The summer aproaches, and with it brings many great events!

Saturday, May 31
Spring Fest and Sustainability Fair
Come to Hardwick for a parade, crafts fair and the Center for an Agricultural Economy's Sustainability Fair at Atkins Field

Thursday, June 3rd, 7pm-8pm
The Galaxy Book Shop Welcomes Bill McKibben!
Bill McKibben stops by our local bookshop to sign and discuss his new book Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet. Details at galaxybookshop.com


Friday, June 4, 1pm-3pm
Slow Money: Investing in Local Food Systems
NOFA and Slow Money present a workshop in Brattleboro, VT to kick off the 2010 Strolling of the Heifers weekend. More information and directions to the campus can be found here. There will also be a Strolling of the Heifers Parade on Saturday, June 5 at 10am, plus a schedule of events throughout the weekend.

Saturday, June 5, 9am-12pm
Hardwick Community Garden Work Day
Come work in Hardwick's Community Gardens! Help out students and parents of the after school program REACH! transplant their pumpkin patch while exploring the gardens along the Lamoille River.

Thursday, June 17, 10am
Hardwick Area Farm and Agri-business Tours
Brought to you by the Center, the second of these monthly tours will take you to many farms and business in and around Hardwick. Stops will include at least one vegetable farm, a dairy, a food processor and an agricultural non-profit organization. If you can't make June's tour, be sure to check out the ones in the following months.
Tours are $50 per person (children under 10 at free), and we ask that you pre-register seven days in advance to be sure to secure your spot.
More information and future tour dates can be found at the Center's website.

Saturday, June 19
Rural Vermont's 25th Anniversary Celebration!
Enjoy a potluck picnic, barnyard sale, farm tours, birthday cake contest, and much more. Farmer activist Will Allen will be a keynote speaker and live music will be provided by the local band Hillary and the Party Crashers. Visit Rural Vermont's website for more information and to RSVP to be entered for raffle prizes.

Saturday, June 26
Starts at 330pm
Heartbeet Lifesharing Open House & Family Day
Help the Heartbeet community celebrate their new barn! Enjoy tours, games, potluck, music and dancing at the Heartbeet Farm in Hardwick off rte 14N. Find details on their website at heartbeet.org

And save these future Summer Dates:

Saturday & Sunday, August 21 & 22
Kingdom Farm and Food Days
Come for two days of tours, workshops, food, music and festivities! Details can be found at the Center's website, with more information coming!

Updated Photo Album

Please check out our newly updated photo stream on Picasa. Click here or the photo album on the bottom left of our Blog.

Tours in the gateway towns of the NEK!

Have you ever wondered about the farms and food businesses in the Hardwick area after reading an article, hearing a news blurb, or eating a delicious local treat? Well, now is your chance to learn more by exploring the region's many farms and businesses.

Join an all day caravan tour organized by the Center for an Agricultural Economy (CAE) the 3rd Thursday of every month beginning in May and ending in October. Hear the stories, tour the facilities, and meet the people that make this area so rich in community-based agricultural enterprises as well as the subject of countless news articles and most recently, a book.

READ THE REST HERE

Vermont Community Garden Network Newsletter

May 3, 2010
published by Friends of Burlington Gardens
www.burlingtongardens.org

A special welcome to new VCGN members; our e-newsletter now
reaches more than 830 garden organizers and supporters!

In this VCGN e-newsletter:

I. Southwest Vermont Farm to School Conference - May 6

II. Community and school garden discussion - May 10

III. Vermont community-based gardens in the news

IV. Benefit Plant Sales build greener communities

V. FBG's Annual Fund Campaign closes in on $15,000 goal

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

I. Southwest Vermont Farm to School Conference - May 6

"Strengthening Farm and Food Education in Vermont"
Thursday, May 6: 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
School of International Training, Brattleboro

Initiated by Post Oil Solutions in collaboration with the
Brattleboro Farm to School Committee and World Learning's SIT
Farm and Sustainable Agriculture Initiative.

For more information and to register online please visit:
http://f2sconference.wordpress.com

Additional organizing support for the conference is provided by
UVM Extension, the Vermont Community Garden Network, and Vermont
FEED.

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

II. Community and school garden discussion - May 10

"The Dirt on Community and School Gardens"
Monday, May 10: 3:00 - 5:30 p.m.
Hartford Memorial Middle School Library: White River Jct
Sponsored by Upper Valley Farm to School

Attend a presentation and panel discussion with school and
community garden organizers moderated by Henry Homeyer, Valley
News garden writer and the author of The Vermont Gardener's
Companion. A tour of the Hartford Memorial Middle School Garden
will follow.

