Wylde Center Spring 2013 Magazine

CL ASSE S RAISED

BEDS FA R M TO

SCHOOL

NEW

S TA F F CHICKENS

SPRING 2013 AN UPDATE FOR WYLDE CENTER MEMBERS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

WYLDE CENTER 435 Oakview Road, Decatur, GA 30030

INTRODUCING THE WYLDE STAFF page 4

404.371.1920, wyldecenter.org HOURS

COMMUNITY PARTNER DeKalb County Master Gardeners page 5

Wylde Center is open Monday-Friday 9 am-5 pm, Garden sites are open daily from sun up to sun down.

WYLDE CENTER IS GROWING page 6

DECATUR FARM TO SCHOOL Summer 2012 DF2S High School Interns page 7 and 8

MAGAZINE AND PHOTO CONTRIBUTORS Anne-Marie Anderson, Caroline Branch, Meredith Broyles, Rob Cleveland, Amy Foster, Tanya Gipson, Melanie Heckman, JC Hines, Mary H. Hines, Nichole Lupo, Amir Outerbridge, Veronique Perrot, Monica Ponce, Rise-n-Dine, Dara Suchke, Bang Tran, Stephanie Van Parys, Andrea Zoppo

Garden to Classroom page 9

THE WC’S MEMBER MAGAZINE IS PUBLISHED QUARTERLY.

PROGRAM OUTREACH Garden Volunteers page 7

CLASS SCHEDULE Animals, Gardening, Children Programs page 10-15 KIDS CORNER Monarch Butterflies page 16 VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT Pat Gipson page 17 MEMBERSHIP ROLL Gifts received July 1, 2012-March 31, 2013 page 18 and 19 IN SEASON Rise-n-Dine’s Quinoa Grits page 20 EVENT Plant Sale Festival and Speaker Schedule page 21 GARDENING Planting for Pollinators page 22 Raised Beds page 23 Garden Prep for Summer page 24 CHICKENS Finding the Perfect Match page 26

A BLAST FROM THE PAST How It All Started page 27

Executive Director Stephanie Van Parys and Wylde Center Board Member Walt McMann are honored as Decatur Hometown Heroes.

Happy Spring!

FRONT COVER AND INSIDE PHOTO Witchhazel blooming at the Oakhurst Garden.

Bloodroot blooming in the Wylde Woods.

PURCHASE AN AD For advertising rates, please visit our website wyldecenter.org or call 678.642.4977 for more

It doesn’t seem that long ago that I started my first day at the Oakhurst Community Garden Project. I served on the Board of Directors in 2004 and on March 1, 2005, Sally Wylde started training me to take her role as Executive Director. At that time there was only one other person on staff, Claire Miller working full-time as the Environmental Educator and I was working 20 hours per week. Fast forward eight years and now we are a staff of ten! Turn to page 4 to meet the full staff.

information.

This growth in programming is only possible because of you, our members and funders supporting us loyally every year. Thank you for believing in our mission and giving us the support to grow.

GARDEN COACH/HAWK HOLLOW GARDEN SITE COORDINATOR Amy Foster

New in this issue we included the first letter Sally Wylde and Judy Parady sent to the community building interest and support for the garden that ultimately became the Oakhurst Community Garden. Look how far we’ve come!

EDUCATION PROGRAM MANAGER Melanie Heckman

The sun is shining, the garden is calling - it’s time to sow the seeds of healthy living.

Happy Reading!

Stephanie Van Parys, Executive Director

THANK YOU TO OUR PRESENTING SPONSORS Decatur Garden Tour Plant Sale Festival

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Joy Provost, Chair Patrick Foster, Past Chair Jennifer Weissman, Vice-Chair Meg Boswell, Treasurer Kristin Allin, Secretary Caroline Branch, Eryn Emerich, Brent Holt, Judy Knight, Lylia Lucio, Aaron Marks, Walt McMann, Jessica Reece, Sandy Rice, Kathryn Young

GREENSPACE MANAGER AND OAKHURST GARDEN SITE COORDINATOR JC Hines

COMMUNITY EDUCATION COORDINATOR Cassandra Loftlin GARDEN TO CLASSROOM EDUCATOR Nichole Lupo EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT Reagan Horack Koski SUGAR CREEK GARDEN SITE COORDINATOR Dara Suchke EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Stephanie Van Parys PUBLIC PROGRAMS MANAGER AND VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR Andrea Zoppo EDGEWOOD COMMUNITY LEARNING GARDEN SITE COORDINATOR Monica Ponce INTERNS Camila Amaez, Veronique Perrot, Laurin Sephos

Cummin Landscape Supply cumminlandscapesupply.com 2

COPYRIGHT 2013 WYLDE CENTER INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. FOR INFORMATION CONCERNING REPRINTING OF CONTENT, CONTACT 404.371.1920

theWYLDE CENTER Engages youth, families, and individuals in their environment and health within communities. Our organized programs, classes, and events develop creative skills in sustainable urban living, organic gardening, health, and nutrition.

Serves as demonstration gardens, gathering spaces, and wildlife habitats that are open for all to experience the potential of urban greenspace.

Fosters community engagement by promoting and collaborating on programs and projects that improve and protect the environment.

STAFF

Front row, from left to right: Cassandra Loftlin, Andrea Zoppo, Monica Ponce, Dara Suchke, Stephanie Van Parys, Reagan Koski Back row, from left to right: Amy Foster, JC Hines, Melanie Heckman, Nichole Lupo

INTRODUCING THE WYLDE CENTER STAFF Amy Foster joined the Wylde Center staff this past February to serve as the Garden Coach as well as the Hawk Hollow Site Coordinator.

She is excited to be a part of the Wylde Center because she loves cultivating awareness of our interconnectedness with the world around us.

JC Hines also joined the Wylde Center as the Greenspace Manager and Oakhurst Garden Site Coordinator this past February. JC believes the Wylde Center is an amazing organization whose beliefs in food, education, environmental stewardship, community, health and respect for the earth are in line with her own.

Melanie Heckman joined the Wylde Center as the Education Program Manager in February as well. Melanie is excited about working at the Wylde Center because she feels that opportunities for environmental education in urban settings are rare. The WC makes this education about the environment, agriculture, and wellness so immediately accessible to people who otherwise would have little chance to learn about it first-hand.

Cassandra Loftlin has been on the Wylde Center staff as the Community Education Coordinator since October 2011. Her favorite thing about the Wylde Center is that it is truly a part of the community and the WC works really hard to work with the needs of each community and to build long lasting community partnerships.

