FINALLY! Come have beers with AG neighbors and meet some of our Admin IRL! Sunday noon-2 at Metropolitan Brewery at Rockwell on the River (3057 N Rockwell St). Mix of meet-and-greet / AGA does this and that / Social Sunday with Suds.
Want to see our AGA Seed Library (YES. Yes, you do.) link to see
Got seeds from us? Reminders/rules of thumb:
**Depth to plant seeds is equal to the longest length (1/2 IN seed – plant 1/2 under soil).
**Spacing between seeds should equal the mature size of that plant.
**Keep soil of newly planted seeds moist for a week. Most will germinate and sprout in a week or so.
**Most seeds we had packs to give away are cool weather crops and can be planted now/soon!
**General ‘safe date’ to plant most plants and seeds is Mother’s Day round here.
Again, this year we’ll post surplus seed offerings to swap on dedicated FB group starting 2/14; drop off seeds at Swap Central(s) Sun 2/20; pickups Sunday 2/27. Review what you’ve got and what you’d like to grow this year in prep for the swap. We’re ~12 weeks off from average last frost, y’all! email or FB post questions if you got em! Need seeds – see link below photos!
What could be better than ‘seed valentines’? Ha!Seed Swap Pickup day – social distanced
We’ve cataloged all the AGA seed collection into one google sheet available for viewing online! Big effort and we’re really excited to share this tool with you. We’re also working hard to grow our network and get gardening resources to all our neighbors, so we created a companion short fill-in form below. Through form submission, we’ll send you a link to view our new and snazzy seed library. Get ready for 2022 garden season with Avondale seeds! https://forms.gle/WAz8cPUSXvGbjdkU8
Welcome to 2022! We are so grateful for the progress we made in 2021 and excited about our momentum going into the new year. While many aspects of life have been difficult over the last 2 years, our hyper-local network of agriculturally-minded neighbors has been thriving. Despite many logistical challenges, the AGA has grown exponentially in numbers and engagement. Our little neighborhood group of gardeners we started in 2014 has become a force for a more sustainable Avondale. Neighbors have shared a staggering amount of seeds, seedlings, knowledge, skills, and support. We should all be proud of the community we are creating!
In 2021 we took the skills we learned in 2020, adapted them to an ever-changing risk-assessment landscape, and continued to provide opportunities for neighbors to engage with each other around urban agriculture. Some events had to be adapted at the last minute. Sometimes appropriate venues were really hard to find. But we neighbors persevered and produced dozens of events with more engagement than ever. The Gardening and Agricultural Fair was back this year and was even more fun despite its logistical challenges. We learned that somehow, AGA bingo makes the world go round. And most importantly, we saw our network of support grow stronger as community members became neighbors, and neighbors became friends.
In 2022 the AGA will continue to grow our network with a number of exciting projects meant to redefine the meaning of “community gardening.” Community gardening shouldn’t be relegated to solo gardening of small plots in scarce lots. Community gardening becomes infinitely impactful when it represents neighbors gardening with and for their community. We work with our Mutual Aid Society and Community Dinners to help more of our neighbors have access to healthy, local produce. We are partnered with Linne and Reilly Elementaries to help bring sustainable agriculture practices to our schools, including community chickens at Linne. At the Mindful Living Garden, together we provide a healthy green space and food for our community. There are endless opportunities to engage in community gardening with the AGA.
In 2021 we learned that the good we do by bringing more green space to our neighborhood and increasing positive engagement between neighbors creates broader positive change than we realized. I hope you will start 2022 by joining us via zoom on Monday, January 24th at 5:30 pm for a discussion of Eric Klinenberg’s book Palaces for the People, that brings solid research to the fact that our fun AGA events and your community engagement create a safer and healthier Avondale.
So get involved! Come learn with us. Come teach us. The AGA can use any and all skills: seed saving, social media outreach, grant writing, project management, graphic design, physical labor, data management, bilingual skills, research, agriculture skills, seed starters, writers, team leaders, and literally everything else. Introvert or extrovert, you can make a difference in your community outside with a megaphone or in front of your computer. You are an important part of our community and we need you.
Come tour Avondale gardens and learn about all things urban agriculture and sustainability. Whether you’re an apartment dweller, a homeowner, or a small business, we’ve got something for you!
Things like: Make your own non-toxic natural dyes; plan a drip irrigation system; attract birds and pollinators to your yard; learn homebrewing and growing; resurrect your houseplants; make seed bombs; harvest and process medicinal herbs; discover the benefits of fermenting foods; learn beekeeping and much more!
It’s all happening Sunday, August 29th, from 12pm to 5pm in a walkable area of East Avondale. Meet your neighbors and join our support network for new and experienced “farmers” and makers.
Get a virtual map from this event page starting Friday, August 27th or grab a paper map from Concordia Place at 3300 N. Whipple starting at noon on the 29th.
*If you’re interested in volunteering, please reach out! The Avondale Gardening Alliance is completely volunteer run and all time and funding is donated! We can always use more hands on deck. AvondaleGardeners@gmail.com
Third annual AGAF is in planning phase! YAY! Neighbors are volunteering yards, skills, and demonstration topics. Reach out if you’d like to highlight a skill you’ve learned or are well seasoned on and/or if you’d like to join the steering committee.
Avondale Gardening Alliance 