An assortment of flower and vegetable starter plants have arrived at the co-op! Check out our first shipment of Pansy’s, Snapdragons, Zinnias, Marigolds and a few others fresh from Green Earth Growers and Gardens of Eagan.

Cool weather plants including onion starts and greens such as kale and lettuces, and warm weather veggies like heirloom tomatoes are all from Gardens of Eagan. There will be a second shipment of these items and more around mid-may.

A note from Gary Johnson, Community Relations Developer at Valley Natural Foods:

As the interest in gardening is increasing so are the offerings of information. Sources range from books, magazines, online sources, personal experience, master gardeners, and gardener friends and acquaintances. Hopefully you can locate information easily so as not to delay your time at other meaningful tasks (such as enjoying your gardening and garden). If you are involved in a community garden in the area or at our co-op community garden, your fellow gardeners may be willing to share their experience and knowledge. Stop by our co-op gardens anytime!

Check out some of the current gardening books we have in stock here at Valley Natural Foods:

Rodale’s Illustrated Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening – Pauline Pears
How to Grow More Vegetables – John Jeavons
One Magic Square, The Easy Organic Way to Grow Your Own Food on a 3-Foot Square – Lolo Houbein
Carrots Love Tomatoes, Secrets of Companion Planting for Successful Gardening – Louise Riotte
Grow Great Grub, Organic Food From Small Spaces – Gayla Trail
Gaia’s Garden, A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture – Toby Hemenway
Four-Season Harvest – Eliot Coleman
The New Organic Grower – Eliot Coleman
Food Not Lawns, How to Turn Your Yard into a Garden and Your Neighborhood into a Community – H.C. Flores

7th Annual Community Garden Spring Resource Fair

at the Sabathani Community Center, Minneapolis
Saturday, April 2, 2011, 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
(doors open at 8:30 am)

The 7th Annual Community Garden Spring Resource Fair Offers 15 exciting workshops!

Keynote: 9:00 a.m. Frogtown Farm – The Power of Collaboration

Morning Workshops: 10:40 a.m. – 11:50 a.m.

Eliminate Erosion – Increase Productivity, MetroBlooms Landscape Designers

Tell your Garden’s Story! Working with Media, Margo Ashmore, Northeaster and NorthNews Newspapers

Garden Together! Communal Gardening Panel, Gardeners from Celeste’s Dream, Jardin Paraiso Comunidad and St. Cloud Community Garden

Fruit Tree Orchards: Planting for the Long Term, Midway Greenspirit Community Gardeners

What’s the Hoopla about Hoop Houses? Extend Your Growing Season! Starr Carpenter, Market Grower, Rebecca Harnik, Minnesota GreenCorps

Afternoon Workshops (Session 1): 1:00 p.m. – 2:10 p.m.
Doing More with Less: Superabundant Small Gardens, Susan Reed, Dowling Community Gardener

Environmental Justice and Soil Mitigation, Representatives from Environmental Justice Advocates of MN and the Women’s Environmental Institute

Share Your Produce! Gleaning and Food Shelf Donation Panel, Panelists from Emergency Food Shelf Network, MN FoodShare, and Guardian Angels Community Garden

Understanding the 2012 Farm Bill, Mark Muller, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy and Adam Warthesen, Land Stewardship Project
Sticks and Stones Garden Art, Nancy Ward, Artist and Community Gardener

Afternoon Workshops (Session 2): 2:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m.

Community-Based Problem Solving, Jay Clark, U of MN Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA)

Join the Local Food Economy, Collie Graddick, The Co-op Project, Starr Carpenter, Market Gower

Employer Sponsored Community Gardens Panel, Gardeners from the Haberman Group, Blue Cross and Boston Scientific

In-Ground Mushroom Cultivation, Jeremy McAdams, Cherry Tree House Mushrooms

How to Eat More Veggies Everyday,Tracy KS Yue, Healthful Cooking Coach

Saturday, April 2, 2011
9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. (doors open at 8:30 a.m.)

Sabathani Community Center
310 E. 38th St, Minneapolis (near 23, 18, and 11 bus lines)
More information, complete schedule, and pre-registration online at www.gardeningmatters.org

As food prices rise, communities and families are looking for options to assist with their household budget. Community gardens are neighborhood educational centers for growing your own food, deepening roots in the community, & beautifying the neighborhood. Community gardens are a hands-in, feet-on green space bridging generations & cultures.

Presenting Sponsor: Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota
 

Event Sponsors: Edible Twin Cities, JobCorps, Linden Hills Co-op, Sabathani Community Center, Specialized Environmental Technologies, Inc., Valley Natural Foods
 

Grassroots Sponsors: Barbette, Bryant Lake Bowl, Egg/Plant Urban Farm Supply, MN Institute of Sustainable Agriculture, Minnesota Landscape Arboretum – Education Department, MN-NRC-SARE, MN State Horticultural Society, Mother Earth Gardens, Red Stag Supperclub, Seward Cooperative Grocery and Deli, University of Minnesota Extension

Snow may still be on the ground outside but the excitement happening on our window sill is a true reminder that Spring is close! In mid-February, we used a Jiffy Professional Greenhouse kit (see last week’s post) and planted seeds from a Bhut Jolokia pepper, otherwise known as the Ghost pepper. The first seedlings started emerging just last week on our upstairs south-facing window sill, right here in the marketing department!

So what’s the big deal about Ghost Peppers? According to The Chile Pepper Institute, ”The Bhut Jolokia pepper remains the hottest commercially available pepper.” The big deal here at Valley Natural Foods is taking on the challenge  to successfully grow Ghost peppers right here in Minnesota—not the ideal place to grow them, we’ve been told, because of our short growing season and climate. However, there’s strong staff interest in this very fragrant, very tasty pepper. According to our produce manager, Kim Dvorak, customers have been asking about the Ghost pepper as well.

The actual seeds used for our initial planting were saved from 1 single Ghost pepper that was purchased two seasons ago from one Minneapolis Farmer’s Market grower who did have success! Our community relations developer, Gary Johnson, has started a second round of seeds that were purchased online from The Chile Pepper Institute. 

Gary will be overseeing our Garden Classroom and our Co-op community Gardens, and, along with staff, will be transplanting the seedlings as soon as our soil has warmed up. Stay tuned for future postings about the progress of our Ghost Peppers!

You can grow something from every color of the rainbow in your garden! It won’t be long before we’re back in our gardens so now’s the time to start planning. If you are the kind of gardener who likes to grow fruits, veggies, herbs and flowers from seed, check out the great selection of High Mowing Organic Seeds now available in the Valley Natural Foods produce department.

According to their Web site, High Mowing Organic Seeds is an independently-owned, farm-based seed company dedicated to supporting sustainable agriculture and providing farmers and gardeners with the highest quality certified organic seed. To learn more, visit highmowingseeds.com.