Nichole Lupo started acting at the Garden to Classroom Educator this past October. She loves nothing more than to see kids young and old, and the young at heart, get excited about learning and eating out of a beautiful, sustainable garden.

Reagan Horack Koski served on the Wylde Center Board of Director for two years before joining the staff as the Executive Assistant this past January. She is excited about working at the Wylde Center

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because after visiting the Oakhurst Garden site for the first time, it brought back memories from her childhood. She is excited to be part of a project that exposes children to natural areas similar to those she played in as a child.

Monica Ponce has served as the Edgewood Community Learning Garden Site Coordinator since this past September. Monica enjoys growing food, propagation, digging, growing and learning about ornamental and medicinal plants, and teaching people what she has learned. Working at the Wylde Center is exciting for Monica because it provides “continuing education” opportunities beyond the Horticulture degree she is pursuing.

Dara Suchke joined the Wylde Center as the Sugar Creek Garden Site Coordinator this past October. Dara likes working at the Wylde Center because she gets to work directly with neighbors and community members of all ages growing an edible greenspace together.

Stephanie Van Parys has served as the Executive Director of the Wylde Center since March 2005. Stephanie is especially proud of how the Wylde Center connects people to the natural world through the WC’s greenspaces and education programs.

Andrea Zoppo joined the staff as the Public Programs Manager and Volunteer Coordinator in June 2010. Andrea enjoys her work at the Wylde Center because she gets to wear many hats. Every season the Wylde Center has new classes, events, and people getting involved. From faerie crowns to farmer hats to coordinating events, classes, volunteers she is always challenged and inspired.

A big thank you and farewell to Daniel Ballard, Myriam Dormer, Lindsey Mann, and Dana McKeever for giving their time and talents to grow the Wylde Center to where it is today. Good luck on your future endeavors!

COMMUNITY PARTNER

THE WYLDE WOODS

A DeKalb County Master Gardener Project

by Mary H. Hines

A

woodland is a study in "mutualism," a symbiotic relationship between individuals of different species in which both benefit from the association. In healthy natural ecosystems, mutualism is so common one might consider it the rule. In a woodland, for example, fallen leaves and branches provide food and habitat for fungus and insects. These organisms help decompose organic matter on the forest floor, providing the trees with the nutrients needed to thrive.

We humans also benefit greatly from woodlands. They provide us with shade, oxygen, food, habitat, and natural beauty. A stroll through a healthy woodland can be a calming and restorative experience that connects us to the natural world.

Fortunately, there are many people who want to celebrate our partnership with the forest, to manage our woodlands wisely and to see them thrive. Thanks to the generosity of Sally Wylde, the founder of the Oakhurst Community Garden Project– which was renamed the Wylde Center in her honor – a slice of woodland has been preserved for all of us to enjoy. The Wylde Woods is part of the Oakhurst Garden, located at the corner or Oakview and S. McDonough streets, is also a study in mutualism. The Wylde Center has partnered with the Master Gardeners of the DeKalb County Extension Office to help make the woodland something quite special.

The Extension Office, in conjunction with the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension, trains master gardeners in horticultural science so that they may, through volunteer service, assist the Extension Office with its educational mission. Master Gardeners help preserve green spaces and create community gardens; they educate people about sustainable practices, like composting, rainwater harvesting, and organic vegetable gardening; and they provide support services, like answering phones, teaching classes, watering seedBELOW, from left to right: Frances Moriarty, Alysia Pearson, Mark Reeve, Kat Hilliard-Yntema

lings, and hauling bark chips. And, in the case of the Wylde Woods, they are managing the woodland for the benefit of that ecosystem as well as for the people of that community.

Kat Hilliard-Yntema, the Master Gardener site leader for the Wylde Woods, explains that the woodland is both a precious resource to be preserved for its own sake as well as an instrument of education.

She has begun a list of the native forest plants in the Wylde Woods – from the tiny, ephemeral spring flowers to the stately oaks. It is her hope that this list (now containing over a hundred entries) will be accessible to garden visitors online or in a booklet. She wants to enlist partners to help fund and manage this educational project (which includes labeling, photographing, and cataloguing many of the plants in the garden). Kat is also working to preserve the stream bank replacing invasive plants with native plants.

Mark Reeve, another Master Gardener volunteer, has worked for several years to weed out invasive plants and to replace them with native wild flowers and ferns, many of which were rescued from woodlands slated for commercial or residential development. He has also helped manage the "Peace Garden" at the edge of the Wylde Woods. The Peace Garden, a collection of ornamental flowers and shrubs accented with inspirational sculpture, was one of the first contributions to the Wylde Center by DeKalb’s Master Gardeners.

The Wylde Woods also benefits from the dedication of several regular volunteers, including Daniel Ballard, Tania Herbert, Gloria Seymour, Alysia Pearson, and Frances Moriarty. Individuals and businesses as well as local civic, religious, social, business, and educational groups have donated time, plants, hardscape materials, and money to help nurture the woodland. Thanks to this communitybased mutualism, the Wylde Woods is being transformed into a healthy ecosystem as well as a sanctuary for education, recreation, and inspiration.

Stop by the Wylde Woods on a quiet morning and sit on a bench and just listen. Just be. It is a special place for reconnecting with nature and finding a moment of peace in the busy city. Consider yourself invited!

Become a Master Gardener!

Contact Gary Pfeiffer, DeKalb Horticulture Coordinator 404-298-4080, grpeiffe@dekalbcountyga.gov

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HIGHLIGHT

WYLDE CENTER IS GROWING

Sugar Creek Garden located behind the Oakhurst Presbyterian Church, Decatur Edgewood Community Learning Garden 1503 Hardee Street, Atlanta

Donated by a builder to the Wylde Center in May 2012, we are adding .62 acres to our managed greenspaces.

Over the coming year, we will turn this space into a garden.

Community plots are part of the plan as well as the removal of invasive plants while replacing with native plants that support diverse flora and fauna. The garden will also be used to host a number of the Wylde Center’s activities: field trips, events, classes, and volunteer workdays.

Hawk Hollow Garden 2504 1st Avenue, Atlanta

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Chickens, bees, butterflies, owls, fish…. vegetables, fruit, flowers! Celebrating 16 years since its founding in 1997, the Oakhurst Garden is loved and visited by many (5,000 visitors per year). Sitting at the corner of Oakview Road and South McDonough, the 4 adjacent parcels of land host community plots, plant sales, classes, field trips, workshops, camps and events.

