Averill Woods Neighborhood Association
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    • Averill Park and Woods >
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      • Woods Clean-Up 2010 (May 22)
      • Woods Clean-up 2009 (November 14) >
        • Averill Woods "Before" Photos
        • Averill Woods Work Day Photos
        • Averill Woods "After" Work Day Photos
      • Woods and Garden Clean-up 2015
    • Candidates Night
    • Economic Development Efforts
    • Connecting Neighbors >
      • Neighborhood Garage Sale List
      • Lugnuts game
      • Block Party
    • Neighborhood Garage Sale
    • Events with Averill Elementary School >
      • Averill Family Reading Night
      • Fall Jamboree
      • Averill Elementary School Beautification Projects
      • Averill Elementary School Open House
      • Innovative Programs at Averill >
        • Spanish Immersion Program
        • Rosetta Stone Language Software
        • Media Center
        • Environmental Science
      • Keeping Healthy and Fit at Averill
      • Volunteering and Donating to Averill

Local Initiatives and Resources for the Home Gardener

  • Let's Garden Lansing - Community calendar of events related to growing, harvesting, and preserving food.
  • Garden Project of Greater Lansing Food Bank - Find community garden spaces, get seeds and plants, connect with other gardeners
  • Allen Neighborhood Center - Farmer's market and education for home gardeners.
  • Northwest Initiative - Farmer's market and education for home gardeners
  • South Lansing Community Development Association - Farmer's market and education for home gardeners
  • Michigan State University Extension - Information, resources, education, and support for home gardeners.
  • Mid Michigan Food Systems - Network of people and organizations interested in promoting local food production.
  • Everybody Eats - Annual conference focused on creating more sustainable and equitable food systems in Lansing.

Urban Gardening Examples and Inspiration

  • The largest urban orchard - This large scale operation includes 500 fruit trees on a reclaimed site (Vancouver). 
  • 100 Dollars a Month - This blog is devoted to growing food at home and spending only $100 dollars a month on groceries (Oregon).
  • Adventures of a Thrifty Mama on a City ‘Stead - This blog shows how families can save money growing food on even the smallest of areas (Lansing, MI)
  • National Garden Festival - A six week long garden party with a front yard garden competition (Buffalo, New York)
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Garden "How-To's"

  • Square Foot Gardening - Growing food efficiently in small spaces.
  • Straw Bale Gardening - Growing food in straw bales without tilling or plowing.
  • Vertical Gardening - Making the most of small spaces by growing up.
  • How to build a raised bed - Simple instructions for building your own raised bed.
  • Easy irrigation systems for raised beds - From DIY to pre-made kits, these strategies make watering easy. You can create these almost "set it and forget it" systems.
  • DIY seed starting and Seed starting basics can give you a head start and save lots of money.
  • DIY grow lights are useful for seed starting and less expensive than some pre-made kits.
  • DIY LED light spikes might be useful for overwintering plants indoors.
  • How to install a front yard vegetable garden - Design tips and practical advice.
  • Front yard gardens: More than grass - "Liz Primeau was ahead of her time when she transformed her manicured lawn in the suburbs into a mixed garden with a profusion of flowering plants, shrubs and cacti. Ever since, she has enjoyed an eyecatching front garden that requires no chemicals and little watering."
  • Vegetable Gardening for Dummies - a recently published visual guide helpful for novices and those looking to get started in gardening.

 School Gardening & Nutrition

  • Slow Food USA's School Garden Guide - Plans, ideas, and resources for designing, building, maintaining, and promoting school gardens.
  • Kids Gardening - Grants, curriculum, resources, and products for involving kids in gardening at home or school
  • School Gardens as Outdoor Classrooms - Guide for connecting gardens to classrooms.
  • Life Lab - Curriculum and resources for experiential learning in the garden with kids at home and at school.
  • Nutrients for Life - Soil science curriculum for elementary, middle, or high school.
  • Edible School Yard - Curriculum, resources, and support for school gardens.
  • Eco Literacy - Lots of resources for teaching sustainable living.
  • Farm to School - Connects school to locally grown produce to improve quality of school lunches.
  • Cooking with California Food for California Kids - Seasonal, healthful recipes for the school cafeteria based on foods kids already like and can be adapted to other regions.
  • Rethinking School Lunch - A guide for helping schools implement healthier lunches.
  • Earth Easy - a guide for gardening with children, including tips on what to plant.