Maui Growing Together

Portland's PRODUCE FOR PEOPLE program

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Durkson) — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 18:26:00 +0000

Portland program provides model for Maui

Portland's Produce for People links community
gardens with local emergency food
agencies to provide individuals and
families in need with fresh, healthy,
local produce. Since 1995, Portland
Community Gardens has provided
over 25 tons of fresh produce to
emercency food
providers.
Fresh produce is
often difficult to
channel through
the emergency
food system
because of
storage, cost and availability. The
populations in greatest need of
nutritional components found in fruits
and vegetables are often served by
emergency food. Community
gardeners aim to provide a steady
weekly supply to emergency food
providers.

Here is a link to Portland's PRODUCE FOR PEOPLE program: http://www.portlandonline.com/shared/cfm/image.cfm?id=201278

We need a well organized effort across Maui County as soon as possible to help the Maui Food Bank feed the growing number of hungry on Maui.

Your ideas and support is welcomed!

Mahalo,

Peter
I

Kapalua Farms Learning Opportunity!

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Durkson) — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 17:40:00 +0000

Aloha,

Here is a learning opportunity!

�??Conservation Practices for Sustainable Agriculture Field Day�??
Date: Friday, November 14, 2008
Time: 9:00 a.m. �?? 12:00 p.m.
Location: 4900 Honoapi�??ilani Highway, Maui Land &Pineapple Honolua Office, Lahaina, Maui
Directions: Follow the Honoapi�??ilani Highway west past Lahaina and Kahana. Turn right at
the intersection of Honoapi�??ilani Highway and Napilihau Street. Park in the lot directly to your
left and a van will shuttle you to the site.
Purpose: 1. reduce input costs
2. improve soil fertility
3. reduce pests and pest control costs and
4. increase the likelihood of attracting beneficial insects.

Refreshments will be provided
To RSVP or if you have any questions, contact Matt Johnson at 808 483-8600 ext 113
** Closed toe shoes are required**

For information on Kapalua Farms, click here.

Have fun!

Peter

Community Gardening in Portland

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Durkson) — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 18:55:00 +0000

Community Gardens in Portland

The Community Garden program has provided gardening opportunities for the physical and social benefit of the people and neighborhoods of Portland since 1975. There are 32 community gardens located throughout the city, developed and operated by volunteers and PP&R staff, offering a variety of activities.

For details, Visit this link Community Gardens

Aloha,

Peter

South Maui Sustainability Site

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Durkson) — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 15:15:00 +0000

Aloha,

Here is the Mission Statement of the South Maui Sustainability organization:

Our Mission
Creating sustainability awareness and action through education, growing our own food, producing our own energy and conserving and sharing our resources.

This is truly an awesome site! Spend some time exploring it and you'll be well rewarded.

Enjoy,

Peter

Tips for the Novice Gardener

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Durkson) — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 20:59:00 +0000

Here are some basic tips for the novice gardener who just wants to start some kind of garden at home.

We've got a handful of pots and a very high potting table on our back porch where we're growing tomatoes and various herbs. We tried growing in our very small backyard and the soil was too
meager and root-filled to sustain any crops. We've also got a plot at Hali'imaile Community Garden where the soil is very rich and productive.

I recommend you experiment on your back porch and then graduate up to a plot at a community garden in your area. If there is no community garden where you live, give me a call and I'll help you organize one.

The Maui Food Bank is still looking for backyard gardeners who'd be willing to grow and commit and extra row for the increasing number of hungry people in our community. This is your chance to join together with other family growers and really make a difference in the lives of people going through hard times in our community. Call me when you're ready to get involved!

Mahalo nui loa,

Peter
250-2216

National Gardening Association

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Durkson) — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 23:56:00 +0000

Aloha,

Here is the mission of the National Gardening Association:

"Our programs and initiatives highlight the opportunities for plant-based education in schools, communities, and backyards across the country. We serve as a bridge to connect people to gardening in five core fields: plant-based education, health and wellness, environmental stewardship, community development, and responsible home gardening".

This is a very rich and informative site for anyone seriously interested in home gardening!

Enjoy,

Peter

Agriculture Expert speaks on October 1.

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Durkson) — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 19:42:00 +0000

Renowned Sustainable Agriculture Expert to Speak at Maui CCFree Presentation Followed by Outdoor Gardening WorkshopOn Wednesday October 1st, 2008 the Sustainable Living Institute of Maui (SLIM) will host a presentation and workshop to be given by Michael Ableman.

Check out his website at <http://www.fieldsofplenty.com/>

Should be an informative presentation!

Enjoy,

Peter

Hali'imaile Community Gardens Grows!

