Reserve your Victory Staples Party date NOW! Learn how you can get a garden in your yard and learn at the same time!
One of the ways that Fayetteville Grows Local can serve is by helping people start Victory Staple Gardens comprised of staple crops, and quickly help others to do the same. sp1. We already have two training facilities–Janie Schuman and Mary Lightheart have agreed to host classes and gatherings so that we can learn and practice skills to grow Victory Gardens comprised of staples we can live on.
2. People sign up to have Victory Staple Gardens planted in their yards. For $100 plus minimal expenses of compost, seeds, roots that I have to buy–I will help you and your group prepare, plant, and teach you to maintain and expand a basic victory garden which will contain at least 25 staples that might be able to sustain you in case of emergency, and will definitely be healthy wild and domestic plants which will save you money and enrich your diet. I am in the process of figuring out minimum and maximum costs for materials.
3. I will work with you to schedule the date of preparing and planting your Victory Staple Garden, and then you can invite friends, neighbors and family members to help. You can ask for a small donation to defray the expenses, and host a pot luck as well. Garden diggings can be scheduled all summer up until August. The later the garden, the less the food and variety–but you will be ready for next year. People who have spring gardens planted might want to reschedule for fall garden. We are working on 4 season gardening techniques as well.
4. All who attend the garden party will learn and be inspired to get their own planted. They can then invite their friends so that they can get their garden paid for and inspire others to get a garden dug.
5. The gardens will be adapted for small balconies and patios, as well as larger parcels. If you want a larger amount developed,this will cost extra. We are in the process of determining the size of the plot that we will train on. We will also be planting in nooks and crannies of yards–creating edible landscaping.
5. I am still in the process of determining the plants that will be offered. You can find a list of the ones we will choose from here.
6. I am in the process of identifying people who can duplicate the gardening party facilitation so that if things get busy, lots of people can be teaching. The goal is to have a victory garden feeding every household generously.
7. If you have a community garden plot, you can have a Victory Staples Garden dug and planted in the same manner. If you have friends and/or neighbors willing to let you use their land, you can do the same. There will be a website and other methods set up so that you can find share cropping opportunities.
8. If you want to start a neighborhood sustainable agriculture business, please check out the information here. I would encourage you to grow the staple crops and teach people how to prepare them to eat as well as plant, and store.
9. Other classes that can be offered in addition to the Victory Staples Garden parties are composting, making a worm composter, mushroom growing, food storage, healthy food preparation, and nutrition. They can be offered the same day as the Victory Staple Garden party/class for substantial discount.
Here are some services and skills I am needing right now for people who want to get involved with this project:
1. People to donate to help lower income people have Victory Staple Garden parrties. They will need to invite people to come and pay for the garden, and the money can go to fund another low income family, thus giving this donation a lot of power!
2. People who have root starts, seeds, plants, and knowledge of the staple plants that we are going to grow. I will be starting a forum so that people can add their knowledge of each of the plants.
3. People with trucks who can help haul soil amendments.
4. People who want to fund this operation so that it can move forward quickly. If 20 people paid me $100 in advance for their garden, then I would be free to work full time on this endeavor, with the goal of having everyone who wants a Victory Staples Garden to feed every person in Fayetteville. People who want to be part of a dynamic team who can help spread this far and wide quickly–who are dependable and respectful and knowledgeable.
The following description found at www.communityrootsboulder.com is the most sensible, simple, fast and cooperative way I have found to grow lots of food in Fayetteville or any city that can be accessible to many people. This is truly a win-win-win situation! I encourage you to check out this website and learn more, and then start your own Neighborhood Supported Agriculture (NSA) Farm. I may be starting one of my own! Here is the excerpt:
Community Roots is founded upon the need for:
- Local, sustainable models of food production
- Creating and strengthening community cooperation
- Utilizing valuable resources within our urban environment
Contrary to common thought, agriculture is not exclusive to rural areas. In fact, using intensive growing techniques, commercial scale vegetable production is possible in urban contexts. Whether by using a single, large urban plot or by piecing together a collection of smaller plots, urban farmers can grow enough produce on under one acre to supply their close community with a great deal of food and themselves with a healthy income. Along with the development of small business and the availability of healthy, local produce, the community benefits through new vigorous interaction and cooperation. It is with these ideals in mind that Community Roots has been created.
Community Roots is based in south Boulder in the Martin Acres neighborhood. With a collection of backyard plots totaling less than one-half acre, we strive to produce enough food to operate a successful community supported agriculture organization that supports our neighborhood and ourselves, and creates motivation towards other local urban agricultural efforts.
The operating principles of this project are very simple: landowners (homeowners, businesses, schools, public lands, churches) offer space for vegetable production. The grower (Community Roots) will develop this land into an intensive, productive micro-farm. Harvested produce will be shared between the landowner and the grower. The grower is free to market their share of the produce, which could be done a number of ways including: farmer’s markets, CSA (community supported agriculture), roadside stands, direct marketing to local restaurants, neighborhood cooperatives, etc… In very basic terms, this is a form of modern day sharecropping!
As desire grows for healthy, locally produced food, and heightened community interaction, we will naturally find ways to utilize our underused natural resources. Community Roots believes that these values are inherent and alive and we’re ready for Boulder to stand behind them. So keep your eyes open for your next neighborhood micro-farm, maybe you can even start your own! Please come to the market, buy local urban produce, get involved….let’s turn boulder into an urban garden and see what kind of city we can grow.
And I, Patricia, say, “Let’s turn fayetteville in to a food secure city where everyone is fed–we can be a model that can be easily duplicated so that next year the same thing can be happening in every city and rural area in the world!” That’s my vision–what is yours?
