Garden Organizing Gets Started for 2008

Posted by Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin on February 18, 2008

Don’t let those low temperatures outside get you down, think spring and think gardening and outdoor activity.  During 2007 the Latino Enterprise Center supported the establishment of a community garden North of Northfield behind the Benjamin Bus company (by the radio tower). Given the good response and the commitment from the land manager to continue to provide the space, we have started to plan our 2008 season.

This project was designed to introduce Latino folks into the local food production system, healthier ways of living and a setting to interact with other families and connect with the rest of the community.  To do this, the best motivator was to find ways to plant traditional food products and to involve whole families as much as possible. There are many health benefits derived from a good hour a day and half a Saturday spent gardening, the most beneficial aspect of gardening for these families is probably their ability to network and build community at their own pace while building a food system where old traditions are passed on through the use of the land.  For the individuals who came by themselves, some of them have visited local farmers, grown chickens and experimented with other products, at least seven of them found market gardening to be a possible way of making a living and will be starting to produce for markets during the 2008 season.

On February 12th this year, a group of regional farmers members of the Minnesota Sustainable Farming Association gathered to discuss farm related issues.  The small contingent of aspiring Latino farmers, although shy and unable to understand everything being discussed, joined this group and are now set to participate at the March 8th, CSA sign-up day organized by Just Food Coop.

One market gardeners will be growing around 25 varieties of vegetables for delivery through the season (customers must sign-up and buy a produce share to be part of the program).

Six other folks will raise meat chickens in an acre of pasture that was prepared last year. Chickens will be free ranged on pastures without chemicals.  This chickens will be sold as CSA shares, and sign-up is required.  Both projects will have materials and instructions at the Just Food Cooperative March 8th sign-up.

Through this initiative we hope to keep engaging new families, both those who have land to share, and those interested in using it around Northfield.  Our mission through this program is to continue building a healthier locally based food system and engaging Latino families with the rest of the community through the tradition of working the land, sharing recipes, stories from their homelands, and learning from the local farming traditions and stories.