The Oakhurst Garden is open every day to the public from sun up to sun down.

Oakhurst Garden 435 Oakview Road, Decatur

In 2012, the Wylde Center doubled the number of gardens it manages from 2 to 4 gardens -- Oakhurst Garden, Sugar Creek Garden, Hawk Hollow Garden, and the Edgewood Community Learning Garden. Now with a presence in both Decatur and Atlanta, the gardens are a place to gather, garden, educate, and experience life in a natural setting. All gardens are free and open to the public.

Sugar Creek is a one acre garden leased to the Wylde Center by the City of Decatur. Since April of 2010, the garden focuses on access to fresh, healthy food to all residents of Decatur. The garden hosts “farm-like” rows for growing annual vegetables, tended by the community and aimed at production. It also hosts fruit trees, shrubs and brambles, perennial vegetables and a medicinal herb meadow.

Our latest garden as of August 2012, the Edgewood Community Learning Garden will be enjoyed both by the community and the local schools. Whitefoord Elementary and Coan Middle School students will garden, eat what they grow and learn about environmental stewardship at the at the ECLG. Wylde Center staff are working with a local foundation to manage the greenspace and provide dynamic programming.

PROGRAM OUTREACH/FARM TO SCHOOL

THE BLOSSOMING OF GARDEN VOLUNTEERS by Dara Suchke

W

ith the urban agriculture movement becoming more widespread by the season, community gardens offer a supportive, friendly environment for volunteers to get involved as much or as little as they’d like. The Wylde Center manages four gardens: the Oakhurst Garden, Sugar Creek Garden, Hawk Hollow Garden, and the Edgewood Community Learning Garden. Garden volunteers have flourished as they learn from the land, each other, and the gardeners who mentor them.

improv acting class, and little did he know that this lively woman was also the founder of the popular community garden right around the corner from him. When Wylde passed away in 2010, Watkins made the connection. He and his wife promptly became Wylde Center members, and he signed up for a few classes. It didn’t take long for him to become a regular class assistant, providing support for class instructors while also acquiring valuable knowledge that he could apply to his front yard vegetable beds.

“I didn’t know anything about gardening,” remembers Sarah Cavarak, a regular volunteer at Sugar Creek Garden. “I had this false idea about, you know, dig a hole, drop a seed in, and then that’s all you need to do.”

Jill Dimond loves the conversations on topics ranging from social issues to medicinal uses of plants, which are likely to spring up as volunteers work together. “People say how they’re feeling and then Lindsey [Mann] will be like, ‘you should take some holy basil to help with your anxiety.’” Dimond, who recently completed her Ph.D. at Georgia Tech, followed the advice of Mann, the founding coordinator for Sugar Creek Garden, and made tea from some basil she harvested at the garden. She also appreciates the calm she feels as she digs into the earth as it allowed her “to just come into the present so much … just be there and do the task and be with other people.”

The relationship between volunteers and the community gardens is a symbiotic one. Community gardens rely on volunteers to help with time-consuming and labor-intensive tasks such as seeding, weeding, and mulching, as well as assisting with garden events such as classes, plant sales, and educational programs. In turn, volunteers soak up hands-on experience, expert information, and a support network of fellow gardeners.

In Frances Moriarty’s over four years as a regular volunteer at the Oakhurst Garden, she’s gotten involved with all aspects of the garden. It was a springtime call for help with seeding that got her in, and since then, she cherishes all the “really neat people” she’s gotten to know as she’s assisted with classes, acted as a garden docent for local school groups, and helped rescue native plants for the Wylde Woods.

It was Bob Watkins’s personal connection to Sally Wylde that drew him to the Oakhurst Garden. For three years they were in the same

Marissa Yurko often volunteers at both the Oakhurst and Sugar Creek Gardens, assisting with classes as a way to increase her knowledge to inform her budding urban homestead in East Atlanta. “I don’t think I would be nearly as into gardening if I didn’t have the community garden to give me such a big jump start and continuous support. It went from being a mild interest to a passion.”

Community gardens provide the perfect balance of camaraderie, information, and diverse hands-on experience. Whether you are a lifelong gardener or are just becoming acquainted with plants, you will surely find a warm welcome at one of the Wylde Center gardens.

WYLDE SUMMER: DECATUR FARM TO SCHOOL SPONSORS TWO HIGH SCHOOL INTERNS by Caroline Branch

D

uring the summer of 2012, Decatur Farm to School (DF2S) offered its first paid internship program, supporting two Decatur High School (DHS) students’ work at a combination of farms, gardens, and local restaurants as they experienced the entire farm-to-table process. The DF2S summer program served two purposes: first, to offer students a hands-on opportunity to partner with gardeners, farmers and chefs in the hard work of cultivating fresh, local foods and preparing these foods for service to consumers; and second, to encourage students to share their ideas about how to increase meaningful DF2S activity with middle and high school-aged students.

DHS junior Meredith Broyles and sophomore Amir Outerbridge were the program’s first participants. Meredith worked with owner/operators Joe Reynolds and Judith Winfrey at Love is Love Farm, an organic produce farm located in East Lake Commons’ Gaia Gardens, where, she explains, she was hands-on in the fields learning “about crop rotation and everything that is required to run an urban farm.” Joe, citing a commitment he shares with the Wylde Center, supported the internship because “working with the community, especially young folks, to give them a farm-based food experience is a strong value of Gaia Gardens.” Of Meredith’s work as an intern, he recalls, “I particularly remember Meredith’s willingness to jump into any task, including planting lettuces on a soggy afternoon. She easily joined my assorted team of workers and volunteers.” Meredith’s restaurant work included studying food preparation with the sous-chef at the Iberian Pig and touring Farm Burger’s own grass-fed beef cattle ranch.

Amir started his summer at the Wylde Center, where he enjoyed the unforgettable experience of composting with fish heads at the Sugar Creek garden. Under the supervision of Wylde Center’s Garden Coach Tania Herbert, Amir worked with Oakhurst-area Decatur Housing Authority residents at their garden sites, which are an ongoing Wylde Center project. Amir then joined the restaurant teams at Farm Burger and Leon’s Full Service for the balance of his summer. Amir, who says he applied for the internship in order to “do something meaningful with my summer,” had been anxious that he would be intimidated by the highly professional staff at each venue, but he was pleasantly surprised to discover that “the people are super cool, nice and down to earth.” Manager Heather Gibbons agreed, “Having Amir at Leon’s Full Service this summer was very refreshing. His interest in the big picture of ‘farm to table’ was inspiring for the staff and guests alike.” Despite long hours on their feet, Amir and Meredith both found they particularly enjoyed the customer contact while waiting tables and they expressed excitement about possible futures in the restaurant business.