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Durkson) — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 18:29:00 +0000

Aloha,

I attended the September 13 Hali'imaile Community Garden ( HCG) meeting led by Tova Callender ( above) and Felix Cruz.

Anybody yearning for a real grass roots community organizing experience should get involved with this group.

It was very rewarding to see a few dozen people openly discussing the needs of the garden, volunteering to take on assignments, and freely sharing their and feelings on how the garden can continue to grow and prosper in the future.

Tova spoke about the rising costs of maintaining the garden and the need for the support of the County Water Department to obtain the right water fee structure for the garden. She received ideas on the possibility of asking a local Foundation to act as a fiscal agent and accept donations while HCG sets out to obtain a 501c3 nonprofit status. Felix stressed the power of working together to stay on top of a variety of maintenance tasks. Ideas were floated for setting up an HCG blog and bulletin board.

Community gardens like HCG and others sprouting across Maui County are vitally important to improving access to low cost nutritious food in low-income areas where high rates of obesity and diabetes are found.

According to a recent series on Diabetes in the Honolulu Advertiser, Hana Health started a small garden four years ago that has grown to 10 acres behind the clinic. According to Cheryl Vasconcellos, Hana Health executive director, " for many Hawaiians, eating healthy is expensive and this (garden) addressed this concern and helped them grow their own food and provides a connection between land , food and health. Many people (not just Hawaiians) have lost that connection".

Hopefully someone will emerge who'll obtain and administer a grant from Maui County to nurture our community gardens and organise a collection system to support the Maui Food Bank as soon as possible. There are too many hungry people on Maui.

Lest we forget, these community gardens and small local farms are "walking the talk" about reducing Maui's dependence on imported food and moving towards the sustainability initiatives so well described on Rob Parson's http://www.mauifoodsecurity.com/

Call me if you want to get involved!

Peter
808-250-2216

WWOOFERS GROW WORLDWIDE

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Durkson) — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 03:18:00 +0000

Aloha.

What in the world are wwoofers?

WWOOF is a world wide network - It started in the UK in 1971 and has since become an international movement that is helping people share more sustainable ways of living.

WWOOF is an exchange - In return for volunteer help, WWOOF hosts offer food, accommodation and opportunities to learn about organic lifestyles.

WWOOF organisations link people who want to volunteer on organic farms or smallholdings with people who are looking for volunteer help.

Check out Maui WWOOFERS for a list of participating groups on Maui.

Let me know if you visit any of the WWOOF participants!

Peter

Eggplants rule!

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Durkson) — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 18:37:00 +0000

Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times Aloha,
Visitors to the Hali'imaile Community will find a variety of eggplants growing successfully.
May people don't appreciate the health benefits or fun and tasty ways to cook it.
Here is an helpful article The Misunderstood Eggplant which should help you to better understand eggplants!

We're still looking for volunteers to help us develop a computer model for a county wide produce pickup system. Techies welcome to help us map it out.

Happy eggplant!

Peter

Another food group sprouts up!

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Durkson) — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 14:57:00 +0000

Aloha,

Another force for sustainable food on Maui has emerged on Maui thanks to Rob Parsons and
Mark Sheehan, founders of http://mauifoodsecurity.com/

It is their intention "to make this site a dynamic resource, and a way to join with others locally and beyond, with a common goal of growing much more of what we need closer to home".

To paraphrase Margaret Mead : "Never underestimate the power of a small group of people to make big changes".

With this in miond, Maui Growing Together is exploring how an alliance of these emerging groups can be formed to share ideas and solidarity going forward.

Stay tuned..

Happy growing!

Peter

The joys and sorrows of gardening!

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Durkson) — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 19:55:00 +0000

A New York Times article How Green is My Garden, How Strong is My Urge to Root

satirically spells out the personal joys and sorrows of the author's gardening experiences.

It's a fun read!

On a more serious note, there is a growing awareness on Maui about the importance of sustainability and the role that gardening can play in reducing our dependence and household expenditures on imported produce.

I'm talking with a few groups about forming a strategic alliance to share information and ideas about growing on Maui and, hopefully, forming a collaborative network of people who are willing to grow food for the Maui Food Bank.

It's too early so predict whether a collaborative network and formalized collection system can provide a long term reliable source of urgently needed fresh produce for the Food Bank.

I should know more about the feasibility of this idea in a few weeks.

Call me if you have any interest in joining and shaping such an alliance!

Thank you,

Peter

808-250-2216

Gardens and Wheelchairs

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Durkson) — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 17:57:00 +0000

Aloha,

I've received several inquiries about gardening and wheel chairs.
According to Linda Stango, AIA:

"Table top gardens are another option for a person who uses a wheelchair. These are garden beds that are elevated on legs and much like a table as there is leg room underneath. The clearance under the table should be at least 27�?? above grade. The soil will be shallow, between six to eight inches deep. Plant selection needs to be made accordingly. Root vegetables, for example, would not be a good choice for a table top garden. Most annuals can be grown in this type of container".

