Grow your own healthy food forum scheduled

Learn from local market gardeners how to start a spring vegetable garden in a sustainable way at a forum sponsored by UF and FAMU Extension offices in Leon and Wakulla counties.

The forum is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 12, 2009 at the Leon County Extension Center, 615 Paul Russell Road, Tallahassee, and will feature a panel of local market gardeners presenting an evening of practitioner tips from 6:00 to 7:30 pm, and then answering questions until 8:30 pm.

The purpose of this forum, and related classes, forums and tours to come, is to provide timely and useful information for the preparation, tending and successful harvest of single-family, multi-family, neighborhood and community vegetable gardens. These programs will be designed to assist those who want to grow their own healthy food to eat.

We are fortunate to have some experienced CSA growers and market gardeners in the greater Tallahassee area willing to share their knowledge with other folks who want to grow what they eat, and eat what they grow.

This forum is the first effort of a broader Extension initiative in community vegetable gardening education suggested by our Regional Extension Advisory Committee for Climate Change & Sustainable Living Education. It coincides with Trevor Hylton joining the Leon and Wakulla Extension faculty, making his expertise available to the venture.

The planning team for this forum consists of Louise Divine of Turkey Hill Farm (and member of the Leon County Extension Overall Advisory Committee), Les Harrison (Regional UF Extension Agent for Sustainable Agriculture), Trevor Hylton (Leon & Wakulla FAMU Extension Agent for Community Agriculture), and Will Sheftall (Leon County’s UF Extension Agent for Natural Resource Management).

Learn how to expand sustainable community gardening and eating local, healthy food in 2009!

Will Sheftall is a UF Extension Agent IV/Natural Resource Management in Leon County.