December 2013 Newsletter for SFGF Certified Instructors

Official Publication of Square Foot Gardening Foundation

 Harvest of  News

In this Issue:

• Statistics on Certified Instructors
• Sow it Forward and Kitchen Gardeners International Grants for Gardeners
• Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
• Spotlight on Wakeman Town Farm, Connecticut
• Quotes of the month
• Get Inspired!
• Upcoming Events
  

STATISTICS FOR CERTIFIED INSTRUCTORS

SFG Instructor Statistics 2013

State and # of teachers (Total Certified SFG Instructors 559)
Alabama 6
Alaska 1
Arizona 10
California 41
Colorado 8
Connecticut 7
Florida 27
Georgia 13
Hawaii 20
Idaho 7
Illinois 20
Indiana 2
Kansas 2
Kentucky 6
Louisiana 7
Maryland 9
Massachusetts 5
Maine 1
Michigan 9
Minnesota 7
Mississippi 6
Montana 9
Missouri 5
Nebraska 1
New Hampshire 1
New Jersey 6
Nevada 9
New Mexico 1
New York 4
North Carolina 50
Ohio 21
Oklahoma 2
Oregon 5
Pennsylvania 7
South Carolina 24
South Dakota 1
Tennessee 11
Texas 25
Utah 46
Vermont 13
Virginia 10
Washington 10
West Virginia 4
Wisconsin 3
Wyoming 1

Australia 1
Canada 26
England 1
Israel 1
New Zealand 1
Mexico 1
Netherlands 2

Switzerland 1

North Carolina has the most with 50 and Utah is second with 46.

You can see that we have a lot of work to do to spread SFG!!!
Please encourage others to become certified teachers! 

 

Sow it Forward.org and Kitchen Gardeners International Offer Grants for Gardeners

