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| I started a meetup group in February that has to do with vegetable gardening. I worried at first that nobody would be interested. Yesterday, the group has grown to 51 people. All mostly local, most under 30, vast majority beginners. We're talking about starting a community garden, about having a mentorship program for teenagers who need to do community service (the local justice of peace is really interested in giving those kids something meaningful to do), about recruiting older experts, about having a stall at a farmers' market. I'm observing a ground shift of perception of vegetable gardening. This hobby is no longer considered to be a province of retired folks. Wow.
To think that a seventy-year old might be a hero to a twenty-something who desperately wants to grow food and has muscles for it, but who has no idea how to get started... Mind-boggling, isn't it? |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by little_dani 9, S. Tex Coast (My Page) on Sun, May 31, 09 at 23:37
| Where are you in zone 9? I think your group is very interesting. Great idea! Janie |
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| Congrats, I love hearing about younguns getting involved in gardening. I never understood that long gap where a lot of young people weren't interested at all |
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- Posted by rock_oak_deer 8a TX (My Page) on Thu, Jun 4, 09 at 10:46
| So glad to hear your group is going so well. Keep posting on your progress, you might just get some of us retired folks interested in volunteering. I think you had posted a link last spring. Might want to post it again. |
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| Thank you all for encouragement. I'm in Pearland, suburb of Houston. My nose tells me there are more groups like mine all over Texas. I've searched for gardening groups within 100-mile radius from my zip code and five groups have popped up. There is at least one group in San Antonio and perhaps two or three around Austin. We have had two more people sign up since last week. This is catching and it's a good thing. And we are looking for expert members. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Pearland Radical Vegetable Gardeners
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- Posted by beachplant 9b (beachplant@excite.com) on Sat, Jul 4, 09 at 17:06
| Our neighborhood association got an empty lot from the city, it was foreclosed for backtaxes. As long as we keep it as a garden it's ours, no taxes. There are several community gardens on the island now and more planned. We have an open garden day once a month, anyone in the neighborhood association can get a plot free, and we are on the backyard garden tour every year. Backyard gardening is catching on due to the economy, there was an article recently about people turning their lawns into gardens. Yeah! |
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| The headcount of our group is up to 74 members. I hosted a killer meetup yesterday evening; the topic was starting transplants from seed and all the members got a chance to fill Jiffy strips with potting mix. We started 54 transplants or peppers, eggplants, and tomatillos for a community garden. Another session will be held next week for those members who couldn't attend due to holidays. We'll start 36 tomatoes then. And yes, we now have a community garden in Pearland! Starting bed construction next month. Cover crop was planted on the site by yours truly in October. Now I'm worried about volunteer training and database design. No, it doesn't end there. My partner in crime is organizing a farmers market in town which will start in March. So, for those of you who live nearby and would like to offer a few suggestions, I'm all ears. |
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- Posted by beachplant 9b (beachplant@excite.com) on Thu, Dec 31, 09 at 11:24
| There are a lot of great resources on the web for community gardens. I visited a lot of sites when chair for our local garden. Keep us informed on the farmers market. The one on the island is not really a farmers market, lots of stores have boothes and the ones in Houston are too far off so I'm really interested in a farmers market in Pearland. Tally Ho! |
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- Posted by redthistle 8 (My Page) on Thu, Dec 31, 09 at 22:42
| Surprisingly, there isn't such a Meet-up garden group in Austin. I am very envious of yours. I've checked the Austin Meetup web site countless times. Four or five years ago, someone tried to start one, and I joined and that made two members. It died. I don't have the time to head one up myself because I work full-time. Austin does have many garden groups associated with the Zilker Botanical Gardens, but there isn't anything independent that I'm aware of. You asked for suggestions...You might contact the Green Corn Project here www.greencornproject.org for info. on how they coordinate/solicit volunteers or your local Master Gardeners might be able to supply trainers/volunteers. |
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