What's in the Weather Forecast and on the Calendar?

What's in the weather forecast and on the calendar?

SUN is in the forecast and a Volunteer Work Day in the Philbrick Community Garden in Duxbury is on the calendar for this Friday, March 25th at 10am!

So, while it might not feel like spring today - come join us this Friday for a true taste. We'll be working in the back plot of our Philbrick Community Garden to remove some chicken-wire fencing and posts that will be moved to the Plymouth Area Coalition for the Homeless in Kingston, MA (at a later date).

The work should not be too intensive, but we do need many hand to get it done!  We're excited that we'll get to re-use the fencing materials at the Coalition, where we are starting a new community garden this spring. So come lend a hand, share some stories with us about your winter adventures, and welcome in the spring season! As a little bonus, we'll set aside some time at the end to teach everyone how to make these newspaper seedlings pots:

Conservation George tending to the lettuce seeds he planted

on 3/14/11 in newspaper seedling pots.

We love these pots for many reasons:

1) We don't have to lug away as much newspaper to the recycling.

2) The newspaper pots can be planted right into the ground since the newspaper decomposes.

3) It avoids the transplanting fuss that many plants dislike!

Please RSVP to skugel@wildlandstrust.org or (781) 934-9018 ext.153 if you can attend this Volunteer Work Day!

-Post by Sarah Kugel, Community Outreach Coordinator, skugel@wildlandstrust.org

We Need Your Help to Establish a New Community Garden at a Local Homeless Shelter!

Proposed site for the new community garden at the Plymouth Area Coalition for the Homeless in Kingston, MA.

Wildlands Trust is partnering with the Plymouth Area Coalition for the Homeless to help the Coalition establish a community garden on its property in Kingston, MA.  The garden will begin to take shape this spring and will cover approximately 1,000 sq feet transforming an underutilized backyard into a productive garden and educational space.  Families staying at the shelter, volunteers, and staff from Wildlands Trust and the Coalition will carry-out the significant work involved to plan, establish and maintain a productive garden.

The project idea stemmed from a partnership between the Trust and Coalition during the past 2 years in which surplus crops grown in the Philbrick Community Garden located on Wildlands Trust property in Duxbury, MA were donated to the Coalition's food bank.  The partnership was a great success.  The Plymouth Area Coalition shared that, "Often times, a great obstacle for our organization is providing fresh and nutritious foods to clients.  The Trust's donation not only provides this, but also gives us the opportunity to educate people on how to prepare and cook items they may not otherwise know how to eat."  By expanding our partnership to establish a community garden on the Coalition's property we will be able to provide much more local, fresh food for the residents.  The project will also include opportunities for individuals to learn about organic gardening, community service, and land conservation.

The start-up costs associated with this project are $5,000 and we are currently looking for sponsors to help make this possible. Money raised will go toward fencing, tools, a watering system, soil amendments, signage and plants.  If you can help us reach our fundraising goal, please contact:

Sarah Kugel at skugel@wildlandstrust.org, or

Karen Grey at kgrey@wildlandstrust.org.


-by Sarah Kugel, skugel@wildlandstrust.org

Gearing up to Garden!

Sarah Kugel, an AmeriCorps MassLIFT volunteer with Wildlands Trust, at Kennedy's Country Gardens

WinterFest recruiting volunteers for gardening and trail maintenance projects!

Thanks to Kennedy's Country Gardens of Scituate, MA for holding an awesome lecture series at their annual WinterFest two weekends ago.  We especially enjoyed the organic gardening lecture by Cindy Prentice of Holly Hill Farm and are excited to start gearing up for our gardening season.  The Wildlands Trust website has been updated with some information about the community garden plots available in our Philbrick Community Garden located on the premises of our office in Duxbury, MA.  We hope you will consider gardening with us this year!

Here are a few of the garden-related resources Cindy recommended at WinterFest:

1. Soil Test Info: UMass Extention, 413-545-2311

2. Soil Foodweb: Soil health info for organic growers; sustainable agriculture info. 

3. Dirty Dozen & Clean 15: Environmental Working Group

4. Composting and Vermiculture (with red wiggler worms in a worm bin): Check the Holly Hill Farm website for workshops!

5. Local resources for compost and supplies:

-Holly Hill Farm, Cohasset: VT Organic Compost, Organic Plants, Organic Produce, Herbs & Flowers grown both local AND organically

-Kennedy’s Country Gardens, Scituate: Organic Compost from Michael Bleakie; Gardening Supplies & Plants

-Michael Bleakie: 617-750-6234; Bulk Organic Compost

-Snow Pond Farm Supply, Abington: 781-878-5581; Organic Garden Supplies, local

-Gardener’s Supply, VT: 888-833-1412; Practical, affordable supplies & equipment

Happy 1st day of March!

by Sarah Kugel, Community Outreach Coordinator, email: skugel@wildlandstrust.org