, Inc.(CROP Walk), City of East Lansing-Bailey Community Center, City of Grand Ledge, City of Lansing, City of Mason, CLEAResult Consulting Inc., Dewitt Millennium Garden Club, East Lansing

Food Co-op, Ed Hume Seeds, Garden Club of Greater Lansing, Great Lakes ACE Hardware, Hammond Farms, Haslett TruValue Hardware, Hastay’s Greenhouse & Flower Shop, High Mowing Seeds, Hope Network, Ingham

County, Irish Eyes, J.R. Albert Foundation, Inc., Johnny’s Seeds, Lake Valley Seed, Landreth Seed Co., Michigan Virtual University, MSU Horticulture, MSU Plant & Soil Sciences, MSU Student Organic Farm, Munich Re America,

Inc., Okemos High School, Okemos Nursery School, Pinetree Garden Seeds, Redwood City Seed Co., Resnick Family Foundation, Seeds By Design, Stiles Landscape/Lansing Gardens, Stokes Seed, Inc., Target, Territorial Seed Co., Terroir Seeds LLC, Tracy’s Greenhouse & Gardens, Urbandale Farm, Van Atta’s Greenhouse, W Atlee

Burpee & Co., Walmart, Whole Foods Market, Wildtype Design Native Plants & Seeds, Windsong Seed Initiatives

David & Pamela Aarup, Dorothy Armstrong, George & Lynn Baisley, James & Nancy Ballard, Kathy Ballard, Gregory Bird, Leslie Brogan, Char Brooks, John Broughton, James Caldwell, Linda Carmer, Kathleen Carney, Virginia & Thomas Cassaday, Peggy Champion, HyunJu Chapell, Donald Clark, Marc Cockerill, Russ & Susan

Cockerill, Amy Corser, Mackenzie Davis, James Decker, Ida Dulaney, Trudy Eby, Gail Ehret, Bethany Enright, Dave & Maureen Fetterolf, Adam Fisher, Emiko Fisk, Alice Florida, Malinda Funk, Mary Ellen Gavin, Jeanne Graham, Ron Hagaman, Constance Henslee, Shirley & Bob Holzhei, Timothy & Erin Hunt, Roz & Rick Huntley, Bo Kelly,

Marcia Kenney, Mike Kessler, Deborah Kile, Noah Koller, Gerald &, Kathryn Koryba, Roseann Kremer, Diane Lewis, Ellen & Terry Link, David Lockman, Viki Lorraine, Athena McLean, Anna Megel, Susan & Steve Meuche, Jay & Cindy Meyer, Jessica Miesel, Todd & Maureen Miller, Karen & Peter Miller, Sharon Monod, Kathleen Moon, Lori

Mourer, Deborah Mulcahey, Pam Nelson, Lisa Nowak, Cheryl & David Oczepek, Melanie Oudsema, Dennis & Ruth Perkins, Michael Pleyte, David & Marcie Price, Joe & Cathy Romkema, Jet Rosas, Kelly Rossman-McKinney, Loren

& Eleanor Sandborn, Mary Shoemehl, Gordon & Jeri Schultz, Zel Seidenberg, Judith Sikarskie, Roger & Susan Simkin, Gary Smith, Pamela Smith, Betty Solomon, William Sperber, Christine Sperry, Beverly Strassmann, Ruth Stump, Richard & Christine Tanke, Kay Taylor, Barbara Toman, Phillip & Beverly Trosko, Jean Tsao, Donald Turner,

Jesse & Melissa Williams, Gary Zehr

THANK YOU TO OUR 2016 SUPPORTERS

The Garden Project 2016 Gardener Survey

Please return by Monday, October 31st

This survey is being used to report back to our funders and get your opinions on your gardening experience

so we can improve it for you and others. We are interested in your honest opinions. This survey can be

confidential. You do not need to give your name unless you would like a response back or would like to be

entered in the raffle. Thanks you for your time! Please fold in half, affix stamp, tape shut and mail by Oct. 31.

1. Were your grocery bills reduced because you gardened this year? Yes No

2. Did your diet improve because of your garden this year? Yes No

3. Where do you garden? Home Community Garden-please name ___________________________

4. What is your home zip code? _______________

5. In my household, I/we: Have enough food to eat

Have enough food to eat, but not always enough fresh fruits and vegetables

Sometimes do not have enough food to eat

Often or usually do not have enough food to eat

6. What Garden Project services did you use in 2016? (check all that apply)

Visited the Resource Center for plants and/or seeds Borrowed tools Participated in a workshop

Sought garden advice from a GP staff member or volunteer Other _______

7. What did you do with your produce? (check all that apply)

Ate Fresh Canned Froze Dried Gave away Sold Other ______

8. Check the TOP 5 REASONS you garden:

To eat more fruits and vegetables ..............................

To provide food for my family and myself ..................

To grow food for donation ..........................................

To spend less money on food .....................................

To eat more foods that are traditional for my culture/family background ......................................... To improve my mental well-being ..............................

To be more physically active ......................................

Just to be outside ........................................................

To improve community/neighborhood engagement .

For community/neighborhood beautification ............

Continued on back page

Save a stamp! Complete the survey online at:

http://tinyurl.com/zur8kco

New this year!

Your completed survey

enters you in a raffle

to win Garden Project prizes!

9. Please rate each of the following aspects of working in your Community Garden:

Excellent Very Good Good Fair Poor Comments

The location of the garden(s) ............................................... How well the shed with stocked with the tools you need ..... The quality of the garden resources (soil, water, etc.) .......... The organization/management of the garden ...................... The social atmosphere at the garden .................................... The helpfulness of GP staff/volunteers .................................

10. What didn’t work? What do you want to see changed?

11. Given GP’s limited staff and budget resources, what resource did you hope to get more of? (Check one)

More tools/equipment More materials (compost, mulch etc.)

More plant starts/seeds More staff time in gardens Other:_______________________________

12. Will you garden with us in 2017? Yes No I don’t know

If No/I don’t know, please explain: __________________________________________________________

11. Any final comments on your overall gardening experience, or stories you’d like to share?

To enter the GP prize raffle, please write your name and best way to contact you.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

The Garden Project PO Box 16224

Lansing, MI 48901

Please Place

Stamp Here