Her complete article can be found at: http://www.unitedspinal.org/publications/action/2007/08/14/planning-an-accessible-garden/

I'll have more info on this subject in future posts, Contact me with any specific questions!

Peter

The Enabling Garden

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Durkson) — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 02:05:00 +0000

Aloha,

Jade Lovell and Norman Oshiro on Maui have been working on an elevated garden box for people to use across Maui. Since some of their users may have mobility issues or live in condos or dwellings with limited gardening areas, they're building boxes that can go on a condo porch, be worked by someone using a wheelchair, and so forth.

Charles Schwab, AIA provided me with an article he wrote entitled The Enabling Garden. In it he says: " A rolling raised planter can be built as well. The bottom of this should not be lower than 30�?? which will allow a wheelchair to roll underneath. These should be no longer than 6�??-0�??. They should have pressure treated 4x4 posts at all 4 corners and 2 in the middle on both sides. This will provide (4) 3�?? wide sitting positions around the planter. It will also provide the reqd. support. Put casters on all 6 legs which will allow it to roll. Use pressure treated 2x 10s or 2x12s which will provide a deep enough planting area. Use pressure treated or marine grade plywood for the box/ ¾�?? thick. Provide a ¼�?? slope at the bottom, fill with I!2 �??deep washed gravel for drainage and provide drainage holes 2�?? on center, cover with a plastic geo mesh, so the gravel does not fall out. Line the box with a 6 mil. visqueen vapor barrier to protect the wood box and fill with topsoil."

The box in the photo above without the self is similar to what Jade and Norma will be selling and delvering to users on Maui.

Please contact me, and I'll share the rest of his very detailed and informative article with you.

You can also the website of Charles Schwab.

Happy Gardening!

Peter

peter@mauiagewave.com

Pathways to Abundant Gardens-the book.

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Durkson) — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 17:56:00 +0000

If you are looking for inspiration and guidance in growing your
own food using natural methods, this book is a must read and see. Filled
with beautiful photographs, the author highlights the voices of over
twenty outstanding gardeners and farmers, many have certified organic
gardens and farms�??all adhere to practices that meet or exceed
organic standards recognized worldwide. According to Elvitch,
�??Even though all the people interviewed live in Hawai`i, they have
experience from all over the world and their advice transcends geographic
location. Although this book presents some how-to information, its
primary purpose is to inspire novice and experienced gardeners
alike".
For details, see: http://www.ediblehawaiianislands.com/content/pages/articles/winter08/bookReview.pdf

Happy reading!

Peter

Victory for Victory Gardens!

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Durkson) — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 02:25:00 +0000

Aloha,

The time for Victory Gardens has come again.

" I can�??t help but feel something very interesting is going on, that this is a time of big change, a time when people are wanting to reclaim some independence from unwieldy food systems in favor of some degree of self-sufficiency �?? whether it�??s having a bed of lettuce and three hens for eggs, or a huge, full-fledged garden".

http://www.culinate.com/columns/deborah/victory_gardens

Reading the sentiments of Deborah Madison, local food advocate, one cannot resist the urge to start growing some sort of home garden. Especially when a pint of cherry tomatoes-less than a pound-cost $4.99!

Are you ready to get started? Here is a New York Times article on raised growing beds: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/24/garden/24qna.html?ref=garden

Call me if you'd like to buy a raised GROWING BOX.

Peter (808) 250-2216

Community Supported Agriculture

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Durkson) — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 19:06:00 +0000

Aloha,

Have you ever heard of Community Supported Agriculture?

Drill down into the link above and you'll be amazed whats going on across the USA-including some Hawaii locations.

Are you going to get involved?

I need four volunteers to work on Sunday morning 3 August (900am-1000am) for an hour to help weed and harvest some of our Hali'imaile Community Garden organic produce for the Maui Food Bank.

If you can help, please call me at (808) 250-2216

Mahalo,

Peter

Grow-Harvest-Collect-Distribute to Hungry.

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Durkson) — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 23:11:00 +0000

Looks are deceiving. These really are "green thumb" volunteers who planted, weeded, and havested the first fresh produce from Hali'imaile Community Garden for the Maui Food Bank.

Left to right above, Robert King, President of Pacific BioDiesel, Inc., Maury King, Board Member and Volunteer Coordinator of Maui Tomorrow, Peter Durkson, President of Harvard Club of Maui and founder of Maui Growing Together, Charlie Kirchner, Founder of the Ohana Connection, and Kelly King, Vice President of Pacific BioDiesel.

