This project is about learning to grow vegetables and herbs in containers. 25-30 Germantown community members will participate in this 6-month project as learning gardeners, and an additional 5 will join as teaching gardeners. At the beginning of the project, participants will be provided 3 potted tomato, basil, and pepper plants, and the materials needed for starting another 2 plants of their choosing. Each learning gardener will be paired with a teaching gardener who will offer them one-on-one support from April-September while they dig into container gardening. There will also be journaling and a monthly check-in for the whole group, allowing folks to build community with each other along the way. Participants can grow inside or outside, and from the convenience of home, making this particularly accessible for seniors or other folks who may have mobility issues. It will be especially useful and relevant for folks who don’t have yards where they can garden.

This project is about producing food locally, gaining easy access to fresh and nutritious food, building confidence and self-esteem, connecting people of similar interests, creating greater food security, reducing transportation impacts of the food system, connecting with the nature and the natural process of growing food, fostering a spirit of community-self-reliance, and learning in a supportive environment.

We will also connect folks to other activities of our organization if they want to further develop skills such as seed-saving, preparing, and preserving food.

Particularly over the last few years of encouraged isolation, many people, especially those most vulnerable, have had a growing feeling of being disconnected and lonely. Our project offers a way for people to reconnect and to meet new people, in a way that feels safe, comfortable, and easy. On top of that, they get to develop a new skill which will build confidence and a sense of empowerment.