Eco
Here's a video update on how the three bean varieties and the pollinator garden along the Wellwood Park tennis courts are progressing after the first month. Several of the beans are just beginning to bloom with a sweet light purple flower - good news that those plants have fully matured and are ready to begin reproducing. The west side of our tennis planter area gets significantly more sun than the east - something to keep in mind next year - but, I expect those east side stragglers to catch up.
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Stewardship
If you are lucky - like Merchantville - you have farmer's markets in your area. But that can get very expensive and take time - driving to the market, parking, then make your way through others trying to get their fresh produce in the few hours that the market is open. So what is the alternative? Growing your own food. It's possible on a small scale, regardless of time, space, money and knowledge. And, encouraging children to grow their own food is one of the best things parents can do. It teaches them responsibility for a living thing, that vegetables can taste good and that they can become more self sufficient and not reliant on big food companies. If you need help getting started message us at IE Merchantville!
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Stewardship
Mother Earth News shares a great article on how you can simply recycle your own grounds and expect to produce a few pounds of beautiful oyster mushrooms a week—at which point you’ll need to create an oyster mushroom dressing, sautéing your harvest in a balsamic vinaigrette and tossing it over fresh greens crumbled with feta cheese. Step-by-step instructions.
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Stewardship
Yesterday, Merchantville School's Dina Turan and her Garden Club third grade 'Sprouts' planted a sensory pollinator garden at the Community Center Garden with Incredible Edible Merchantville member, Betsy Langley. They planted lemon queen sunflower seeds, coneflower, yarrow and some butterfly weed donated by our friends at Sustainable Camden County. This activity meets one of the Incredible Edible Network's three plates - the IE LEARNING PLATE: "From plot to playground, Incredible Edible brings learning to life." Schools are natural places to start, with food playing an increasingly important part in the curriculum. Our group works with schools and their gardening clubs to pass on skills and get them growing.
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Stewardship
Wild Roots New Jersey is a resource and pop-up shop for people who care about environmental sustainability. They write about gardening with native plants, sustainability and raising a nature-lover, and host native plant sales in South Jersey. They will be hosting a Pop-Up Native Plant Sale at Occasionette, 725 Haddon Avenue, Collingswood on Sunday, July 9th form 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
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Eco
Only one more day until the start of a new Merchantville Market Off Centre season. Who’s excited? Here are our farms: Katt Paradise Farm, our longest tenured farm and vendor is returning for another season. We are so happy to have them back for our opening day on June 1st; Rosa Brothers Produce will have Old North Sea strawberries available in limited quantities - rare small berries found by the seed company in an ancient Viking village; and ,Sparrow Lake Farm will be there with farm fresh chicken and duck eggs. Here are some other vendors you'll see: Mikey’s Sharpening, Taddy Creations, The Flower Peddler, Graceful Knit Knots, Memom's Upcycled Crafts, Inspire Light Candle Co, Bijou Blessings, Bear Soaps, Clark Family Breast Cancer Services, Aradia's Treasure Metaphysical Shop, Watkins Wreaths, Tara’s Cozy Kitchen, Grace Church Merchantville New Jersey and Danette’s Kids Zone. See you tomorrow at 10!
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Market Off Center
Don’t just throw away those plastic pots your plants came in. Here are our favorite ways to reuse and recycle plant pots. Plant halo: Take an old plastic pot and cut off the bottom. Push it partway into the soil, and then plant your tomato inside. When you water the plant, the pot will retain the moisture and let it gradually soak into the soil at the roots. Planting guide: When repotting a plant into a larger container, place an empty plastic plant pot the same size as the smaller, original one into the middle of the container, and then continue to fill around it. DIY bug hotel: Stuff a pot with short lengths of bamboo cane, hollow stems, twigs, or corrugated cardboard, and then site the DIY bug hotel on its side in a safe, sheltered spot. Read more here.
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Eco
"Sustainable", a narrative documentary film focusing on Marty Travis, a seventh-generation farmer in central Illinois who watched his land and community fall victim to the pressures of big agribusiness will be presented by Merchantvilles's sustainability team - Incredible Edible, Green Team, Garden Club and Shade Tree - at Eilandarts Center at The Station Coffee on Friday, May 31st at 7:30 p.m. Determined to create a proud legacy for his son, Marty transforms his profitless wasteland and pioneers the sustainable food movement in Chicago. "Sustainable" travels the country seeking leadership and wisdom from some of the most forward thinking farmers like Bill Niman, Klaas Martens and John Kempf – heroes who challenge the ethical decisions behind industrial agriculture. It is a story of hope and transformation, about passion for the land and a promise that it can be restored to once again sustain us.
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Stewardship
Jack’s Beanstalk and pollinator garden is growing! Provider green beans, frijol-rojo-de-seda red silk beans and golden-rocky-beans were planted along the brick border wall at the Wellwood Park tennis courts on May 4th as a small project for our Incredible Edible Merchantville program and are coming along nicely. Enjoyed a successful morning on May 19th weeding, planting protective companions - marigolds - and watering. Looks like very few seeds have been eaten by the local inhabitants and we should have a pickable crop soon!
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Stewardship
If you look closely you'll see residents joining in the IE effort to add curb appeal and improve the life and look of their neighborhood with a curbside garden. Our "Herb Your Curb" project encourages Merchantvillians to reclaim this forgotten hellstrip and create some native habitats that will cool ground temperatures, absorb and filter rainwater, support pollinators, and bring a smile to the passersby. Get creative and join our community sustainability and land stewardship efforts.
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Stewardship
On Saturday, May 11th, at the corner of browning Road and West Chestnut Avenue along the bike path, volunteers from IE Merchantville and the Garden Club gathered to get their hands dirty helping to plant Merchantville's first Sunflower Garden. Lots of fun and learning took place as all participants enjoyed an opportunity to invest in community spirit.
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Stewardship