Kristin Mack (right) teaching us the basics of successful community gardening.

Lots of of good things happen as people emerge who want to help feed the hungry. For example,

Jade Lovell, Norman Oshiro and Charlie Kirchner are building elevated "Growing Boxes" from recyled pallets. These boxes ( about the size of a card table) will be used across Maui to educate people of all ages about growing healthy produce and sharing with the community.

Let us know if you'd like someone to speak to a civic group in your community about Maui Growing Together and how a few hours a week in a garden can make an important difference in the lives of hungry families on Maui.

Mahalo,

Peter

Follow a Freshman Farmer

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Durkson) — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 18:12:00 +0000

Aloha,
Tom Rice recommends http://www.groworganic.com/ as an excellent source of supplies and information.

When you visit the link above, you'll discover the journal of Andrew and his fascinating journey to become as a freshman farmer.

The journal earns a shortcut on my laptop's Homepage!

Let readers of this blog know what you think of Andrews story and how it might relate to your "growing" experiences by starting our first DISCUSSION thread.

Happy growing!

Peter

Dirty is Good!

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Durkson) — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 20:19:00 +0000

Top photo: Tom Rice and Rick Yust. Bottom Photo: Kristin Mack

Maui Growing Together..an idea whose time has come or just another empty slogan?

After attending an orientation session led by Kristin Mack at the Hali'imaile Community Garden, picking awesome fresh produce with Tom Rice at Rice Farms alongside Rick Yust of the Maui Food Bank, I see this idea "growing" on Maui!

Kristin offered produce from her plot as well as space for volunteers to grow more produce for the foodbank. Tom and Rick will be collaborating to grow and harvest a broad range of produce on a regular basis which will be picked up from Tom's farm and distributed by the Maui Food Bank to hungry families, agencies, and participating congregations across the county.

Sharon DiLorenzo of http://www.cdcg.org/ is the Project Manager of a 33 year year old successful community gardens program located in Troy, New York. Her organization has offered to "mentor" Maui Growing Together and help us avoid the time delays and costs of trial and error learning.

Norman Oshiro of MOA Nature Farming has agreed to join a coalition of stakeholders we're forming and help us organize volunteers to help us tend our garden space and tools at Hali'imaile.

We need (1) volunteers for a variety of manual "dirty hands" tasks that need attention right now and (2) financial, land-use, and in-kind contributors to keep the wheel of progress moving forward in coming months.

If you'd like to get involved, please contact us.

Mahalo,

Peter 808-250 2216 peter@harvardclubofmaui.com

Eat The View

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Durkson) — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 23:40:00 +0000

"There are not too many things, but if you put a few seeds in the ground and you don't muck it up too much you'll get a crop" Roger Doiron: Member of Kitchen Gardeners International

Ellen Goodman, Columnist for The Boston Globe, wrote a coluumn recently titled:
"THINK GLOBALLY, BUT EAT VERY, VERY LOCALLY"

In it, she discusses the campaign to get the next president to model a bit of homeland security on http://www.eattheview.org/

Read the article and check out the website! Great food for thought.

Take care,

Peter

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Durkson) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 22:56:00 +0000

Hello,

Here is an interesting organization which offers assistance, Give them a call!

Nursery/Landscape Operators

The USDA- Natural Resources Conservation Service provides technical & financial assistance to improve the resources on your nursery such as:

1) Removing invasive coqui frogs
2) Incentive payments for Nutrient & Pest Management
3) Improvement of irrigation systems, irrigation water management.

Please call us at
(808) 871-5500

Ranae - EXT 107 James - EXT 109
Kahana - EXT 110
Leo - EXT 114
Andrea - EXT 113

They'll be happy to assist you!

Peter

Nature Farming

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Durkson) — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 19:59:00 +0000

Aloha.

This week I had the pleasure of meeting Norman Oshiro of MOA Maui to learn more about the Hawaii version of the MOA Nature Farming Guidelines.

You'll find details on Nature Farming at the MOA Maui website.

We also discussed working together to help grow healthy produce for the Maui Foodbank.

If all goes well, a core Maui Growing Together coalition will be in place by mid-July and we'll be announcing our formation in local Press Releases.

Stay tuned!

Happy Growing,

Peter

Provence in a Plant

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Durkson) — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 19:03:00 +0000

I came across a lot of good gardening tips in this New York Times article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/26/garden/26garden.html?pagewanted=1&tntemail1=y&_r=1&emc=tnt

Let us kn ow if you come across any websites or articles you'd like to share here.

Thank you,

Peter

Drought Data

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Durkson) — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 17:48:00 +0000

Worried about drought? Here is an excellent link http://www.hawaiidrought.com/

Let me know about any other water-related sites which you've found helpful.

Thanks, Peter