| Happy Days of Garden Dreaming! Happy New Year… we’re starting 2022 with a new name and a refreshed logo! We’re celebrating 20 years of helping people grow food, and during that time our mission and programs have expanded. Our work continues to center around community building, and we still provide community garden organizers with training, networking and resources. We teach in community gardens, and help plan and fund new ones. We’re also supporting gardeners in small collectives, outdoor school classrooms and shared spaces at housing sites. This spring we’ll roll out our new mobile classroom – bringing garden and nutrition education (plus seeds, plants and supplies) to people all over the state. To more accurately reflect the diversity of our programs and the people we serve, we are embarking on a name change to become the Vermont Garden Network (VGN). Our goal is to be more inclusive, broaden our relevancy and invite more gardeners to connect with us (and each other). As you can imagine a name change is a process, so you may notice updates and refreshes over the next few months. We plan a formal announcement in early spring. In the meantime, please be in touch with any questions, and thank you for your support as we continue to grow! Garden Events Get the network involved by submitting your next event directly to our submission page. Webinars, courses, conferences, one-time or reoccurring events, all apply! See what’s coming up on our Statewide Garden Calendar  Fund Your Garden Visit our website for a regularly updated list of garden-related grants. Stay tuned for an exciting new grant opportunity from VGN in collaboration with the VT Urban & Community Forestry Program – all about fruit & nut trees! Find upcoming grants on our Garden Grants page Connect with Fellow Garden Coordinators Our closed Facebook group is a forum for your garden management questions, and a platform to swap resources and share stories. Join the conversation! Get Involved, Get Inspired  Collective Garden Organizing Training: Winter 2022 VGN’s online Garden Organizing Training series is back – starting February 8th, 2022! This year we have special focus on “collective gardening,” including new material and special guest speakers to share best practices on this unique model of community-based gardening. Whether you’re already growing food collectively with others in your community, or interested in getting something started, this 5-part training will help you get organized, reflect on your goals and strategies, and gather tools and ideas to strengthen your growing community. In each weekly 2 hour session, you will… learn from real stories of successful collective gardens, be given prompts and templates to aid in your planning, and have the opportunity to brainstorm with experts and fellow organizers. Course fee, schedule, online registration and other details can be found here. Register by Tuesday, February 1, 2022.   Sowing Seeds Spring Internship March 21 – June 30 8-12 hours/week Are you interested in an opportunity for hands-on learning to support food access and garden education programming? This internship is designed around the early gardening season in Vermont and offers a unique opportunity to work with gardeners of all ages and diverse cultural backgrounds. The full internship description can be found here. Applications are due by February 15, 2022. Our summer internship opportunities will be announced in the coming weeks. Please email carolina(at)vcgn.org for more information. Community Teaching Garden Course: Burlington The Community Teaching Garden Course is a unique garden education program to teach adults how to grow their own food in a fun, supportive, and cooperative learning environment. The 6-month long course (Wednesdays 5:30-7:30pm) follows the rhythm of the growing season through lessons and hands-on garden work. Learn how to plant, cultivate, & harvest produce from your own 4’x20′ garden bed and expand your learning during monthly make-and-take workshops (2nd Saturday of each month) featuring herbalism, plant dyeing, and food preservation. Follow this link for more details, including course fee, scholarship opportunities, and online registration.  Snowshoe Winter Walk: Feb 13th Join us for VGN’s first ever Snowshoe Winter Walk! The walk will take place on February 13th from 1-3pm at Catamount Outdoor Family Center and will consist of a family-friendly 2-2.5k loop, at the end of which prizes for most funds raised, silliest hat, and best team name will be given out! Hot chocolate and s’mores will be available for all participants! Registration for the event is free and participants are encouraged to fundraise using the peer-to-peer platform. Please register online using this secure link. Network Asks & Opportunities Kids Garden Online Community The Kids Garden Community is a FREE online community for gardeners like you. Teachers using a school garden as a classroom, families growing herbs on a windowsill, Master Gardeners volunteering in an after-school program, community garden organizers creating activities for kids—however you garden with kids, this community is for you! This is your place to ask questions, make connections, access resources, learn from each other, and stay inspired. Together, we will create change for our kids, communities, and the planet. Join the conversation! NOFA-VT Annual Winter Conference 2022 “Dream Into Being” February 15 – March 5, 2022 Online The 40th annual Winter Conference: Dream Into Being, is an invitation to pause, collectively dream the agricultural future we long for, and learn together about seeds to plant today to grow the fruits of tomorrow. Each year, the NOFA-VT Winter Conference provides a valuable opportunity for farmers, homesteaders, gardeners, land managers, educators, students, producers, policy-makers, and other food-system activists to participate in our vibrant community event by sharing ideas, resources, and skills. It is a time to celebrate, gather, and connect over the winter. This year’s conference is mostly online, with more than 40 workshops and panel discussions, a featured speaker series, trivia night, film screening, four in-person outdoor farm socials, and more! Click here for conference details and registration. Join the Movement! Gardens for Hope & Health In this uncertain time, gardens help heal by providing hope, resiliency and food! Many more Vermonters are seeking help to start gardens and we are working to provide resources for people at home and in the community. If you can, please make a donation today so more people can grow their own food and build healthier futures. Click here to donate now  Since 2001, the Vermont Garden Network has worked with hundreds of communities and schools to start, sustain, and grow gardens, building strong local food systems and vibrant educational sites. Contact us – We’d love to hear from you! Email us: first name (at) vcgn.org Michelle Gates, Executive Director Libby Weiland, Statewide Network Coordinator Carolina Lukac, Garden Education Manager Abbey Haas, Membership Coordinator, AmeriCorps VISTA |