While Amir and Meredith gained exposure to the professional possibilities of the farm to table movement, DF2S benefited from their insights about connecting with high school students, such as appealing to students’ interest in maximizing their energy and athletic performance. With the continued support of our local restaurants and gardens, DF2S looks forward to accepting applications this spring for two summer 2013 interns.

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FARM TO SCHOOL

MY ORGANIC SUMMER

by Meredith Broyles, DHS Senior

Mist blanketed the crops as the sun started to peek through the clouds. A rusty old sign, hanging on the fence read ‘no pesticides’.

Looking out, you could see life with in the crops, each forming dew on their leaves and emerging from the ground. The 1.5 acres of crops at Gaia Gardens was small yet utilized to the fullest, stretching the full potential of the soil. It was my first day of work and the word ‘organic’ already seemed to have a bigger and better meaning.

It seems like everywhere you go new products are popping up with ‘organic’ labels. This summer, as I crawled around in fields pulling weeds, the concept of ‘organic’ became much more real. I learned everything from crop rotation to the idea of sustainable agriculture and how it all came together to support this urban, organic farm. There are so many other suitable methods to maintaining proper growth rather than just chemically altering out vegetables. Tending to vegetables with more traditional methods such as trellising tomatoes, covering watermelons, and literally squishing the “bad bugs” taught me the logistics of organic farming. The internship was intended to teach me about the Decatur Farm to School program, but these hands-on tasks got me much closer to the subject than I ever imagined.

organic vegetables can be just as delicious. The chefs based their menus on what was in season and what the local farms could offer them, thus ensuring the quality of the product.

My internship ended with sun-kissed cheeks from long afternoons in the garden, tired feet from the bustling kitchen and a much greater knowledge and appreciation for the word ‘organic’. Tending to and cooking organic vegetables takes much dedication and planning, though in the long run, the crisp, ripe, flavorful vegetables will have your taste buds thanking you.

After I started my learning process as an intern at Farm Burger and Iberian Pig, the word ‘organic’ took on a whole new perspective. I went from physically tending to the organic vegetables to applying it to real food. Just because something is labeled ‘organic’ doesn’t mean it has to be bland. These restaurants are proof that the dishes filled with Meredith Broyles working in the vegetable garden with Daniel Ballard.

THOUGHTS ON A DECATUR FARM TO SCHOOL SUMMER

by Amir Outerbridge, DHS Junior

I had lots of positive reasons for applying for the summer internship with DF2S; it seemed like a great way to spend the summer while preparing me for the future and giving me some extra cash in my pocket.

But as my first day got closer and closer, I started to panic a little with typical, teenager fears. Was this really how I wanted to spend my whole summer? What if the people I worked with were super-strict about everything? What if they had planned to lecture me because sometimes I like to eat super-size fries from McDonald’s? What if the work was going to be too hard? For a moment, I started to question my ability and willingness to go through with it. But to my relief, I got to work with some of the coolest people I’ll ever know.

First, I met the crew at the Wylde Center. One of the staff members was Daniel; he used to be a teacher in New Orleans before he moved to this area.

Daniel is very serious about what he does and he’s one of the hardest, most dedicated people I’ve ever seen. When he told me that he was planning to “work me to death” at first I thought it was just going to be for his entertainment. But what I realized was that he didn’t want me to take the food on my plate for granted. He taught me that someone had to plant it, nurture it, get filthy, sweat a lot, and think ahead to the next crop, all the while sweating in the hot sun way before the Amir Outerbridge turning compost at the Oakhurst Garden.

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crops ended up on my plate as food. I appreciated that lesson.

Another staff member was Chef Cassandra. She was also hard working and dedicated and always busy. She and I had great conversations about different foods and what we like to cook. Her questions about my tastes in food made me think in new ways about combining ingredients and preparing food. I felt that she could take anything out of any garden and turn it into something delicious. She also made me feel that I could do the same thing on my own.

I worked with Lindsay Mann at Sugar Creek Garden, which is a small garden in Oakhurst. She’s very gentle and she worked with the vegetables like they were her children.

Then there was Tania Herbert. I will always remember what she told me on my first day working with her at Glory Garden [located at the Decatur Housing Authority apartments]: “We are not just growing a garden. We are growing a community.” Tania is admired for her knowledge of compost. One Saturday there was an event at the Wylde Center and I was at Tania’s station turning compost. I listened as she explained to the visitors how to improve their compost. I could see that she was an expert. Daniel said that I could learn a lot about compost from her and Chef Cassandra once said that Tania’s compost was perfect. I began to see compost as more than thrown-away “stuff”, but the first ingredient in a recipe for great vegetables.

I need to also mention the great people I worked with at Farm Burger and Leon’s on Ponce. Restaurants are busy places but everyone made time for me. The manager at Farm Burger sat down with me to explain the philosophy behind Farm Burger in the middle of a busy day. On my first day at Leon’s I was trusted to dice vegetables. The way these people are about food and service is a lesson in passion.

I saw the mission of DF2S one way in the beginning, but it started to mean something different to me as I went through the program and met all these great people. They give a whole new meaning to the saying “down to Earth”.

FARM TO SCHOOL

GARDEN TO CLASSROOM:

A NEW PROGRAM OF THE WYLDE CENTER

ABOVE: Students enjoying sauteed broccoli.

LEFT: Student at a City of Decatur school explores seed catalogs as part of her lesson

What students are saying about eating broccoli straight from the school garden.

“I loved it. First I took a little bite and then I stuffed the whole thing in my mouth!”

“The broccoli was so good that I need the recipe!”

“I thought I wouldn’t like it, but once I tasted it I liked it.”

“The head of broccoli is actually the flower.”

“I

love this day!” That’s a phrase often uttered by my dear friend’s awesome seven-year-old. And it’s one that is so perfect for many of my days working in the Garden to Classroom program.

Full days spent outside, in school gardens, working with teachers and students to care for, harvest and taste the delicious offerings of the season. Life really doesn’t get much better, and work certainly doesn’t! And now that spring is creeping in, with its longer days and warmer temperatures, we are entering the next exciting phase of teaching and learning in the edible gardens of City Schools of Decatur.

this month.

