Well, Grow And Share has distributed close to 17,000 plants into the community in addition to seed.  Hopefully Grow And Share gardeners will reap hundreds of thousands of pieces of fruit and veggies to eat and share from these NC plants!  More gardeners across the US are Pledged to share their own plants’ harvests in their areas, making the amount of food nationwide even larger!

The last few thousand plants in the greenhouse are going to a group in Western NC this week to help with a food bank near the NC / TN border.

Thank you, all, for participating in Grow And Share in 2012.  You are making a difference in the US fight against hunger!

Thank you, everyone, for supporting our music festival/giveaway and subsequent plant distribution.

We’ll be open Saturday and Sunday (May 5 & 6) for anyone who needs to pick up plants to grow and share.  Just call and let us know what time you’ll be coming by and we’ll have a Pledge ready and the plants all set to load.

After that, we’re shutting down the greenhouse and switching into teaching mode — classes at boys and girls clubs, scouts, meetings, etc. — so come and get your plants this weekend!

Food, Gas and Gardening – North Carolina Neighbors Working Together Are Making a Difference

Local residents work collectively to enjoy the fruits and vegetables of their labors as increasing fuel prices drive the cost of food higher.

Zebulon. NC April 12, 2012: Many North Carolina residents are finding budgeting harder and choices fewer as gasoline prices continue to rise. In order to keep healthy food on their and their neighbors’ tables, some are turning to gardening.

Gardening is quickly becoming the way good food gets into communities where money is in short supply. Neighborhoods are banding together to help each other eat well with a little combined effort… they can’t change the price of gas, but they can change how they get their food.

“In talking with local gardeners, the trend seems to be increasing the size of their gardens a little bit each year. Whatever their motivation—a desire to relieve a neighbor’s hunger, fill a food bank’s shelves, feel better about themselves, or fulfill a sense of duty—these people end up in their gardens,” said Kay Whatley of Grow And Share.

“It’s as if the ‘back to the land’ movement has been reborn. As gardening expands, people are asking each other ‘Buddy can you spare some time?’ as planting and weeding becomes a part of daily life and pitching in means more meals for more people.

One Zebulon NC nonprofit is encouraging everyone — yes, everyone — to take a little time and grow a little or a lot. Grow and Share provides gardening classes to teach people of all ages the art of gardening. Additionally, the organization grows plants to give away so residents, who don’t have funds to begin, can start their food gardens. The catch: only those who sign a pledge to grow more than they need and to share their harvest in their area can receive free plants.

Residents of NC and many other states have pledged with Grow and Share each year since its beginnings in 2008. Some pledge with plants they purchased, without using Grow and Share’s plants, just to help their communities.

“Gardening is more than just digging in the dirt,” says Leslie Flowers, Board Member with Grow and Share. “Gardening is about communities taking care of their own.”

Grow and Share is kicking of the gardening season with a community family-friendly event: the 2012 Giveaway & Festival on Saturday at Norris Creek Outdoor Entertainment Complex.

This free music festival opens at Noon on Saturday, April 14th. The lineup of live bands starts with Steph Stewart and the Boyfriends, followed by Old Avenue, and then Jo Gore and The Alternative. Between bands, performers keep the crowd entertained. Tasty foods and snacks will be available throughout the event. The Giveaway & Festival 2012 wraps up just before 5pm.

Vendors offer a variety of locally made and specialty goods. Other nonprofits will share information on their community services. And, several vendor booths will be “gardening education stations” to learn from expert gardeners and even play in the dirt! Inter-Faith Food Shuttle’s Nutrition Education Programs will be present to talk about gardening, nutrition, and healthy foods.

Sponsors include Debnam Hardware, The Grey Area newspaper, Zebulon Chamber Of Commerce, New Addiction Tattoo & Body Piercing, and The Kila Company. The festival and Spring plant giveaway is designed to be fun for the whole community AND to bring much-needed fresh-grown food to local tables.”

For more information on supporting the festival, or attending for the music and plants, visit www.growandshare.org or call 919.269.5414. Information on the venue, Norris Creek Outdoor Entertainment Complex in Louisburg, NC, is online at www.norriscreek.com.

About Grow And Share

Grow and Share is an educational organization working with US residents to fight hunger by offering gardening classes, plant and seed distribution, and community-building support. Events are designed to educate community members on how to care for their community and family from within through local food growth and sharing.

Our 2012 Giveaway & Festival is coming soon!

Grow And Share’s annual Garden Plant Giveaways combine with the Music Festival fundraiser to create a great fun Spring day for gardeners AND families AND music lovers!

Join us at Norris Creek Outdoor for SATURDAY, April 14th, 2012 from noon to about 5pm.

Parking and entry to the event are free.

VENDOR SPACES are available for sellers of goods and services.  Contact us for a vendor application form. A small $25 fee for vendor space during the event, which goes to Grow And Share. VENDOR FORM must be returned before APRIL 1ST to sign up at this rate.

