The Problem
food security in our community and increase the populations of native species, through education and distribution of seeds and surplus plant foods.
Our Plan
To continue to grow plants organically, donate plant-based foods with recipe cards to low-income members of our community, and fill storage envelopes with seeds to be distributed at our local public library's seed library with more recipe cards. We are also planning a series of classes, lectures and podcasts on seed saving, native species and cooking that will aid the older teens of our group to participate in outreach and public speaking.
Themes Addressed
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Compassion
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Food Insecurity
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Invasive Species
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Project Ideas
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The Benefit
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People
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Animals
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Environment
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Here is how the project went:
We accomplished the majority of our goals with mastery. Having gardened for seeds for several years (thanks to these R&S grants) we are more successful than ever. The recipe cards and community outreach were not fulfilled, but perhaps after review, we can find a way to inspire more gardening. We chose to focus on providing high-quality seeds and we definitely did!
Through this project I/we learned:
to identify many new native species of butterfly, moth and beetle! We were outside more, and also around a significant amount of flowers as the plants bloomed with each vegetable and fruit. We also learned of new techniques for non-toxic methods of pest control. The deep mulch method of Ruth Stout gardening worked exceptionally well for us- it kept weeds at bay, retained moisture and was a pleasure to experience.
What I/we might change:
The outreach approach, and our bee colony failed mid-season so we will purchase bees instead of relying on an extraction colony donated. Also, we will build another hive this winter. Since we only have 1 hive now, it's important that we get it right. We did notice less honeybee activity on our flowers and were concerned about pollination rates, so next year we plan to build another hive and also purchase a nuc bee colony.
My/our favorite part of this project was:
The seed harvesting! We had adequate tools and storage prepared, as well as high quality seeds and supplies to begin, all thanks to the R&S grant :) I can't thank you all enough- the incentive for these grants has really made it possible to learn over the years and significantly supply our local seed library!
Some tips, tricks or fun facts about the project:
Ruth Stout gardening method worked wonders for our garden, as well as the vermiculture inputs.