Ryan, Fernando, and Sarah stand proudly in front of their garden.

Fernando, his wife Raquel, and their two children Ryan and Sarah are participants in the 2016 Backyard Garden Program. Raquel and Fernando are originally from Brazil, and they heard about our program when they volunteered to translate our program application into Portuguese.

When asked about his experience with their garden, Fernando said that “it’s getting the kids to eat healthier and showing them where their food comes from”. His daughter Sarah, when asked what her favorite thing to do in the garden was, said she “likes watering, because it makes the plants grow”.

Fernando said that there isn’t one day where the whole family doesn’t go out to the garden to see what had changed from the day before. Often when Fernando is in the garden his young son Ryan comes to help out. Fernando noted that both Sarah and Ryan “are impressed that they’re growing things they can eat” and laughed when he recalled all the times Sarah would ask, “Dad what is this, can you eat this!?”.

Not only does their immediate family love this garden, but Raquel’s mother, a McPherson Park resident, plants in the BYG managed McPherson Park Community Garden. Often Sarah’s grandmother and her can be found out in the garden watering and harvesting, and Fernando said that the garden is therapeutic for his mother-in-law. As a chef Fernando has loved having the fresh produce and herbs for his cooking, and mentioned that he has had the chance to explain to Sarah and Ryan that sometimes they make salads with multiple types of lettuce. Not only that, but because they have their own garden they have had the opportunity to plant some things from Brazil that they can’t find in stores in the area, and Fernando’s mother-in-law has been able to use that produce in cooking traditional dishes that they missed.

When asked what this garden means to him and his family, Fernando said “it’s another chance for us to do things together, and it’s strengthening our family”.

For more information on how to support our Backyard Garden Program see our donate page, and for information on how to apply see our program page.

Dream of building gardens, organizing tomato workshops, or teaching students to harvest lettuce?  Think you’d fit right in with the crew below? Backyard Growers is looking for our next MassLIFT-AmeriCorps service members for the 2016-2017 school year!!

We have positions open for a Youth Education Coordinator and a Community Engagement Coordinator. Please check out our website (backyardgrowers.org) and masslift.org for more full details about the positions, partners, and how to apply!

The Massachusetts Land Initiative for Tomorrow (MassLIFT), an AmeriCorps program managed by Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust, is a collaborative effort of regional conservation organizations (including urban conservation and gardening efforts). Members carry out capacity building projects; educate or train individuals in environmental stewardship; manage community volunteers engaged in land conservation activities; and identify new people to participate in education, recreation, or service opportunities that address land conservation needs.

Members serve as: Land Stewardship Coordinator, Regional Conservation Coordinator, Youth Education Coordinator, or Community Engagement Coordinator.  These full-time AmeriCorps positions get a living stipend, an education award, and other benefits. Our 2016-17 program runs from 8/29/16 – 7/28/17.  Application specifics, position descriptions, and info about organizations hosting MassLIFT members can be found at masslift.org. Applications will be accepted until all positions are filled. Interviews begin mid-May, and we aim to fill all positions by July 29^th.

AmeriCorps programs provide equal service opportunities. MassLIFT will recruit and select persons in all positions to ensure a diverse and inclusive climate without regard to any particular status. We encourage applications from individuals with disabilities and will provide reasonable accommodations for interviews and service upon request. MassLIFT-AmeriCorps is a grant program of the Corporation for National and Community Service: nationalservice.gov.

Spring is here and we’re gearing up for our seedling sale, movie night, compost workshop and new MassLIFT members!

Summer Seedling Sale!

Fill up your garden with summer veggie starts from Backyard Growers! Tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and more!  May 23rd- May 28th at the Backyard Growers office. See our website for our address, times, and varieties: BYG Event: Summer Seedling Sale

Movie Screening: Can You Dig It?

Join Backyard Growers, The Common Crow, and the Cape Ann Farmer’s Market at the Cape Ann Community Cinema for a screening of Can You Dig It?, a film about the urban agriculture movement in South LA.  Sunday, May 22 at 6:30 pm.  See all the details here: CACC Movie Screening: Can you Dig It?

Looking for new MassLIFT Service Members!

Interested in doing a year of service? Know someone who is? Backyard Growers is a host site for MassLIFT Americorps, which allows us to have awesome service members make things happen in our community and our gardens. Please visit the MassLIFT website at masslift.org and click “Join MassLIFT” for the details of the position and to apply! 