Garden to Classroom is a new program of the Wylde Center aimed at supporting schools’ efforts in Farm to School and hands-on, outdoor education in edible gardens. We work to assist school leadership, faculty and staff with plantings and harvests, general garden maintenance, and connecting garden activities to Georgia Performance Standards. We also help organize garden workdays, offer technical assistance for large garden projects, and provide the necessary expertise and equipment for eating what the students grow.

Glennwood Elementary has had several cool weather harvests, with plans for spring vegetables and an exciting garden expansion on the horizon. Winnona Park has a lovely layout in place for planting spring crops and Renfroe Middle is continuing their garden projects with the Garden Gnomes after school, as well as embarking on an exciting new adventure with the students in the International Culinary class.

Many Decatur schools have had fun educational garden experiences this past fall and winter working with the Wylde Center Garden to Classroom educator. Oakhurst Elementary has enjoyed several lettuce harvests, as well as a school-wide broccoli harvest and tasting. They explored plant needs by constructing and planting mini greenhouses out of recycled milk jugs, with the planted flowers to be transplanted into their spring gardens to act as food for pollinators and beautification of school grounds. Oakhurst students also investigated compost by sorting compostable and non-compostable items; they will begin composting scraps from the cafeteria each Friday starting

College Heights Early Childhood Learning Center’s toddlers, 3-yearolds and preschoolers sowed collard seeds, studied the nutritional benefits of eating collards, and spent time as a “farmer for a day,” exploring seed catalogs and selecting their best picks for “their farms.”

With the assistance of the Wylde Center Garden Coach Clairemont Elementary recently installed phase one of their edible learning gardens, with students planning to fill beds with soil and compost for a spring vegetable planting.

With so much happening in so many different gardens, it’s easy to see how spring gets kids and adults alike buzzing with excitement over the possibilities for learning, growing, and eating in the garden.

Beyond the science and social studies, language arts and math, kids are learning patience, cooperation, perseverance, collaboration, and healthy eating habits to last a lifetime. With Garden to Classroom, teachers get to teach to and learn with their students in a whole new way.

Nichole Lupo is the new Garden-to-Classroom coordinator at the Wylde Center.

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CLASSES & WORKSHOPS

GROWINGS ON

COMMUNITY LEARNING SERIES FOR ADULTS, YOUTH AND CHILDREN What is Growings On? Growings On is the name of our class series that focuses on sustainable life skills such as animal husbandry, gardening, cooking, and art. Brought to you by a talented group of teachers, you will have a great time adding new skills to your life.

As a Wylde Center member, do I receive discounts on classes?

Yes, you do! As a thank you for supporting the Wylde Center, formerly the Oakhurst Community Garden Project, we hope you will take advantage of the discounts we offer on classes, event rentals, and birthday parties.

How do I register? a. Register online at wyldecenter.org and click on classes b. Email Andrea@wyldecenter.org for assistance or questions about classes. c. You may mail check a week or more in advance to 435 Oakview Rd. Decatur, GA 30030 Attention Andrea Zoppo with name of classes, email and phone number. Make your check out to Wylde Center.

Who can take classes?

Everyone! We offer classes for ages 2 up to 102!

2013 LIVING THE GREEN LIFE The Wylde Center, Dekalb County Public Library System, and the City of Decatur have teamed up for another year to offer FREE CLASSES on a variety of sustainable topics.

Unless otherwise noted, events take place at the Decatur Library, 215 Sycamore Street Decatur, Georgia 30030 For more information about this series visit our website wyldecenter.org Decorating Green: Reuse. Redo. Rethink.

Saturday, April 27, 10:00-11:30am

Decorating to reduce energy consumption. Furnishings that have longevity, durability and flexibility. Planned obsolescence. or how and when to update with minimal waste. Thirty-five year decorating veteran and colorist Rebecca Ewing believes that your home is your sanctuary. She’ll talk about thread counts, rub counts, window coverings, the cost of furniture, and lifestyle choices to lighten the carbon footprint, plus the keys to making your home a beautiful and meaningful space. www.HandsOnHues.com

Attracting Bees and Butterflies Monday, May 6, 10:00-11:30am

How many of you have heard about Colony Collapse Disorder? The beekeeper goes to his hives and there is not a bee in sight, they have all disappeared?

Although that disorder is specific to honey bees, all pollinators have been declining in numbers, including butterflies, bats, and our native bees. Did you know that there are about 4,000 species of native bees in North America? At least 40 native bee species are in the Southeastern United States. In this class Pandra Williams will help you understand how you can support our native butterflies and bees personally, in your garden. Learn how to identify and support three types of gentle native bees. Learn about the five classes of butterflies and what you need to keep them coming back to your garden. There will be a hand’s on project; the class will build a mason bee house together.

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Quails are Easy! Intro to Keeping Quail 5 PERSON MINIMUM AND ADVANCED REGISTRATION REQUIRED AT WYLDECENTER.ORG Saturday, September 15, 10-11:30pm $15 members, $20 non members class.

GROWINGS ON Community L earning Series for A dults, Youth & Children

Intro to Beekeeping.

Saturday, March 30, 1-3pm $20 Garden member, $25 non-members Join our Bee Team Leader, Cassandra Lawson, and she will share her knowledge on bee-ing a beekeeper. Learn the basics: Best location to set up a hive, when do you order bees and from whom, where do you find your materials. Talk about must have tools. This class is suited for beginner beekeepers and curious bee lovers.

Quails are Easy! Intro to Keeping Quail Saturday, May 18, 10-11:30pm $15 members, $20 non members Location: A house near the Oakhurst Garden. Directions sent to Participants.

Join Oakhurst Local and keeper of quails, Sirkka Hougard, and learn about the tiny alternative to chickens! You will get to see the quail, their coop, and how Sirkka cares for these funny little birds. Though they are much smaller, quail eggs contain three or four times the nutritional value of regular chicken eggs. Quail are easy to feed and maybe less intimidating than chickens. This class is held at Sirkka’s home in Oakhurst Village.

The Address will be emailed to you the 3 days before the class. Contact Andrea@ wyldecenter.org for concerns.

Worm Power: Intro to Vermiculture AND Build a Worm Bin! Saturday, March 16, 2-4pm $30 Garden Member, $35 NonMember Join Michael McLane and learn the power of using earthworms to grow stronger seedlings, enrich your garden soils, houseplants and ornamentals.

Class participants will learn an easy, low maintenance way to significantly reduce kitchen waste, reduce your carbon footprint, and create a fantastic soil amendment. Students will build their own "condo-style" worm bin and leave with the knowledge and tools to get started vermicomposting !