For information and to download a flyer, click links below:

http://www.uvfts.org/
<http://www.uvfts.org/wp-content/uploads/CGSPoster.pdf>

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

III. Vermont community gardens in the news

"Riverside Neighborhood Garden kicks off season"
WPTZ Channel 5: April 25, 2010
http://www.wptz.com/news/23261351/detail.html

"Colchester community gardeners hope for rebound"
Burlington Free Press: April 26, 2010
<http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20100426/LIVING13/4260310/Colchester-community-gardeners-hope-for-rebound>

"Bennington Sustainable Food Project underway at college"
Bennington Banner: April 29, 2010
<http://www.benningtonbanner.com/local/ci_14988134>

"Kids learn from Master Gardeners at community garden"
Newport Daily Express: April 28, 2010
<http://www.newportvermontdailyexpress.com/content/view/174632/27/>


\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

IV. Benefit Plant Sales build greener communities

Check out the benefit plant sales below starting this Saturday!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

10th Annual Spring Perennial Sale
Saturday, May 8: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
New location: H.O. Wheeler School, Burlington
http://www.growteamvt.com/events.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

26th Annual Tinmouth Plant Sale
Saturday, May 8: 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
http://tinmouthvt.org/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Perennially Green Plant Sale
Saturday, May 15: 8 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Flynn Elementary School, Burlington
Questions: flynnschoolpto@gmail.com
Volunteers: susanrutherford@hotmail.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

76th Burlington Garden Club Plant Sale
Saturday, May 22: 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.
UVM Horticultural Research Center
<http://www.friendsofthehortfarm.org/FOHFCalendar.html>

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dismas House 8th Annual Perennial Plant Sale - May 20-23
9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day at 1033 Pine Street in Burlington
For information and plant sale volunteer opportunities, visit:
<http://volunteer.united-e-way.org/chittenden/org/opp/10307396695.html>

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

3rd Annual Sweet Potato Slip Sale
Saturday, June 5 & Sunday, June 6, 10:00 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Red Wagon Plants, Hinesburg
<http://www.burlingtongardens.org/sweet_potato_sale.html>

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

V. FBG's Annual Fund Campaign closes in on $15,000 goal

The 2010 Annual Fund needs just $2,255 in contributions to reach
its $15,000 goal. If you have not yet made a pledge or
contribution, please consider
a gift of $10, $25 or more to keep VCGN programs growing.

Please mail your contribution to: Friends of Burlington
Gardens, PO Box 4504, Burlington, VT 05406-4504
or donate securely on line at:
<http://www.burlingtongardens.org/FBGorganization.html>

Thanks to all who generously support community and school
gardening in Vermont!


\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Please send upcoming event announcements and resources
of interest to community, school, and neighborhood
gardeners and supporters to the VCGN e-newsletter editor, Jim
Flint, at jimf@burlingtongardens.org.


\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

The Vermont Community Garden Network is hosted by Friends of
Burlington Gardens, a nonprofit supporting community-based
gardening in the Burlington area and across Vermont.

For more information, please visit FBG's website at
www.burlingtongardens.org or contact FBG at: Friends
of Burlington Gardens 180 Flynn Ave Studio 3 PO Box 4504
Burlington, VT 05406-4504 or call 802-861-4769.

Join us once a month for a guided tour of the area's farms and agri-businesses!

Have you ever wondered about the farms and food businesses in the Hardwick area after reading an article, hearing a news blurb, or eating a delicious local treat? Well, now is your chance to learn more by exploring the region's many farms and businesses.

Join an all day caravan tour organized by the Center for an Agricultural Economy (CAE) the 3rd Thursday of every month beginning in May and ending in October. Hear the stories, tour the facilities, and meet the people that make this area so rich in community-based agricultural enterprises as well as the subject of countless news articles and most recently, a book.


Beginning at the offices of CAE at 10am, Tom Stearns, president of the CAE Board, will lead a group of up to 25 people, caravan-style, to several different farms and businesses in Hardwick, Craftsbury, Albany, Greensboro and East Hardwick. The tours will be informative, fast-paced, fascinating and a fun way to experience the area. The tours cost $50 per person and are free to children 10 years and younger, accompanied by an adult.

Details and a registration form can be found on the CAE website. The tour dates are as follows:

May 20, June 17, July 15, August 19, September 16 and October 21