Among an explosion of posts on Decatur City Commissioner’s blog yesterday was this one, announcing the ground-breaking and ribbon cutting dates of the Oakhurst Community Garden’s new Sugar Creek Garden (formerly called “Oakhurst Neighborhood Farm”).  (Speaking of the OCG, it seems they have a sweet new website!)

Sugar Creek Garden to break ground April 3; come lend a hand!

Please come out between 10-2, Sat, April 3, for as little or as long as you like. We’ll be lining the swale with strawbales and preparing farm-rows for planting. This is a good opportunity to learn how to create growing beds in a low-invasive method, with shovels and compost. Bring a snack and some water. We’ll have shovels.

Earth Day for Peace Garden, workday April 17, 10-2

We’ll be focused on Church property, adjacent to the Garden site. Tasks will be non-toxic invasive species removal and creating an outdoor classroom.

Ribbon Cutting, April 19, 4:30

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Ripped from the Oakhurst Message Board…

Free Family Gardening Workshops

Funded by a Kaiser Permanente grant received by the Decatur Education Foundation, the Oakhurst Community Garden Project is proud to announce upcoming workshops that are both FREE and open to City Schools of Decatur families.

Who can come? Priority is given to families with children enrolled in the City Schools of Decatur.

How many spots are available? We have room for 20 families.

Space is limited. We ask that you RSVP in advance. Please contact Myriam Van Dorp to reserve your family’s spot. Ocgp@oakhurstgarden.org or (404) 371-1920

Descriptions of the three classes can be found after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

Renfroe Middle School is getting in on the gardening craze.

Barrett writes in that the Decatur school with host “Renfroe Volunteer Garden Day” on March 27th at 10am, behind the old gym, to cultivate the beginnings of a new garden on school property.

According to Barrett, “The project is a collaboration between Renfroe, Project R.E.A.L., and the Oakhurst Community Garden. Project R.E.A.L. is the after-school program at Renfroe which is run by the City of Decatur.”

Photo above: Renfroe students planting seeds that will be transferred to the garden in April. (courtesy of Barrett)

It looks like the popularity of the Oakhurst Community Garden’s “Chicks in the City” class has given birth to an even bigger event!

Stephanie Van Parys sends along a press release for the new  “Urban Chickens Symposium”, which will take place from 8:15 a.m. to 12:30 on February 6 and held at the Decatur Recreation Center.  You can register for the class here.

The release is worth a read, if only to learn about Allison’s joy of chicken poop.

On the wings of Oakhurst Community Garden Project’s wildly popular “Chicks in the City” classes comes a full morning of urban poultry-keeping. On February 6 the Chicks in the City Symposium offers attendees a full plate of essentials on backyard chickens. Taught by local experts, the six sessions highlight how-tos from coop design to breeds and from chicken illnesses to getting started with backyard poultry.

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DHS teacher Chris Billingsley sends in an announcement from the new Youth Programs Manager at the Oakhurst Community Garden, Myriam Van Dorp, announcing a four-part Farm-to-School workshop for 28 City Schools of Decatur employees.

Here are some of the details from the note…

The overall goal of the workshop series is to empower and inspire CSD employees to incorporate Farm to School concepts into their daily, standards-based instruction, as well as introduce them to community resources.

The workshops will include food, farm and nutrition lesson plans, hands-on cooking and taste testing activities, and in-depth organic gardening practices. The workshop series will provide training and resources for teachers to use while designing experiences that integrate Farm to School into classroom learning.

These experiences will be compiled into a Farm to School resource guide that can inspire others.

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Uh...dude, that's a rabbit...

With the recent resurgence of vegetable gardens across the nation, I bet there are a lot more people hating our wild, furry friends than ever before.

Andisheh is just the latest victim of squirrel-on-man crime in the Atlanta area.  And his hated-filled rant against tomato-loving grey squirrels over on Fresh Loaf reminds me of a great NY Times piece from last summer entitled “Peter Rabbit Must Die.”  In summary, if you think squirrels are bad, rabbits are pure evil when it comes to backyard produce.

Maybe the good folks over at the Oakhurst Community Garden could set up a support group/class for victims of fuzzy animal infractions, like Andisheh.