Compost Workshop

Learn how composting works and how to incorporate it in your garden! Join us at Gloucester High School to for a composting workshop in collaboration with Black Earth Compost. Saturday, May 14, 3-5 pm.  See details and register here: BYG Event: Composting Workshop

This May, Backyard Growers will be very busy running events that help the community through all levels of growing–from compost to the dinner table (and hopefully back to a compost pile)! We are excited to host one Backyard Compost Workshop and three May Seasonal Cooking Workshops throughout the month.

On Saturday, May 14, we are holding our Backyard Compost Workshop from 3:00-5:00pm at the Gloucester High School Farm.

Any community members are welcome to come learn how to create a successful backyard compost pile! Turn your yard waste, garden weeds and food scraps into valuable soil amendment for your home garden. This workshop will focus on how to create a small-scale, low-effort composting system that will work for you. We will explore several different composting systems and methods,  as well as answer questions specific to your composting situation. $10 suggested donation for attendance.

For more information on this event, you can visit our page here.

After our Backyard Compost Workshop finishes, we are thrilled to be starting our new May Seasonal Cooking Workshops! This May class will be the first class in a series of three seasonal cooking workshops (May, August, and October) that Backyard Growers is launching to celebrate local seasonal produce. All workshops are held in the dining room of The Open Door. Each May course is the same curriculum.

The three May workshop dates are:

• Tuesday May 17 6:30-8:30pm
• Tuesday May 24 6:30-8:30pm
• Tuesday May 31 6:30-8:30pm

In these workshops local chefs from Short & Main and the Common Crow will teach you cooking and preparation tips. These workshops will focus on sharing delicious, healthy, seasonal-produce based, easy, kid-friendly, cheap, and fast recipes with you and your family. Beyond being practical, these workshops will be hands on, fun, and you won’t leave hungry! This is a family workshop so please bring your kids if they are 5+, remember to wear clothing you don’t mind cooking in, and please notify Backyard Growers at community@backyardgrowers.org if anyone in your party has any allergy or food concerns.

For payment information and to sign up for one of our May Seasonal Cooking Workshops, head over to our page here.

Want your garden to mean something more this year and give back to Cape Ann? Have you always wanted a raised garden bed in your backyard but are not income-eligible? Then sign up for our Get-a-Garden, Give-a-Garden program! When you join the program you help another family in need in Gloucester receive a garden too. Join today!

To sign up today contact our Community Garden Coordinator at community@backyardgrowers.org, visit us at 269 Main St, Gloucester or online at http://www.backyardgrowers.org.

Looking to spice up your garden this year without breaking the bank? Have some extra seed packets lying around? Then the Backyard Growers Annual Seed Swap is for you!

For the meager price of your seed leftovers, you can walk away with a plethora of new seeds beyond your wildest garden dreams! You probably didn’t want all 35 of those tomato seeds anyway…swap the rest!

The idea is simple: bins for each type of vegetable will be arranged and labeled. Simply drop your seed offering into the correct bin (labelled seeds please!), then start browsing. If you find some seeds you like, pour as many as you will use into provided envelopes (Don’t forget to label them! Your future self will thank you!).

Also available will be guides and demos for starting your seeds indoors (a must for tomatoes, eggplant and peppers).

Seed swap will be held TONIGHT Thursday 2/25 from 6-8 at 269 Main Street, just two doors down from Alexandra’s Bread!

Check out the event on Facebook:https: //www.facebook.com/events/1279398988743947/

Looking for a job at an awesome urban agriculture nonprofit? Check out our new Community Programs Manager position and apply today!

This is our team being rad. This could be you! 

Backyard Growers (BYG) is a grassroots, non-profit organization helping to reshape Gloucester’s relationship with food. We provide resources and support to establish vegetable gardens at homes, housing communities, organizations, and schools. In the end we create life-long gardeners inspired by the power of growing one’s own food. For more information about Backyard Growers, please visit http://www.backyardgrowers.org.

 

Your kids already love gardens in their schools, why not get a garden in your own backyard?!

Apply by February 12 to our Backyard Garden Program to get a raised garden bed, compost, seeds, seedlings, and garden training and support for 2 years!

For more information or to sign up go to our program page!