The Vermont Community Garden Network second annual Community & School Garden Track was success! We were pleased to partner once again with NOFA-VT on this special workshop series designed for garden organizers and educators with a focus on community-based food production. 60+ of the state's garden organizers attended the workshops and networking session. An enthusiastic crew of garden coordinators, educators, and other experts led the interactive workshops and connected gardeners with the tools needed to ensure vibrant and productive community-based gardens. Click here for more photos!

The NOFA-VT Conference kicked off our new statewide Grow It!
Garden Organizer Training Series and garden grant program!

The Community & School Garden Track was sponsored by TD Bank.
VCGN's garden organizer trainings are also supported by the Windham Foundation,
Ben & Jerry's Foundation, and Green Mountain Coffee Roasters.

Session I
Beyond the Backyard: Starting a Community Garden Project
Learn the nuts and bolts of getting a community garden project off the ground with practical tips and examples from around Vermont. With a Q & A and resources to take home, this workshop will give you lots of ideas and the tools you need to start your garden project. With Khris Flack, Fresh Start Community Farm, Newport; Bonnie Hooper, Burlington Area Community Gardens Site Coordinator & VNA Family Room Garden Volunteer; and Christina Palance, Walingford Elementary School Garden.

• Starting a Garden Project
• Raised Bed Construction
• Garden Organizer Calendar
• Garden Education Handout
• Garden Leadership and Good Meetings
• Bonnie Hooper Presentation on Site Coordination
• Khris Flack Presentation on Starting a Community Garden

Session I
Dirt: Strategies for building good soil for your home, community or school garden
Learn all about building organic matter, using cover crops, building soil health for preventative pest management, developing rotations, making and using compost, and community-based compost systems at this interactive session. With Wendy Sue Harper, NOFA-VT, and Noah Fishman, Highfields Center for Composting.

• Dirt Handout Slides - Wendy Sue Harper
• Noah Fishman's PowerPoint slides coming soon!

Session II
Growing school food year round to build community and curriculum connections
This workshop will inspire and help guide school garden leaders to expand food production and food-based curriculum with greenhouses and micro-green production. It is easy to grow during the school year and have a high impact on students - even on a small budget. These projects have a variety of curriculum as well as service learning benefits in the community. With Steve Colangeli, Middlebury Union High School.

• Farm in School - Steve Colangeli

Sessions II & III
Grow It! Double Session Intensive
This session is for community and school leaders who want to take their gardens to the next level. Learn about innovative strategies for transforming your garden into a community hub, maintaining strong garden leadership, good storytelling for fundraising and outreach, community composting, and more! The workshop is led by local and national experts, including Community Garden Specialist Betsy Johnson (American Community Gardening Association, South End Lower Roxbury Open Space Land Trust), Garden Writer and Consultant Charlie Nardozzi, Highfields Center for Composting Program Manager Noah Fishman, and VCGN staff. This session kicks off the statewide Grow It! garden organizer training series and includes information about new grants for community and school gardens and composting projects from the New England Grassroots Environment Fund, in partnership with Highfields Center for Composting and VCGN.

• Asset Mapping Activity
• Garden Leadership and Good Meetings
• Garden Organizer Calendar
• Garden Maintenance Checklist (Boston Natural Areas Network)
• Starting a Garden Project
• Raised Bed Construction
• Garden Education Handout
• Storytelling Handout (Charlie Nardozzi)
• Garden Grants Spring 2013

Lunchtime Networking Session
This fun and informal networking event was an opportunity to meet other garden organizers and share stories. Conversation stations included School Garden Connections with Katherine Sims of Green Mountain Farm to School and Sarah Huesner of the Burlington School Food Project; Garden Design for Food and Community with Ellen Ecker Ogden; Building Successful Community Garden Education Programs with Libby Weiland of VCGN; and a fun Garden Art activity.