Playing off our well-known communal weakness for eating and drinking outdoors, Stephanie at the Oakhurst Community Garden announces this year’s Martinis in the Garden fundraiser and sends along this press release…

DECATUR-The Oakhurst Community Garden Project invites you to an evening of chic yet down-to-earth fun with “Martinis in the Garden” on Saturday, May 16, 2009, from 5:30 until 8:30 p.m.

Benefiting the Oakhurst Community Garden Project, Martinis in the Garden will feature a selection of delicious Martinis, live music, a live auction, and fabulous food from the The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of Atlanta, Parker’s on Ponce and Bhojanic -all amidst nature at her springtime finest!

The admission ($35 pre-event, $40 at door) for the event includes three martinis of choice and food. Tickets can be purchased online [HERE]. Other beverages, including local microbrews, will also be available.

Thank you to our lead sponsors Pinnacle Custom Builders, Inc., Oakhurst Business Association, and Universal Joint/Steinbeck’s Oyster Bar.

In case of rain, please join us at the Friends School of Atlanta located at 862 Columbia Drive, Decatur, GA 30030. Please check our website for more details.

Clare writes in…

Chicks in the City Tour – A Tour of Decatur’s Urban Chicken Coops
Saturday April, 25th 230pm – 530pm
Purchase tickets online and find more info at www.oakhurstgarden.org

Take an afternoon self-guided tour of chicken coops in Decatur on the second annual “Chicks in the City” Tour. Learn what it takes to have your own urban flock! A variety of coops will be on display, from elaborate to simple. Owners will answer your questions and resources and ordinances will be discussed. The tour is co-sponsored by Georgia Organics, the Oakhurst Community Garden Project and Oh Baby! Fitness.

Tickets will also be available for purchase on the day of the tour at the Oakhurst Community Garden Project located at 435 Oakview Road, Decatur, GA, 30030. None of the other homes on the tour will have on-site ticket sales.

Cost is $20 for non-members, $15 for Georgia Organics and Oakhurst Garden members, $5 for kids 8 years and up and kids under 8 are free.

The coop tour is bike-friendly, an easy route of 8 homes in Decatur.

For more information, please call 678.642.4977.

From the Oakhurst Community Garden website…

Join us for our fourth season as we grow another round of healthy, organic seedlings in partnership with Gaia Gardens. You will find just about all you need for your spring and summer garden: vegetables, flowers, and herbs.

April 10, 6-8 p.m.: Garden member preview of the big plant sale

April 11, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.: Big Plant Sale! More than 100 varieties of tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, herbs, flower, perennials, and shrubs will be available.

435 Oakview Road, Decatur, GA 30030

h/t:  InDecatur

During the keynote address at the Georgia Organics Conference this past weekend, the city of Decatur, Agnes Scott, the DBA, the Oakhurst Community Garden, and Georgia Organics officially announced the city’s “agricultural initiative.”

I followed up with city manager Peggy Merriss and she sent along this note/release.  From the sound of it, “urban farming” is just the tip of the iceberg.

On Saturday March 21st, at the Georgia Organics 12th Annual Conference & Trade Show, Decatur City Manager Peggy Merriss, along with Agnes Scott College’s Director of Sustainability Susan Kidd and Georgia Organics Executive Director Alice Rolls announced the creation of the Decatur Agricultural Initiative (DAI) designed to bring together community partners around the issue of growing food locally. The Initiative currently involves Agnes Scott College, the City of Decatur, City Schools of Decatur, Decatur Business Association, Georgia Organics and the Oakhurst Community Garden.

Among the first tasks that the group will undertake will be the creation of a Master Plan that will identify existing community-based efforts into one unified plan.

The partners intend to take a comprehensive approach resulting in providing a variety of agricultural products, including food, which would be available through local producers and markets.

Examples of some possible outcomes might include: stronger community support for farmers markets, co-operative purchase of environmentally sensitive products, education programs designed for children and youth to be able to plant and support their own gardens, and more.

The possibilities are exciting and all of the partners are looking forward to working together on this brand new DAI in Decatur. “