An idea of healthy living within the county continues to pick up momentum for the new year.
Build It Up East Tennessee’s Lexy Close visited the Elizabethton/Carter County Public Library Tuesday morning and provided a question-and-answer session for interested participants for this year’s round of the “Backyard Gardens” gardening program open to beginning gardeners in Carter County.
Build It Up is currently in its third year of the gardening program and over the past two years has created 30 new backyard gardens and trained 30 families to grow their own food. For the 2017 season, the program is expanding to 45 gardens with some individuals returning from the previous year. In a partnership with the Carter County Community Advisory Board, Build It Up has 15 spots available for county families looking to take part in the endeavor.
In the library’s community room, which was near standing-room capacity with all the individuals taking in the session, Close described the process in full detail.
“This is for beginner gardeners,” she said about the program.
Participants in the programs will receive a multiple tools and other items, including plants, seed, fertilizer, a hoe and hand trowel, organic pest and disease control, season extension and help with tilling up new gardens.
Close added the program is unable to provide water access, hoses, shovels, rakes, spades, gloves, mulch, or other supplies.
“But access to these items will make gardening easier,” she said. “We recommend you to have them available if possible.”
Build It Up East Tennessee is sponsored through the Appalachian RC&D and receives funding from Grow Appalachia, a foundation based out of Berea, Ky. Applications are currently be accepted by visiting builditupetn.com/gardens-project online until January 31. After the cutoff date, applications will be read by Build It Up and CAB members to select the families for the program. After applicants are selected, site visits will be conducted by Close and the final choices are expected to be made by the end of February. The first workshop offered by Build It Up will be on March 2 with tilling beginning for the gardens.
Build It Up will host six workshops between February-September. Participants of the program are required to attend them all. Close added that participants will need to attend the meeting, due to the fact that’s where Build It Up will check-in with gardeners to help troubleshoot issues with gardens, teaching skills to use and hand out materials. Each workshop includes different seeds, plants and fertilizers. The workshops required include:
• Planning a Garden
• Planting a Garden
• Maintaining a Garden
• Preserving the Harvest
• Health Cooking
• Fall Gardening
Thanks to help from the local UT–Extension office, multiple classes will also be offered, including canning classes, that will be available for participants.
Garden plots need to be a somewhat flat land and at least 20’X25’. Close said that applicants need to have access to land, but don’t need to actually own the land — as long as they have permission from the land’s owner to put the garden in place.
Other requirements for the program include beginning farmers to use only organic materials. Participants will also have to write at least one blog post during the year to talk about the gardening experience.
And opportunities for advice will be in abundance. Build It Up has a Facebook group where participants can interact with other Build It Up farmers that have been in the program for at least a year.
Mary Beth Wooten took part in the discussion near the conclusion of the meeting. Wooten is a returning farmer from the program and shared her story of what the program meant to her and added that she and her husband have a Facebook page, Seedy Tennessee, where individuals can visit to see photos and ask questions about the Wootens’ experience.
Along with beginning gardeners, experienced gardeners have the opportunity to take part in the Market Gardener program, where they have an opportunity to sell produce.
While free of charge, Close added the program requires a suitable amount of work from participants.
“Gardening is not easy,” she said. “It requires at least five to ten hours a week of work. It’s a fun experience but it takes a lot of work.”
Following the conclusion of the meeting, individuals had the opportunity to apply online for the program. Visit builditupetn.com for more information on the program.