Supporting community and school gardens in Vermont.
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Our greenhouse is up! We are thrilled to see this project materialize through our partnership with the City of Winooski @winooskirec. We extend much gratitude to the grant support from @vermontfoodbank and to the contractors at @vine_ripe_gh for making this dream a reality.
Here is a little background on the greenhouse structure: Julie from @redwagonplants, in partnership with @new_farms_for_new_americans, were the first to erect the greenhouse structure at the O’Brien Center in Winooski almost a decade ago. A few years later, NFNA passed along the greenhouse management to the City of Winooski, and for several years it functioned as a community greenhouse where residents rented table space for starting their seeds. Consecutive years of vandalism to the greenhouse structure and property theft forced the City of Winooski to close down the greenhouse.
In spring of 2024 stars aligned and the City of Winooski reached out to VGN after hearing that we were searching for a location to build a greenhouse. We met with VineRipe and defined what it would take, logistically and financially, to relocate and reskin the greenhouse. A heroic group of volunteers and staff cleaned up the site at the O’Brien Center in preparation for the big move.
In early June, a tarp was laid down to mark the footprint of the new greenhouse at the Landry Park Community Gardens, adjacent to the Myers Memorial Pool and Offbeat Creemee. We could not have imagined a more ideal location! By mid August, the greenhouse had been reassembled and skinned with new plastic. The City of Winooski is working hard to connect electricity to power the vents and to install propane for the heater.
The greenhouse grand opening will be in March 2025. We’ll be seed starting 6,000+ plants, including many culturally meaningful crops, for our garden programming in central Vermont. We’ll also be demonstrating season extension (overwintering greens, perhaps growing ginger and turmeric, seed saving from biennials, so many options!), offering a series of community workshops and highlighting climate resiliency practices for garden-scale growers.
Stay tuned to hear more about how our greenhouse initiative unfolds.
This monday, members of the Starr Farm collective, one of three collective gardens that VGN has had the pleasure of managing this season, harvested August`s abundance after a productive meeting.
The meeting was called for a few reasons. One, to simply gather as a group after splitting up across weekly work shifts, another to harvest our abundance and share equally amongst the group, and lastly, to discuss the triple E virus threat, considered high risk in our county.
Despite this new challenge, members of the collective were able to develop a plan that felt safe and manageable by everyone within a short amount of time, allowing us plenty of time to connect about less stressful topics, harvest, and eat together. VGN is grateful to be navigating the various climate change challenges we are facing with all of our collective gardens members and everything they bring to the gardens 🙌
We are also grateful for @btvparks and the Conservation Legacy Fund that has made this work possible.
Happy September! We are honored to be the @citymarketcoop 40% Rally for Change partner for the whole month. Every donation helps us GROW. Please shop often and #RallyforChange. See link in bio for more info.
#community #gardeneducation #growveggies #localfood #foodaccess
Today we are grateful for edamame. It was one of the very few plants that survived flood waters at Seedsong (the collective garden we manage at the Intervale). We’ve started a list of “flood resilient food crops” based on our lived experience of two floods in two consecutive years. Other plants that surprised us post-flood are okra and tulsi, to name a couple.
But back to edamame: look at those perfect nodules on the roots! We often talk about the benefits of legumes and their ability to fix nitrogen, and now to actually see those root nodules brings it all to life. Those nodules allow more nitrogen to be delivered to the soil and build soil fertility.
Here is a glimpse into our Thursday mornings in a collective garden where families grow culturally meaningful crops together, practice climate-smart gardening techniques, and create community through shared land and resources.
Biweekly programming has been managed by Vermont Garden Network, in partnership with the @thefamilyroomvt and funded by @btvparks Conservation Legacy Grant. We extend enormous appreciation to VGN garden mentors Amy and Izzy, as well as to Family Room staff who lead a joy-filled parade over to the collective garden every Tuesday and Thursday mornings.
Photos descriptions:
Late summer harvest basket: corn, blackberries, kale, carrots and sungolds
Bitter melon growing on the garden archway entrance. This was one of the top three culturally meaningful crops desired by the Family Room community. @new_farms_for_new_americans shared these bittermelons with us, from seeds started at @redwagonplants.
Plant-based dyes: yellow (dyer’s chamomile) + blue (japanese indigo) = green! Children made pom poms and friendship bracelets with the plant dyed wool.
A typical activity day at the Family Room Collective Garden, with many ages and cultural backgrounds engaging in hands-on gardening.
