Free Seeds and Transplants: Volunteers Needed

It's only January, but we are already gearing up for the 2012 growing season! This time every year, Denver Urban Gardens distributes applications for our Free Seeds and Transplants Program to community centers, schools, churches, and senior centers throughout Metro Denver. In early February, we will collect nearly 2,000 applications from those same centers, and enter the information into a database so that we can order vegetable seeds and transplants to be delivered for spring planting. 

We are seeking volunteers to assist with data entry for this program! For each data-entry shift listed below, we can take up to five volunteers. 

• Wednesday, February 8th, 9:00am - 12:30pm (Shift is full.)
• Wednesday, February 8th, 1:00pm - 5:00pm
• Thursday, February 9th, 9:00am - 12:30pm
• Thursday, February 9th, 1:00pm - 5:00pm
• Monday, February 13th, 9:00am - 12:30pm (Shift is full.)
• Monday, February 13th, 1:00pm - 5:00pm
• Tuesday, February 14th, 9:00am - 12:30pm (Shift is full.)

Volunteers interested in this opportunity should be comfortable using Microsoft Excel, and not mind repetitive data entry tasks (though you are welcome to bring your headphones for Pandora, internet radio and/or your own mp3 player). Because we will be signing up exactly as many volunteers as we have spare computers, we ask that you only sign up for this opportunity if you are absolutely sure you can make it. To sign up, please email us at dirt@dug.org and let us know which shift you would prefer. We will confirm within two business days.

To learn more about the Free Seeds and Transplants Program, click here. 

What happens in the winter time?

A DeLaney volunteer puts freshly planted garlic to bed for the winter. Here at DUG, our staff are constantly being asked about what we do in the winter time. It's a fair question, especially on days like today, when the sky is grey and the ground is covered in snow! The truth is, things never really slow down. During the growing season we are busy partnering with residents to build new community gardens; helping community members find gardens to join; supporting school garden clubs, youth farmers' markets, and other youth programs; growing tons of veggies at our community farm; supporting garden leadership; distributing free seeds and transplants to communities in need; teaching weekly compost classes; and scores of other activities geared at empowering communities and creating local access to fresh, healthy food. 

This time of year, our biggest task is evaluating, improving, and preparing programs for next year. We are also busy planning new community gardens, creating and updating resources, making field plans for our community farm, and facilitating our ongoing education and outreach programs. 

So even though it's chilly outside and the gardens are all buttoned up for the year, we have a ton of options for you to keep growing and learning: 

• Our Master Composter and Master Community Gardener training programs are both accepting applicants right now! Both programs take place over several weeks in the spring, and provide valuable information and outlets for giving back to the community. 

• Our ongoing Helping Kids Get Healthy Workshop Series trains youth educators in faciliting DUG's School Garden and Nutrition Curriculum. The next workshop is in January. Stay tuned for details!

• Speaking of youth curriculum, it's all here, online, for free! DUG's School Garden and Nutrition Curriculum has been recently updated to reflect new health standards. 

• Can't get enough of school gardens? We just released the first edition of our brand new school garden newsletter, The Educational Carrot. Click here to view the first issue. Click here to subscribe. 

• Looking to volunteer or intern with Denver Urban Gardens? Click here to join our general volunteer list, which keeps you posted on volunteer opportunities with all DUG programs. Click here to be notified of upcoming internship opportunities. 

• The deadline to apply for our Free Seeds and Transplants program is on February 1st, 2012. Click here to receive a reminder to pick up your application in January. 

• Thinking about starting a community garden? Check out the first installment of our new webinar series, created in partnership with LiveWell Colorado.  

• We recently reformatted our website, and added a new section to highlight our exciting research with the Colorado School of Public Health. This is also where you'll find our documentary, A Garden in Every Neighborhood. 

Gardeners: how are you spending your free time, now that your garden is put to bed? Tell us in the comments!

Celebrate Harvest and Art at Rosedale!

Rosedale Community Garden's Annual Harvest and Art Show Sale: October 1st
On Saturday, October 1st from 9:00am until noon, community gardeners at DUG's Rosedale Community Garden will be selling vegetables, corn stalks, straw bales, canned goods, and baked goods. For the first time ever, they will be combining their annual harvest celebration with an art show and sale. If you are an artist and would like to enter a piece, or if you would like more details about this event, please contact volunteer garden leader Carol Garcia at 720.941.8960 or carolgarcia505@gmail.com. Rosedale Community Garden is located at Sherman and Iliff in Denver (entrance is on Logan). 

Rosedale Community Garden

Spencer Garrett Park is ready to plant!

The new Spencer Garrett Park Community Garden is built, open, and ready for planting! Do you live or work near E 17th Avenue and Joliet in Avenue in Aurora? Want a garden plot? Contact the Denver Urban Gardens office at 303.292.9900 or dirt@dug.org.  Thanks so much to the City of Aurora for their partnership in making this beautiful new community garden a reality. 

Here is the brand new garden as a blank slate, ready for a cover crop:

This Friday from 1:00 - 3:00pm, there will be a work day at this garden, with cover crop seed available for new community gardeners.  Contact us for details!

Whole Foods Market 5% Day for DUG

On Wednesday, September 14th, 5% of total sales from four Whole Foods Market locations will be donated to Denver Urban Gardens, and our partners at Slow Food Denver and Sprout City Farms. This proceeds of this incredibly generous fundraiser will support our collective work in building school-based community gardens, and providing hands-on education in nutrition and gardening at Denver Public Schools. The four participating locations are:

Whole Foods Market Capitol Hill
Whole Foods Market Cherry Creek
Whole Foods Market Colorado Boulevard
Whole Foods Market Tamarac 

Whole Foods Market has long supported our efforts to bring healthy eating and gardening to our community schools. This community support day is your chance to join Whole Foods Market and Denver Urban Gardens in supporting school-based community gardens. Do your grocery shopping at a participating Whole Foods Market on Wednesday, September 14th, and help us raise money for school gardens!