Seacoast Eat Local

There used to be only two community gardens on the seacoast, now there are more like a dozen. The Seacoast Community Garden Network is a networking site aimed at keeping community gardeners as informed as possible. The new site is set to launch on May 1, 2010. Here’s how the founders describe the site:

The Seacoast Community Garden Network, a new social media and information-rich website, will launch this May. The idea behind the network is to gather all the community gardens under one umbrella to learn from each other, support each other, and help foster new community gardens and school gardens. Networking the knowledge, experience, and enthusiasm present in our community gardens is a powerful force for all to share and build upon. As the community garden umbrella, the Seacoast Community Garden Network will be a clearinghouse for information and resources, a matching service for potential gardeners and landowners or gardens, a support system for community garden issues like fund-raising, and a voice for positive change. The Seacoast Community Garden Network is a celebration of all our gardening efforts and will serve as a catalyst for the community gardening movement here.

On May 1, be ready: www.SeacoastCommunityGardenNetwork.org.

The Greater Seacoast Permaculture Group will be holding several classes over the upcoming months.

Sunday, April 18, 2010, 3:00 p.m. Sheet Mulching Workshop and Potluck, Dover, NH In this hands-on workshop, we will create new garden beds by sheet mulching. Two beds were created last fall by sheet mulching, so we can see how things look after a winter season, ready to be planted this spring! We’ll discuss the theory and benefits of sheet mulching, followed by some hands-on work. Then let’s share a meal around 5:00 p.m. Suggested donation for this event of $2-$8 to cover Meetup costs and handouts. Please wear weather-appropriate work clothing, and bring gloves, shovels, rakes, and wheelbarrows if you can! [4/11 - workshop postponed, will be rescheduled for later in spring or summer]

 

Sunday, May 23, 2010, 2:00-5:00 p.m. Permaculture Principles Workshop, Barrington, NH Optional potluck at 5pm. Permaculture (from permanent agriculture, as well as permanent culture) is an approach to designing food producing and human supporting systems in truly sustainable and ecological ways, mimicking natural systems. For this workshop Amy will talk about the principles of permaculture and show examples to illustrate how they can be applied. There will be a Powerpoint presentation, discussion, and time outside to look at already implemented techniques and envision other possibilities. We expect the class to run about 3 hours. We will have a potluck afterwards for any who can stay for that! We ask for a donation of $5-25 for this event. Please bring outdoor gear appropriate to the weather.

 

Sunday, June 6, 2010, 2:00-5:00 p.m. Beginning Beekeeping, Barrington, NH With an emphasis on natural methods, we will go over basic beekeeping terms, basic honeybee biology, equipment needed to get started, types of honeybees and how to  get them. Products and services of the hive will be discussed. What to expect in terms of time and money input, and where to get more information will also be included. If the weather allows, we will spend about an hour looking in the hives together. Please wear or bring light colored clothing, and consider if you’d like long sleeves and pants if we get into the hives. If you happen to have or can borrow a bee suit or veil please do – I will have some for folks to borrow also. We are charging on a sliding scale for this: $5-30 per person.

You can see their website for more details.