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by Jon Traunfeld
2009 was a rewarding year for people who love to grow some of their own food. Not only did we have a pretty good growing season, but friends and neighbors stopped looking at our veggie gardens as a throwback to pre-industrial America. They picked up a hoe and joined us in the garden! The intense public interest in growing food was fueled primarily by the recession, the White House kitchen garden, and a desire to go green and eat local. After all, you cannot get much more local than your own front- or back-yard! Seed sales when through the roof and, based on a national survey, the National Gardening Association predicted a 19% increase in the number of U.S. households producing vegetables.
The Grow It Eat It campaign is the University of Maryland Extension’s response to the huge new demand for information and assistance with starting and maintaining successful food gardens. Master Gardeners taught classes, demonstrated sustainable gardening techniques, and promoted food gardening from one end of the state to the other. Faculty and staff at the Home and Garden Information Center answered hundreds of gardening and pest questions.
We plan to continue the campaign- teaching, answering questions, adding bloggers, and adding lots of new content to this web site. The experience and knowledge shared by the growing network of gardeners will make this the place to be for food gardening in 2010!
2009 Results (March 1- November 15):
The GIEI Network
- 3,185 people who tend 1,520 gardens registered their gardens on the Grow It Eat It website. 25% of you are new gardeners; 14% took a vegetable gardening class from Master Gardeners; and 26% of people who joined the network are growing some food in containers.
Teaching and learning:
- 512 Master Gardeners took 9 hours of Grow It Eat It training, in the classroom and field, to prepare for teaching basic food gardening to Maryland residents
- GIEI teams were created by Master Gardeners in 14 counties and Baltimore City.
- 190 classes were given to the public in 19 counties and Baltimore City
- Over 5,000 Marylanders learned about food gardening from Master Gardeners in classrooms and demonstration gardens.
- HGIC horticulture consultants answer the public’s food gardening questions via phone calls and e-mails (50% increase over 2008).
Web site and social media:
- 46,000 unique users of the new GIEI web site
- 237 GIEI Facebook Fans
- 154 followers on Twitter
- 40 followers to the Grow It Eat It Blog
Promoting food gardening:
- Two major kick-of events at the Master Peace Community Farm (February) and The Cal Ripken, Sr. Memorial Garden (March).
- Governor O’Malley’s Proclamation- Maryland Grow It Eat It Month- April
- Partnership with the MD Dept. of Agriculture for the Grow It Eat It kitchen garden at Government House; kick-off on April 25 with Governor and Katie O’Malley. Anne Arundel Co. MGs designed, built, and helped maintain the garden.
- Significant media coverage- radio (Kojo Nnamdi Show- WAMU; Marc Steiner Show- WEAA), TV (Martha Stewart Show and local TV), print (Washington Post, Baltimore Sun, Edible Chesapeake, and many county newspapers), and internet (dozens of blogs, web sites, and news organizations have linked to GIEI).
- GIEI displays at “Maryland Day” at U. of MD/College Park, Maryland State Fair, county fairs, and dozens of other public events.
- Business supporters: Thanks to Landreth Seed Co. and Johnny’s Selected Seeds for generously donating seeds!
For more information, contact Jon Traunfeld
Last updated: 02/5/2010
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About Us |
| Our vision is 1 million Maryland food gardeners producing their own affordable, healthy food. |
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| Your garden counts! Click here to join the network and put your garden on the map! |
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