A row of culturally meaningful greens: njama njama, kale, molokhia and collards
One of the few ears of corn we saved from racoons/squirrels. This is zapalote chico, a landrace corn from Mexico, seeds shared by Nando from @moonandstarsvt
Ecuadorian women taught us how to properly hill “choclo” (corn), while a young boy filled a wheelbarrow with weeds.
The bean tent building team. These bamboo posts are now covered in long asparagus and plump scarlet runner beans.
The garden in May, with burlap bags to mark the pathways and our experimental use of paper mulch where we planted onions (big success, we are now fans of this paper mulch!)
The community garden plots we were assigned in April - full of weeds and old trellises. We spent many hours weeding, tilling, tarping, and tilling again before we were able to plant.
After last year’s flooding at the Intervale, the members of the Seedsong collective garden gathered to process the loss of their growing season through creative writing. This summer, in early July, they shared their reflections, prose, and poetry with @vermontpublic in honor of the one-year anniversary of the flood… before knowing they were about to get struck with another.
Even so, this episode of Vermont Edition reminds us all why we value our #collectivegardening community so much. It’s about coming together, growing together, and weathering the storms together. We hope you’ll give it a listen — the link is in our bio. 💚🌱
"Molokhiyya is a plant and dish from the jute family, with roots tracing back to ancient Egypt. Today, it`s a beloved staple across the Levant and North Africa, with each region and family adding its unique twist to the dish. As a Palestinian-American, I grew up savoring this dish as a stew. Fresh Molokhiyya is hard to come by in the U.S., so my family would often bring back multiple bags of dried, finely minced Molokhiyya leaves from their trips back to Palestine or Jordan.
Our family recipe involves sautéing onions, olive oil, lamb, and spices in a pot, followed by water to make a rich broth. The Molokhiyya is then added and simmered to perfection. Finally, garlic and olive oil are sautéd in a separate pan and added to the dish. This stew is served over basmati rice with a generous splash of lemon juice as it enhances the flavors.
This summer, I finally saw the Molokhiyya plant for the first time while visiting farms and gardens in Burlington, Vermont. Witnessing Molokhiyya being grown here was profoundly moving as I felt a deep connection to my roots when the attempt to erase my people and culture is extremely prevalent. In the face of genocide and ethnic cleansing against Palestinians, preserving and sharing our food is a powerful form of resistance as it keeps our culture alive."
-VGN intern and @agroecology_uvm fellow
Last week, our dear Seedsong flooded again, on the exact day it did last year.
We’re still mourning our green tomatoes and almost-ready cabbage; our kale and future bok choi. This food sustains us through many months, both physically and spiritually.
Holding our grief - as a collective - is what we know how to do best. Just as we tend to our garden in community, so too do we tend to our hearts.
We sprung to action hours before the flood, harvesting everything we could from our garden.
Here we are sorting through our harvest in Amy’s garage. Music was playing, drinks were flowing, laughs - and cries - were had. We’ll get through this, with the sort of hope you can only find when you’re holding each other, feeling it all, and working together towards a more abundant future.
The Power of Community. Thank you to the VGN staff, volunteers and partners who mobilized and prepared for flood inundation. We are humbled by the proactive action and power of our gardening and farming community. We witnessed a resilient force that is fully aware of our new climate normal and working so hard to protect our fragile environment. @intervalecenter @aalv_inc
Photo: Emergency garlic harvest at Seedsong Collective Garden in the Intervale.
This week’s Seedsong dispatch is all about ABUNDANCE ✨🌶️🫛
July is always a special time in the garden: All of spring’s hard prep work comes to fruition in a big way. But between the latest heat wave and so much rain, it has shaped up to be a busy time, too. We’re working hard to keep up with weeding, succession planting, and watering—sometimes it feels like the to-do list is a mile long.
But at the end of each shift, we pause, catch our collective breath, and revel in the harvest together. Leaving notes for the next crew in our shared binder while we snack on snap peas and swap recipes… that’s what it’s all about.
🥬COLLECTIVE KIMCHI DAY🥬
Seedsong and Starr Farm Collective Gardens spent Wednesday night participating in our beloved kimchi bonanza! After a few hours of hard work, garden members went home with two jars of kimchi and a belly full of potluck goodness. We harvested over 100 pounds of cabbage from our gardens to make our kimchi dreams a reality! Here’s to community, fermented fun, and gut health!
You might be wondering how to make a #collectivegarden work logistically. How do you stay on top of tasks, not duplicate efforts, and ensure clear communication with the group?
