Some of the leading causes of death are preventable diseases directly related to diet and nutrition, specifically heart disease, cancer, stroke and diabetes. Developing a self-sustaining, reproducible urban garden and improving access to clean, affordable, organic food is a social justice issue and a key part of the mission of The Charles Madison Nabrit Memorial Garden. This 3,750 sq. ft. green space in the rear of our partner, the Church of Christ of the Apostolic Faith, is Telos Training, Inc.’s biggest project to date.
So we’re happy to say “YAY!!!” we received one of the 2014-2015 Scotts MiracleGro Community Garden Grants and as part of the grant we get to attend the Scotts Miracle-Gro Urban Garden Academy on the Scotts Miracle-Gro Community Garden Campus in the AEP Education Pavilion at Franklin Park Conservatory… so “YAY!!!” again.
In February we’re signed up for four classes…
“Organizing your Community Garden I: Organizing People and Place – site selection, organization and governance, rules and bylaws, generating and maintaining community interest.”
“Organizing your Community Garden II: Making Your Garden Happen –Garden elements, soil basics, seed starting, selecting plant materials for your garden, maintaining your garden, composting and soil building.”
“Community Resources for your Garden Project: Hear from local organizations that may be able to provide resources, networking and education for your garden.”
“Programming and Sustainability: How to nurture your garden for the long term, including programming ideas, trouble-shooting, grant writing, and fundraising.”
Then in March we’re taking three electives…
“Start from Seed: Expand your horticultural knowledge with the basics of seed starting. Learn garden season prep, garden design, companion planting and plant timing. ”
“Create a Certified Butterfly Garden: Using photos and measurements of your home landscape, design your own butterfly garden that will meet the needs of specific butterfly species. Take home a butterfly plant tstarter kit that contains the plants necessary for a Certified Butterfly Garden.”
“Plan a Year of Edibles: Plant a garden that will produce fruits and vegetables all year. Take home guidance for preparing your garden for the year, month-by-month planning, and season extension techniques.”
The Charles Madison Nabrit Memorial Garden is in Region 5b. Old Farmer’s Almanac predicts April 26th as our last frost. With the information from these classes we’ll be ready to get seedlings in the ground and get an early start on the 2015 growing season.
Sounds pretty exciting doesn’t it? Fun, informative and important, it doesn’t get much better than that! I bet you’d love to know how you can be involved. Well here are five ways you can help Telos Training, Inc. increase community access to affordable, organic produce.
1.) Please, Donate $10, $20, $50 or even $100 to Telos Training, Inc. Here’s the donation link http://bit.ly/1sP64XB directly to the website www.telosinc.org .
We’ve got our Above Ground Drip Irrigation System, our Composters, Perimeter Fencing, Gravel Pathways & Solar Lights (almost) all done. Our next big things include some Espalier Fruit Trees (es-PAL-yay, a 16th century technique that trains dwarf species to grow in flat, two-dimensional forms, usually against fences and walls for maximum yield in small, sometimes inclimate spaces) and a Greenhouse. The fruit trees will be a great nutritional addition to the garden without taking up a lot of space. And using the espalier technique will make the harvesting easier-even for a (very) short person, while minimizing the waste from unharvested fruit falling from high branches and rotting on the ground. A large, sturdy Greenhouse will allow us to better utilize our rain barrels and start our seeds early, control the “hardening off” process, better manage the transplanting and keep new seedlings going all season to increase our overall yield-and grow more produce for the community. And we’ll be able to host more Seed Starting classes and involve more neighborhood children, which is great because The Charles Madison Nabrit Memorial Garden is not just behind the church of a 100+ year old, predominantly black congregation, it’s also right next door to the Brentnell Recreation Center!
2.) Please, Ask if your company does matching contributions for charitable donations, and if they do please let them know when you donate to Telos Training, Inc. and double your impact!
3.) Please, “Like” us on Facebook and “Share” this information across all your social media networks. We want people to know about urban organic gardening and how to make whole, live food more affordable and more accessible to more people. Maybe you’ll want to create an organic garden at your church, temple, mosque, community center or neighborhood park.
4.) Please Visit our onsite Farmer’s Market & Bake Sale, Wednesday afternoons from 4-7, in the rear of the Church of Christ of the Apostolic Faith, 1200 Brentnell Avenue, Columbus, OH 43219 when the weather breaks. Please remember to bring your own bag- Recycle, Reuse! The Charles Madison Nabrit Memorial Garden isn’t a supermarket so we don’t keep food in stock and we only sell what’s ready, but you’ll know it’s fresh because we “pick to order”!
5.) Please, Log In at Amazonsmile.com if you do online shopping and list Telos Training, Inc. as your charitable organization. If you do, Amazon will donate 0.5% of your eligible purchase to us. Yeah, I know it’s just 0.5% but every little bit helps…Espalier Fruit Trees and Greenhouses are not cheap!
The Charles Madison Nabrit Memorial Garden was launched in 2014 and we had a great start and a ton of support. Here’s a video from last year’s Indiegogo campaign…
The Charles Madison Nabrit Memorial Garden http://bit.ly/1zkdObL
with this year’s earlier start and even more support from even more people, 2015 will be tremendous! Thanks!