Plant a Row for the Hungry in 2010
This year, the Maynard Community Gardeners are encouraging our members and the general public to Plant a Row for the Hungry. This program, a national effort started by the Garden Writers Association in 1995, is a simple way for gardeners in Maynard to provide nutritious, healthful, local, fresh produce to the Maynard Food Bank and Open Table Maynard. Just plant an extra row of one or more types of edibles, and bring the produce to our Plant a Row coordinator’s house. If you are interested in participating, please contact us for details.
Community-supported agriculture 2009
Many MCG members don’t grow vegetables or fruit, but still want to eat delicious, fresh, local, and organic produce. That’s where farmers’ markets and community-supported agriculture (CSA) programs come in. Maynard is lucky enough to have a wonderful farmers’ market in town every week and several farmstands in the area, but until now, we haven’t had any CSA programs in town. This year, MaynardCAN! and MCG are working with Siena Farms in Sudbury to have a pick-up location in Maynard.
Siena Farms is a small (25-acre) family farm in Sudbury (113 Haynes Rd, right off of 117). All of Siena Farms’ produce is grown using traditionally sustainable farming practices; free of chemical herbicides, pesticides, fungicides and fertilizers (organic, but not certified). You can visit their website to see the list of vegetables and fruits they grow.
This is the 3rd year they have offered CSA shares, and they have a limit of 100 shares. They will probably sell out by the end of February, so if you’re interested, we urge you to sign up as soon as possible. Please email me [Email address: llines #AT# gmail.com - replace #AT# with @ ] (Lisa Lines) after you sign up so I can keep a running tally of participants.
Here are the details:
- One share is a half-bushel box containing a nice variety of seasonal produce, including both fruits and vegetables.
- The deliveries to Maynard will begin on Wednesday, June 3 and continue for 25 weeks (more than 6 months!), finishing for the season on Wednesday, November 18, the week before Thanksgiving.
- The cost is $750. This works out to $30 per week.
- Sign up either by printing and mailing this form with your check or by calling the farm and paying by credit card (see form for details). Be sure to tell them you want to pick up in Maynard!
- Pick-up location will be the front porch at 48 Summer Street (across from the American Legion hall). You will be able to leave the box on the porch if you would like to re-use it each week.
- Since the produce is perishable, we will ask that everyone pickup their share on Wednesday only. The boxes will be delivered by 4pm each week, and you can stop by anytime that night (no need to check in with anyone - the boxes will have your names on them). If you can’t pick up yourself, you can send a friend to pick up for you. We reserve the right to donate boxes that aren’t picked up to the Maynard Open Table.
- Splitting shares is fine, but you will need to work out the details between yourselves. If you can’t find anyone you know to split with, let us know and we may be able to hook you up!
Please contact me [Email address: llines #AT# gmail.com - replace #AT# with @ ] if you have any questions.
Kitchen gardening
All signs indicate that 2008 will be a big year for kitchen gardens. Food prices are up, people are interested in eating locally, and people are wanting to be more connected to the food they eat. In support of the goal of eating locally and growing our own food, MCG is sponsoring three initiatives:
- Gardenshare: Members who have a spare corner of their garden are sharing that resource with members who lack the space for a garden of their own.
- Mentoring: Members with experience growing edibles are matched up with members who are looking for advice or information.
- Kitchen Garden Day: On August 24, 2008, MCG will celebrate International Kitchen Garden Day with a garden tour and harvest feast.
If you’re interested in getting involved in any of these initiatives, please contact us at maynardgardeners [Email address: maynardgardeners #AT# gmail.com - replace #AT# with @ ].
For more information:
The Victory Garden Drive — pledge to grow your own!
Revive the victory garden — Why plant a victory garden? How can one person’s actions make a difference?
Out of the Yard and Onto the Fork — a recent NY Times article on the growing kitchen garden movement
The Revolutionary Act of Gardening — a recent NY Times Magazine article by Michael Pollan
Looking for the results of our 2008 kitchen gardening survey? Click here (you must be logged in to visit the page)