SPONSORED BY: Zebulon Chamber of Commerce, New Addiction Tattoo and Body Piercing, Debnam Ace Hardware, The Grey Area newspaper, and The Kila Company.

MUSIC BY: Steph Stewart and the Boyfriends, Jo Gore and the Alternative, and Old Avenue!!

PLANTS GIVEN AWAY: only to those who sign Pledge To Share their harvest — cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, yellow squash, zucchini, watermelon, tomatillos, okra, cantaloupe, and much more!!

MORE INFO: Call 1.919.269.5414 or email.

Website http://www.growandshare.org

We’ll be giving plants away during the festival.  How Grow And Share works is each gardener, or gardener-to-be, signs a Pledge To Share their harvest.  They then grow food in their gardens — using their plants or ours — and eat some of the food, sharing a portion of their harvest with neighbors, strangers, and food banks.  We work on an honor system: don’t sign the Pledge To Share unless you are willing to grow more than you need and spread it through the community.

Wherever you are in the US, you can sign our Pledge To Share and participate.  If you are in Eastern/Piedmont NC, you can come to our Giveaway and get assistance starting your garden to lessen the $$$ you have to spend.  Especially if you are having a tough time, it can be helpful to get a couple dozen plants for free to supplement what you can afford to plant.

This year, we’re giving away a variety of cukes, melons, tomatoes, peppers, hot peppers, tomatillos, yellow squash, zucchini, okra, and much more.  These will be available at the festival on a first come, first served basis.  When we run out, we run out.  The plan is to have 20,000 plants ready and hand them out to folks as they sign their Pledges at the festival and head out after enjoying the music, fun, and food available all afternoon.

This year, we have three bands sharing their talents:

- Steph Stewart and The Boyfriends

- Old Avenue

- Jo Gore and The Alternative

These are great local bands with a heart for their community AND phenomenal musical abilities.  If you’ve attended our past music festivals, you know we have a mix of folk/blues that makes for a lively day — bring a blanket and hang out in Norris Creek’s natural amphitheatre.

For more information on each band, check out their Facebook pages:

- https://www.facebook.com/pages/Steph-Stewart-and-the-Boyfriends/137761366270192

- https://www.facebook.com/oldavenue

- https://www.facebook.com/jogoreandthealternativeofficial

We’ll also have Danza Azteca performing traditional Aztec dancing during one of the music breaks, and appreciate their also donating their time!  You may have seen them perform at Viva Raleigh 2011.

We need volunteers for many different jobs during the 2012 Giveaway & Festival:

- parking oversight

- welcome booth

- Master Gardeners & expert gardeners for the information / plant giveaway area

- vendor helpers

- band helpers

- general “moving stuff”

- plant movers in advance (with trucks/vans/trailers)

- sign makers in advance

- general bloggers, posters, tweeters to spread the word from now until the festival

Please email / call Grow And Share to offer your assistance.

Grow And Share’s annual Garden Plant Giveaways combine with the Music Festival fundraiser to create a great fun Spring day for gardeners AND families AND music lovers!  Folks will be walking around, eating, listening to music, visiting vendors, and getting help with their gardens.

Access Sponsor / Vendor REGISTRATION FORM online.

VENDOR SPACES are available for sellers of crafts, handmade goods, jewelry, purses/bags, clothing, homemade goods, toys, AND sellers of services of interest to local families - insurance, medical, nonprofit, home maintenance, renovation, teaching, and much more.

A small $25 fee for vendor space during the event, which goes to the nonprofit. VENDOR FORM must be returned before April 1st to sign up at this rate. SIGN UP NOW and enjoy spending the day at Norris Creek talking with attendees about your services or selling your wares.

SPONSORED BY: Zebulon Chamber of Commerce, New Addiction Tattoo and Body Piercing, Debnam Ace Hardware, The Grey Area newspaper, and The Kila Company.  Become a sponsor and provide $500, $250, or $100 in funds to Grow And Share for the festival and our educational programs.

MORE INFO: Call 1.919.269.5414 or email Grow And Share.

Website http://www.growandshare.org

If you’d like a Grow And Share Gardener’s Calendar for 2012-13, please email Grow And Share.  We’re distributing them electronically this year so more gardeners can access the planting details and tips. Some example pages are shown below.

Grow And Share Calendar Cover Page

Grow And Share Calendar Photo Page

Grow And Share Calendar Month Page

Please note that we have changed the Greenhouse Cleanup TIMES.

Dates are still Saturday, February 18 and Sunday, February 19.

Instead of starting in the morning, we will start at 1:00pm.

Thank you to all of you who have already volunteered, and those who are still thinking about it.  Please come and help us clean the greenhouse and used pots so we are ready for planting on March 1st.