BEEKEEPING & ANIMAL HUSBANDRY Chickens are Easy! Intro to Keeping Chickens Saturday, May 11, 10-12pm $15 members, $20 non members Join The Celtic Gardener, Anne-Marie Anderson, for our popular chicken crash course. This class will cover the basics of coop design, relevant ordinances, breed selection, care and feeding and outside resources. Anne-Marie is a local keeper of an “urban flock," and learned about chickens through our courses and events. She is also a member of OCG's Bee Team, and enjoys spreading the word about sustainable gardening and urban farming. The last 30 min of the class is Q&A Reserve your spot today!

Intermediate/ Advanced Beekeeping Saturday, May 11, 1-3pm $20 Garden member, $25 non-members Join our Bee Team Leader, Cassandra Lawson, in this class for people who have bees and want to learn more. Have you had trouble keeping bees? Have pests and other problems limiting your bee productivity? Learn how to address challenges and foster a strong and healthy hive.

This class will present alternative methods and placement, like what we have done at the Oakhurst Garden . Learn tips, tricks and ways to bring your skills to the next level! Each class covers different topics based on the concerns of the participants and their bees.

GARDENING NATURE & URBAN FARMING

Self Watering Raised Beds: Grow More the Hugelkultur Way Sunday, March 24, 2-4pm Wylde Center Members $15, Non Members $20 Location: Sugar Creek Garden - Located behind the Oakhurst Presbyterian Church. Park in the lot next to the church just off of East Lake Drive Join Kevin Frazier for a hands on workshop where you'll learn how to use local, renewable, organic resources to create rich garden beds, control erosion, and conserve tons of water all at the same time! Kevin has been working with the land for the past 12 years throughout Northern Ga, starting with Landscape design and installation and Nursery production and has shifted his focus to implementing Ecological landscapes with Shades of Green Inc. a Decatur based Ecological Design and Permaculture education business, and he's also sharing his time with another Atlanta based venture at 5th Kingdom cultivating Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms. Hugelkultur is Kevin's favorite tool for regenerating soil and saving water and you're sure to learn a lot in this workshop so join us and bring a a pair of gloves and lets dig in.

Sustainable Gardening – Good Gardening Gets Good Results Wednesday, March 27, 6:30-8:00 pm $15 Garden members, $20 non-members Join Master Gardener Averil Bonsall and learn all about successful gardening and planting! To be successful involves: growing the best plant or plants available, growing the right plant for the location (selection), developing and preparing your soil and taking proper care of your plants once they are in the ground. Using organic insect controls is just a small piece of having a sustainable garden!

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5 PERSON MINIMUM AND ADVANCED REGISTRATION REQUIRED AT WYLDECENTER.ORG Basic Vegetable Gardening – Can’t have a good garden without a PLAN! Wednesday, April 3, 6:30- 8:00 pm $15 Garden members, $20 non-members Join Dekalb Extension Agent Sarah Brodd and learn how to locate your garden, what vegetables and the best varieties to grow, how to care for and manage the different crops and when to harvest. Believe it or not harvesting is the “ONE PART” that people mess up the most!

Edible Gardening at Sugar Creek Garden

Sunday, April 7, 2:00-4:00 pm $5 Wylde Center Members, $10 Non Members Location: Sugar Creek Garden is on the floodplain behind Oakhurst Presbyterian Church with parking lot access off of E. Lake Dr near 2nd ave Join Dara, Garden Manager, and learn how Sugar Creek successfully produces delicious and healthy food. The garden incorporates perennial medicinal herbs, farm-like rows planted with seasonal fruits and vegetables, and a burgeoning orchard.

This class will introduce you to the basics of growing vegetables as we discuss topics including growing from seed vs. transplanting, optimal crops for each season, and harvesting techniques. There will be some hands-on seeding, transplanting, harvesting, and taste-testing as well!

Implementation-Alternatives for Watering Your Garden: Stewardship of a Priceless Resource Saturday, May 4, 10-12pm $5 Wylde Center Members, $10 Non Members Join Paul Morgan of rainharvestcompany. com we'll discuss the costs and logistics of implementing systems that will enable you to collect rain water, grey water, air conditioning condensate and/or ground water for outdoor use. Cisterns, tanks, pumps and filtration will be explained and made easy so that anyone can assemble their own system! We'll talk about what components to avoid and what components you can't do without.

Growing and Cooking with Fresh Herbs from the Garden to the Table Sunday, May 5, 4-6pm $25 Wylde Center Member, $30 Non Member Jerilynn Bedingfield, gardener, cook and herbal enthusiast, and Jennifer Weissman, health educator, former Decatur school lunch lady, passionate cook and obsessive baker, team up to teach this delicious herbs in the garden to table class! In the first half of this class, you will learn how to plant, grow and harvest a variety of herbs used in cooking. During the second half of the class, you'll learn how to cook with herbs, and we'll demonstrate - and taste - a few recipes like herbal pesto and a minty summer beverage. You'll take home recipes, and you can purchase herbs from the plant sale to plant at home if you like.

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Alternatives for Watering Your Garden: Stewardship of a Priceless Resource $5 Wylde Center Members, $10 Non Members Saturday, April 6, 10-12pm Join Paul Morgan of rainharvestcompany.com and we'll learn how the expanding fresh water shortage in North Georgia is going to impact you, your community and your garden. As Prices for municipal water continue to rise, we need be prepared for stricter regulations on using potable water for outdoor uses like irrigation and gardening! Discussion topics will include alternative sources of water for your garden that are truly sustainable. We'll introduce the methodology and practicality of rain water harvesting (from the roof and from the land), grey-water re-use, air conditioning condensate and ground water.

Moving Beyond Organics: An Introduction to Biodynamics Saturday, April 6, 2-4pm $15 Wylde Center Member, $20 Non Member Location: Sugar Creek Garden located behind the Oakhurst Presbyterian Church.

Park in the lot next to the church just off of East Lake Drive Jim Jensen and Dara Suchke, Garden Manager, will guide you in this hands-on introduction to biodynamics which will familiarize you with observing sun and moon cycles, using herbal preparations to enliven the garden, and understanding the soil as a living organism.

The class will culminate by doing a stirring as we build a biodynamic compost pile.

Plant a Summer Vegetable Garden: Hands on Gardening Saturday, April 13, 10-12pm $15 Garden members, $20 non-members You have read the books, maybe attended a few classes, but may not feel comfortable with the actual process of putting plants and seeds in the ground. Lyn and Bob Bernstein are ready to guide you as you plant beans, tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, lettuce, basil and more. We will plant seedlings and sow seeds directly in the garden.