At Seedsong collective garden, our solution is this little blue binder.📘 Every work shift starts and ends with pulling it out of the tool shed. Inside, we have:
🧑🧑🧒🧒 photos of our members
🪲 common harmful insects to look out for
📋 a weekly to-do list
🥗 a harvest log
🧭 a mapped out garden plan to remind us what’s planted where
With so many hands on deck, this enables us to divvy up the work and equitably share our harvest. We 💚 the binder!
What helps YOU stay organized in the garden?
🌻Seedsong Dispatch🌻
Collective gardens are like a chorus holding a long note: while some gardeners catch their breath in between work shifts, other gardeners pick up where they left off, holding the note of our joint garden song.
Last week, our Saturday crew spent the day carefully planting tomato starts, kicking off an exciting time of abundance in our garden. Our Monday crew resumed their work, cocooning our tomatoes in a blanket of straw.
By sharing the load of maintaining a market garden, collective gardeners are able to engage in a myriad of exciting tasks, and take breaks! It’s no sweat if you get sick, or can’t get to the garden to water seedlings. We’ve got each other’s backs.
Our Garden Like A Farmer workshop series continues! Y’all have asked for learning opportunities centered around irrigation and composting, so we’ve put together two fabulous opportunities to learn from local farmers, homesteaders, gardeners, and community activists.
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Workshops take place in fields, farms, and gardens around Burlington.
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FREE for everyone, registration required.
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Click links in bio to learn more details about each workshop.
@intervalecenter @soilcycle.btv @btvparks @vt.gardens
Three years into collective gardening at Seedsong (located in the Tommy Thompson community garden in Burlington) and we love it so much, we want to share it with the world. Here are some common questions we get asked about our unique plot of land…
🌱 What sets collective gardening apart from community gardening?
Collective gardens are communal growing spaces where gardeners share the work of planting, tending, and harvesting their vegetables in one large plot together, instead of independently growing in separate plots. Gardeners typically work in shifts to ensure the garden is regularly tended to (and because it’s more fun that way!).
🌱 What are the benefits?
More hands means more abundant gardens. It means shared expenses for tools, seeds, and soil amendments—and also shared knowledge, skills, and free time. Collective gardens feed more people on less square footage, which makes them a great fit for many different locations. And if you go away or fall sick, you can trust your community will keep the garden thriving.
🌱Do I need to know anything about gardening to join a collective garden?
Not at all! Collective gardens are ripe for learning from peers. Many of them have mentorship opportunities built into the work model, allowing you to learn as you go.
What questions do you have? Let us know.
#collectivegardening #gardeninspiration #vermontbyvermonters
Join us for the next workshop in the Garden Like A Farmer series!
In the face of climate change, small-scale growers face unique challenges in maintaining productive and resilient gardens. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) offers a scalable and adaptable approach for navigating these challenges. In this workshop, we’ll delve into selecting and applying low-tech and garden-scale IPM tactics specifically geared towards climate resiliency. We will focus on some of the most prevalent vegetable pests, including flea beetles, leaf miner, Colorado potato beetle, cucumber beetle, swede midge, and leek moth. Come prepared to share your own experience managing pests in your garden.
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Facilitator: Vic Izzo, agricultural entomologist from UVM and @agroecology_uvm
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Location: New North End, Burlington. Exact @vt.gardens location shared with registered participants. Sign up link in bio!
We’re excited to share our 2023 Impact Report. We hope the rich photos will provide inspiration as you tend the soil at the start of this years garden season. Thank you to all the volunteers and supporters as we continue to GROW TOGETHER! Link in bio.
#buildingcommunity #gardening #healthysoil #healthysoul
A harvest distribution day at a collective garden looks like this: a basket full of onions, winter squash lined up on a table and jars of dahlias. We believe collective gardening is an opportunity to increase access to fresh food and overcome barriers to growing food. And YOU can join this movement! We are looking to our community to help us kickstart a second collective garden in Burlington this season:
🌻 Starr Farm in the New North End - next to the dog park, playground, bike path and lake access - is where we are planting this new garden.
🌱 We are welcoming ten garden members to join the collective garden this season by offering ten full scholarships.
🍅 Applications are open! Link in bio.
These skill share workshops take place in gardens and farm fields around Burlington. They are fabulous opportunities to learn new tips, tools and techniques for growing food. They are facilitated by stellar educators who are passionate about the topics. And all workshops in the Garden Like a Farmer series are FREE thanks to the BTV Conservation Legacy Fund! Registration is required (we confirm the exact workshop meeting location with registered participants). Link in bio!
Job announcement: we are hiring a Garden Apprentice to join us from May through October! We`ve welcomed stellar apprentices in the past, like Carolyn and Jade who are photographed in this post.
The full job description, including hours and compensation, is linked in our bio.
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