"Do you know a school garden or community garden that could use a boost? Or perhaps you've been dreaming about starting up a new garden project in your community? Well, here's your chance to be a garden angel by applying for a Sow It Forward grant on that project's behalf: http://SowItForward.org  Our grants consist of cash, seeds, supplies, educational materials and an online garden planning tool. They can be used either to start or sustain a food garden project and are available to nonprofit causes located anywhere in the world. This year's 80 grantees included school gardens, community gardens, food bank gardens, library gardens, college gardens, senior gardens, tribal gardens and prison gardens from Portland, Oregon to Pakistan. Sow It Forward reached 24,000 people and helped grow 80,000 pounds of food this year. With your help and participation, we can double those amounts next year. There is no paper version of the application. Only requests submitted via KGI's online application form will be considered.  We do, however, have an application prep sheet you can download (word, pdf) and print which will help you prepare some of your answers offline in advance. The deadline is January 5, 2014 but we encourage you to start your application as soon as possible to make your request as complete and compelling as possible.  Don't hesitate to be in touch if I can answer any questions. Roger Doiron Weeder-in-Chief, KGI email: roger@kgi.org phone: (207)956-0606 PS: You can also earn your wings by helping us to spread the word.  As a tiny nonprofit, we don't have much of an advertising budget and would appreciate your help in getting the word out here: facebook, twitter, pinterest. tumblr, Google +" Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year from Square Foot Gardening Foundation to all our certified SFG Instructors. We appreciate you and wish you the warmest holidays ever! Spotlight on: Wakeman Town Farm http://www.wakemantownfarm.org/ 134 Cross Highway, Westport, CT 06880 "The Wakeman Town Farm Sustainability Center is an organic demonstration homestead open to the public. The Farm is a model facility created to educate the community with local healthy food production, responsible land stewardship, sustainable practices and community service orientation.    Activities include educational workshops, student internships, hosting after school environmental clubs, children's summer camp programs, growing fruits and vegetables, animal husbandry, providing a farm stand and CSA pickup location."   Open to the public, the center serves to educate the public on self-sustaining lifestyles, homesteading, and organic gardening methods. The farm hosts Square Foot Gardening classes as well.   Utilizing a grant from the Green Village Initiative to renovate the historic property, Wakeman Town Farm serves as a model for other communities to follow. They offer after-school programs and workshops. Here is the schedule of workshops for this year: Starting Seeds - March 9th Square Foot Gardening - May 11th Canning & Pickling -August 10th Bread & Soups - Sept. 14th Cheese-making - November 9th Candle & Soap Making - December 7th QUOTES OF THE MONTH “The single greatest lesson the garden teaches is that our relationship to the planet need not be zero-sum, and that as long as the sun still shines and people still can plan and plant, think and do, we can, if we bother to try, find ways to provide for ourselves without diminishing the world. ” ― Michael Pollan, The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals   “My garden is my most beautiful masterpiece” ― Claude Monet   GET INSPIRED What can you teach a child today? Announcements and Upcoming Events 1.    Mel’s book, SFG with Kids, is scheduled to hit stores and online book venues (Amazon.com) before Christmas. Don’t forget your copy – get several for family and friends! Click here to learn more or pre-order 2.    Our OFFICIAL ONLINE CERTIFICATION CLASSES to become a certified SFG Instructor Upcoming Dates are: January 7, 14 & 21 (3pm EST); Feb 5, 12 & 19 (7pm EST); March 6, 13 & 20 (12pm EST) Click here to register or learn more; Click here to sign up for a FREE trial 3.    Live Radio show “Get fit with SFG” on www.ftns.co Mon, December 16th, 23rd & 30th, 10:20am – 11:20am; Online at www.ftns.co (map) - Learn about how to get fit with Amie Guyette Hall on her web show, Fitness Radio! http://www.ftns.co  Amie features SFG every Monday at 10:20am PST 4.    The Lyceum of Monterey County, 1073 Sixth Street, Monterey, CA – December 5th through January 30th Ages: Family / All Ages Dates: 6 Thursdays - Dec 5, 12 & Jan 9, 16, 23, 30 Hours: 3:30pm - 5:00pm Instructor: Lynn Hamilton Fee: $60 (half off additional family members) Learn more 5.    FREE Square Foot Gardening Classes, Georgetown, Texas. An ongoing class held throughout the year, taught by certified instructors. Learn more 6.    Monroe, Ohio, December 29, 2013 – Square Foot Gardening MEETUP planned by Joanne Westwood, certified SFG Instructor Learn more 7.    Orlando, Florida, Harry P. Leu Gardens, “Basics of Square Foot Gardening,” January 14, 2014, taught by Ed Thralls; Learn more 8.    Picayune, Mississippi, SFG Classes February 22, 2014, from 10am-11:30am; taught by Brenda Myers, Certified SFG Instructor – Learn more  9.    Minnesota – Pat and Connie Lahr, Certified SFG Instructors and Gardening World Wide Square Foot Gardening Community Education Class Dates: March 4, 2014 - St. Michael, Minn. March 10, 2014 - Buffalo, Minn. March 11, 2014 - Howard Lake, Minn. March 13, 2014 - Monticello, Minn. March 18, 2014 - Delano, Minn. April 10, 2014 - St. Louis Park, Minn. 7 p.m. Learn more  10.  Zion Library, Illinois, Dunesland Garden Club, March 11, 2014, Square Foot Gardening class taught by Anne Marie Kowalski – Learn more 11.  Western Nevada College, Carson City, Nancy & Ken Clarke, certified SFG Instructors offer Square Foot Gardening Classes, 4/12/2014 - 4/26/2014 Learn more  12.  Western Nevada College, Fallon, Nancy Clarke instructor, Fee: $51.00 Dates: 4/12/2014 - 5/3/2014                  Days: Saturday Sessions: 4  Times: 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM Learn more 13.  Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park, 1000 East Beltline Ave NE, Grand Rapids Charter Township, MI 49525, (616) 957-1580 Square Foot Gardening Part 1 2014 Grow more food in less space with much less effort. Learn how to create the perfect soil, build raised beds, and use the square foot technique to achieve a bountiful harvest using organic methods. INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Richard Peters Tuesday, March 4 7-8:30pm Fee: $20 members, $27 non-members Applies toward MSU Extension Master Gardener education credit Square Foot Gardening Part 2 2014 Tue 03/18/14 In this extended course, designed for those who have taken Part 1, learn about growing techniques using trellises and cages, how to control common pests organically, proven ways to plant in succession, and tips for crop rotation. Then discover valuable tips for several popular vegetables like beets, spinach, snap peas and carrots. INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Richard Peters Tuesday, March 18 7-8:30pm Fee: $20 members, $27 non-members Applies toward MSU Extension Master Gardener education credit Learn more 14.  University of Tennessee Gardens, Crossville  - Saturday, April 5, 2014 Square Foot Gardening 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. What: Join Master Gardener Fred Mullen as he shares the techniques and tips to successful Square Foot Gardening. Where: UT Gardens-Crossville, 320 Experiment Station Road, Crossville Price: Free To register: Call 931-484-0034 or email gwisdom@utk.edu 15.  Denver Urban Homesteading, Denver, Colorado, March 8, Square Foot Gardening Classes by Regina Chilton- Parris Learn more 16.  Ongoing GROUP classes for 2014 with discounted rates “Introduction to SFG” by Jim Teahan, Certified SFG instructor. Jim offers various groups-only packages featuring classes in Salt Lake City, UT, throughout the state of Utah, and one package is offered in Utah, southern Idaho, and southern California. Learn more