The planting will follow the smart space method developed by Mel Bartholomew in his book All New Square Foot Gardening.

Make a Mushroom Grow Basket!

Sunday April 14 , 2-3:30pm $35 Garden Members, $40 Non Members Deep South Mushroom Co. will show you how to have a continuous supply of delicious oyster mushrooms. We will supply all materials. You will learn how to inoculate pasteurized wheat straw and cottonseed hulls, colonize the substrate and fruit the baskets right at home! Oyster mushrooms contain significant levels of zinc, iron, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, vitamin C, folic acid, niacin, and vitamins B-1 and B-2. You can find Deep South Mushroom Co. on Facebook and at the Decatur Farmers Market!

Hands on Intensive Garden Workshop at Tierra Sonrisa Garden Sunday, May 5, 11-3pm (with lunch break) $40 Wylde Center Members, $45 Non Members Location: Tierra Sonrisa Garden 579 Carlton Pointe Dr. Palmetto, GA 30268 Join Frank Holzman organic horticulturalist for an intensive gardening workshop at Tierra Sonrisa Garden located 15 miles below the airport off I-85 in South Fulton county.

The class will cover garden design, bed preparation, creative composting, making potting soil, seed starting and the 5 principles of companion planting. This is an advanced hands on workshop. Tierra Sonrisa is a demonstration learning center for Recovery Eco Ag Project. Frank has worked in sustainable AG/Hort since 1973 and has set up gardens in several states and eight countries. Check out the garden at; Tierrasonrisagarden.com Participants will leave with containers of started seeds for their garden.

Create Stunning Garden Containers from Hypertufa Wednesday, May 15 , 7-9pm $30 Garden Member, $35 Non Members Join local artisan and succulent specialist Kurt Straudt of southeastsucculents.com and learn about how to make stunning garden containers from the stone-like material with the funny nameHYPERTUFA! Bring leaves for impressions, colorful stones and small objects to add extra decoration. We also ask that you bring containers to be used as molds. You will take home 2-3 projects: bowl, dish, small trough, small statuette or something uniquely your own. This class will equip you to take your garden to the next level with these unique artful containers. These beautiful pots make great gifts as well!

5 PERSON MINIMUM AND ADVANCED REGISTRATION REQUIRED AT WYLDECENTER.ORG Make Your Own Medicine from your Back Yard!

Foraging for Herbs and using Weeds to Heal.

Sunday, May 18, 2-4pm $35 members, $40 non members Weeds are weeds only in the eye of the beholder.

You will learn how to find weeds (herbs) that are good medicine and process some into medicine.

Know what to pick, where to pick, what part to pick, and when to pick. We will make a sleep remedy (tincture and tea), remedies for upset stomach & anantifungal powder. The making medicine classes often have waiting lists, so sign up early. Taught by Charli Vogt, RN, MN, MPH, & herbalist has a private practice in Decatur to help people be healthy in mind body and spirit. www.BeyondTheMeasuringCup.com. Bring 2-3 small glass containers in which to carry home the medicine you make. 5

Geomancy: Communicating with Earth's Consciousness; a Practice of Stewardship and Spirituality Saturday, June 1, 10-11:30am $12 Garden Members, $15 non members Location; Sugar Creek Garden located behind the Oakhurst Presbyterian Church. Enjoy a beautiful garden and join Lindsey Mann of Sustenance Design, llc, in this exciting new class about geomancy. The earth communicates with us in many ways. We are designed to have a deeper relationship with our planet. Ecology's Gaia hypothesis teaches us that the earth is a living organism, all is connected, and geomancy takes this a step further by merging spirituality with ecology and recognizing that all life is infused with consciousness. More info online.

Edible Gardening Featuring the Edgewood Community Learning Garden Saturday, June 15, 10-12pm $5 Wylde Center Members, $10 Non Members Location: 503 Hardee Street, Atlanta, GA 30307 Join Garden Manager Monica Ponce and check out the new vegetable beds and fruit patch at the Edgewood Community Learning Garden, a recently renovated site aimed at educating students at neighboring schools and community about gardening! This class will be an introduction to the basics of growing delicious fresh summer fruits and vegetables. Topics will include preparing a bed for mid-late summer crops, installing transplants, harvesting, some pest control, and watering techniques. Please be sure to bring plenty of water, sunscreen, and gloves.

Urban Micro Farming an Atlanta Treasure: The Four Mile Farmlet at the Lake Claire Land Trust Saturday, July 13, 10:30-12:30pm $15 for Wylde Center Members, $20 Non Members Location: 280 Arizona Ave NE Atlanta, GA 30307.

Parking available at Clifton Sanctuary 369 Connecticut Ave NE Atlanta, GA 30307 Join Breman James, Farmlet Manager, at the Lake Claire Community Land Trust for an in-depth guided tour of the growing edible gardens of this truly tucked away Atlanta treasure. For over 25 years, the land trust has inspired generations to share the joy of communal green space. This class will give you an inside look into the various features like ponds, animal habitats for ducks and emu, and spaces to produce food. Bring a lunch, picnic together, and taste some of the fresh organic veggies growing in this inspiring urban oasis.

Earth Poetry with Stephen Wing- Spring Sunday, April 7, 2-4 pm $5 Suggested Donation Earth Poets celebrate nature and ecology -- not as observers looking out through a window, but as participants in a living relationship with the natural world. Join our quarterly workshop to explore this ancient poetic tradition, dating to the earliest indigenous poets. Bring poetry to share, whether your own or a favorite poet's. Then we'll split up to experience the wonders of the Garden, jot down anything that inspires us, and gather again for sharing and conversation. Bring wine or beer to share if you like. Please register/ rsvp in advance.

FOOD HEALTH & WELLNESS Let's Make Fermented Foods (Sauerkraut, chutney, kefir, kim chi) Sunday, April 14, 2-4pm $35 for Garden members, $40 for non-members Every culture has foods that are fermented or "pickled". Learn the process. Fermented food helps your body stay healthy and assists in digesting other food. Come prepared to cut up your own cabbage to make sauerkraut in this hands on participatory class. Bring your own quart jars in which to take your ferments home. We will make at least 2 recipes. This class is taught by one our "regulars", Charli Vogt, RN who loves doing anything that involves the kitchen. www.BeyondTheMeasuringCup.com . Books, 2 qt. jars and pounding sticks will be available for sale.

