Homegrown Chicago Food Garden Network Community Vegetable Garden Training & Support Program Do you want grow your own food in a garden you share with friends and neighbors? Do you have a community food garden that you think could be better – so that more people would join and work more closely together? If so, then Openlands has just the program for you!!! Because you can’t have a “community garden” without a “community” Openlands offers four workshops to help members of your garden learn how to start and run the garden more effectively.
In addition, HomeGrown Chicago members will get a manual, garden materials, technical assistance and membership in the HomeGrown Chicago Food Garden Network.
Workshop 1- March 24, 2012 – 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Meet successful allotment gardeners and learn the history of this movement. Learn how to find, test and secure land for your garden. Workshop 2- March 31, 2012 – 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Learn how to establish a healthy organization as the first step to ensure that the garden is run effectively, cooperatively and sustainably. Workshop 3- April 7, 2012 – 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Designing the garden, and growing vegetables organically Workshop 4- April 14, 2012 – 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. . Hands-on demonstrations of building & installing garden structures such as raised beds & trellises in a garden
Classes will be held at Openlands' offices, 25 E. Washington, Suite 1650, Chicago. HomeGrown is for groups, not individuals. Each garden group is asked to send four representatives. Registration is limited and starts January 13, 2012 , ends March 10, 2012. For an application contact Julie Samuels jsamuels@openlands.org or call 312/863-6256 See also the Openlands web site for more information. Please see attached flyer and share with others
HomeGrown Chicago's emphasis on small, community-run vegetable gardens has strong roots in the Victory Garden movement that swept the country during World War II in response to food shortages. Massive citywide efforts were undertaken by an "army of gardeners" comprising hundreds of thousands of average citizens who fed Chicago through 1,500 community gardens and more than 250,000 home gardens that were carved out of vacant lots, backyards and city parks. Today, Chicago continues this tradition with an estimated 600 community gardens.
