Starting next week Wednesday, Small Planet Foods® will be holding a consumer sweepstakes!

Enter for a chance to WIN an organic garden when you buy ANY 5 Muir Glen® or LÄRABAR® products. (Prize to be awarded in the form of a $2,500 check)  Products must be purchased in one shopping visit between 3/1/11 and 3/31/11. Look for entry forms on a tear pad near the Muir Glen® or LÄRABAR® products starting March 1.

For every valid entry form received, Small Planet Foods® will donate $1 to support the Organic Farming Research Foundation. (max. donation: $5,000).

So what a great time to stock up in March – not only will you be supporting the Organic Farming Research Foundation with your sweepstakes entry, but selected varieties of  LÄRABAR® Nutritional Bars and Muir Glen Fire Roasted Tomatoes and Organic Soups will be on sale!

We are delighted to welcome Gary Johnson to our co-op family! Gary will be working as our community relations developer for our community gardens and educational outreach here at Valley Natural Foods.

Currently buried under a couple feet of snow, our two “mandala” gardens are located on the grassy lawn east of the Valley Natural Foods parking lot. Both gardens will contain several keyhole gardening areas, and will be leased as community plots. We can hardly wait to start digging in the dirt - hurry up spring!

If you are interested in gardening with us, why not sign-up for one of our February gardening classes, while we are waiting for spring! Click Here to see our exciting class line-up, here at Valley Natural Foods.

Our Valley Natural Foods Garden Classroom is coming along beautifully and Bobby Jensen and Belinda Jensen from KARE 11 were  here to see it! Our marketing and communications manager Charli Mills talked to them about what is fresh, local and seasonal here at our co-op. Then it was out to our garden classroom where member-owner and gardener Gary Johnson was interviewed about what the co-op has learned so far.

Click here to view the KARE 11 segment.

A big thank you goes out to member-owner Kara Loyd, who advises us on the process of setting up and planting the garden and to Gary Johnson, who has been planting, maintaining  and harvesting in the garden classroom.

For all of you gardeners who enjoy instant color, you can look forward to a nice variety of annuals arriving at the co-op by May 21 from Glacial Ridge Growers! Included in that shipment will be herbs and a variety of vegetable-starts as well. Many annuals and vegetables will be sold in 4 packs.

Click the coupon link, print coupon and use on May 21-23 to enjoy $.25 off your choice of any Glacial Ridge bedding plant. CLICK HERE for online coupons

Be sure to be on the lookout for vegetable transplants, including heirloom varieties to arrive the following week from Gardens of Eagan.