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ONLY ON NEWSCHANNEL 8
No Money? Try Growing Produce Instead of Purchasing
posted 03/27/09
6:42 pm
The campaign, 'Grow It, Eat It,' wants to take one million Maryland residents out of the produce aisles and put them to work in their own backyards. For those without a lawn, at $10 a year, they can own a personal space of community land.
The University of Maryland's agriculture department is kicking off its 'Grow It, Eat It' campaign, partnering with Home and Garden and the Maryland master gardeners. Together, they're offering classes in low-cost growing techniques.
They have the land to put those techniques into practice. "A lot of people depend on this land to grow their families fruits and vegetables. Otherwise they wouldn't be able to afford it," said one UMD employee.
Instructors teach stay-at-home gardeners how to save money by building garden crates and lasagna gardens, beds that can survive in small apartment spaces. Participants say giving up store-bought produce is the ultimate money saver.
"I don't buy as much particularly in the growing season and even in the off season, I can put away," said Riverdale resident Jennifer Fairfax.
The 2009 growing season is already underway. "You can plant a lot of plants in Maryland... and you can harvest them and enjoy them," said master gardener John Traunfeld.
At the Masterpiece Community Garden in Riverdale, some were already enjoying those harvests. "I like corn because it tastes good, nice and yellow and sweet," said Riverdale resident Nick Fairfax.
The program is working with William Wirt Middle School to get students and their families more involved. "People want to be out on the land. They want to put food on the table," said Traunfeld.
The program currently has 60 classes scheduled throughout the state. The campaign's focus is on beginner gardeners, but organizers say they hope to include classes for more seasoned gardeners as well.
For more information, visit: http://www.growit.umd.edu/ or call 1-800-342-2507.
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