Know your Plants & Weeds: Plant ID 101 Saturday, June 8, 3-5pm $15 Wylde Center Member, $20 Non Member Join Kevin Frazier and learn to identify plants and weeds. Kevin has been working with the land for the past 12 years throughout Northern Ga, starting with Landscape design and installation and Nursery production and has shifted his focus to implementing Ecological landscapes with Shades of Green Inc. a Decatur based Ecological Design and Permaculture education business, and he's also sharing his time with another Atlanta based venture at 5th Kingdom cultivating Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms.

Bring an empty photo album or an old book and some notecards and a pen to catalog samples of leaves for the students to refer to later.

Make Your Own Cleaning Supplies: Save money with DIY detergents, cleaners, and more!

Wednesday, April 17, 6:30-8pm $15 Wylde Center Members, $20 Non Members Join Deanna Kearns as she teaches how to use leftover everyday food waste to make your home happy and healthy without a bunch of $. You will learn how to make an all-purpose cleaner, glass cleaner, hardwood floor cleaner, and how to do your laundry for a few cents and end up with deliciously clean clothes. You will go home with your own starter kit and Deanna's family cleaner recipes that have been passed down the generations. This class is recommended for adults.

Make Gifts from the BEE Hive: Healing lotions, balms, scrubs and more!

Saturday, May 4, 1-2:30pm $45 Garden Member, $50 Non Member Join Cassandra Lawson, our Bee Team Leader, and learn how to craft products and gifts from the abundance of the hive. Cassandra is a professional bee keeper and instructor. She will guide you through the procedures to make lip balm, lotion, antiseptic balm, and brown sugar/ honey body polish! Each participant will leave with wonderful bee products made to use! This is an adult class. Find Cassandra at cassandrasbees.com.

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5 PERSON MINIMUM AND ADVANCED REGISTRATION REQUIRED AT WYLDECENTER.ORG Growing and Cooking with Fresh Herbs from the Garden to the Table Sunday, May 5, 4-6pm $25 Wylde Center Member, $30 Non Member Jerilynn Bedingfield, gardener, cook and herbal enthusiast, and Jennifer Weissman, health educator, former Decatur school lunch lady, passionate cook and obsessive baker, team up to teach this delicious herbs in the garden to table class! In the first half of this class, you will learn how to plant, grow and harvest a variety of herbs used in cooking.

During the second half of the class, you'll learn how to cook with herbs, and we'll demonstrate - and taste - a few recipes like herbal pesto and a minty summer beverage. You'll take home recipes, and you can purchase herbs from the plant sale to plant at home if you like.

Make Delicious Dairy-Free Butter, Cream and Milk!

Saturday, May 11, 10-12pm $25 Wylde Center Members, $30 Non Members Join Nnenne Onyioha-Clayton, Holistic Nutritionist & Wellness Educator, and learn to create sumptuous vegan butter, cream and milk in different sweet and savory flavors. Participants will cover how to make basic vegan butter, vegan sour cream and nut milk.

Nnenne also explains exactly why reducing your dairy intake is a smart health move. You will never miss butter or the side-effects of dairy again!

Clay Days! Celebrate the Earth with Clay at That Pottery Place: Adult Class Wednesday, May 22, 6:30-8:30pm $25 Wylde Center Members, $30 Non Members Location: That Pottery Place North Dekalb Mall 2050 Lawrenceville Hwy, Decatur Join Andrea Zoppo and Edith Pula, owner of That Pottery Place, for a hands on clay workshop for adults. Bring some drinks, wine and snacks and let’s get creative!

We will have a variety of projects we can make like wall plaques, bowls, vases, etc. This is a hand building class.

Pottery will be ready to pick up 3-4 weeks after the class.

Advance registration is required by May 15.

Advance Natural Soap Making Class: Vegan Hot Process Method Saturday, June 1 , 1:15-3:15pm $40 Garden Members, $45 Non Members Join Quinnie Demetria Cook and learn how to make soap from scratch with natural ingredients using an advance method. Participants will learn another method of natural soap making called Hot Process (HP). This method differs from Cold Process (CP) method because heat is used to complete the saponification process, resulting in soap that can be used immediately, no more waiting 4-6 weeks for soap to cure. Students will leave with a small batch of soap plus handouts and information so that they can go home and make their own soap from scratch. Quinnie started making soap and skincare products to help relieve her daughter’s irritated skin caused from eczema. After reading the ingredients in so called "natural products" Quinnie decided to make her own skin care products for her family. Prerequisite: Cold Process Class)

FAMILY & CHILDREN CLASSES

Make Your Own Medicine from your Back Yard!

Foraging for Herbs and using Weeds to Heal.

Sunday, May 18, 2-4pm $35 members, $40 non members Weeds are weeds only in the eye of the beholder.

You will learn how to find weeds (herbs) that are good medicine and process some into medicine. Know what to pick, where to pick, what part to pick, and when to pick. We will make a sleep remedy (tincture and tea), remedies for upset stomach & an antifungal powder. The making medicine classes often have waiting lists, so sign up early. Taught by Charli Vogt, RN, MN, MPH, & herbalist has a private practice in Decatur to help people be healthy in mind body and spirit. www.BeyondTheMeasuringCup.com. Bring 2-3 small glass containers in which to carry home the medicine you make.

Beginner's Natural Soap Making Class from Scratch: Vegan Cold Process Saturday, June 1 , 10-12pm $40 Garden Members, $45 Non Members Join Quinnie Demetria Cook and learn how to make soap from scratch using natural ingredients. Save your skin as well as your money and have fun doing it! In this hands-on demonstration class students learn the basics of how to make traditional vegan/vegetarian Cold Process Soap ( the way Grandma made it ) by using a blend of oils, butters and lye. Students will leave with a small batch of soap plus handouts and information so that they can go home and make their own soap from scratch. Quinnie started making soap and skincare products to help relieve her daughter’s irritated skin caused from eczema.

After reading the ingredients in so called "natural products" Quinnie decided to make her own skin care products for her family. Her soaps are now for sale at various Atlanta locations

Fantastic Raw 5-Minute Menus For The Family: Coco Bliss Balls, Shakes, Coconut Coleslaw and more!

Saturday, June 15, 11-12:30pm $20 Wylde Center Members, $25 Non Members.

Parents and Children are invited to learn and create a nutritious meal together with Nnenne Onyioha-Clayton, Holistic Nutritionist & Wellness Educator, using a healthy every day ingredients you can easily find in the garden, farmers’ market or health food store. Kids are guaranteed to love these fun, tasty, and nutritious five-minute menus, but not as much as their parents will! We will not only be making these dishes but also enjoying them freshly-made! Meuu Items will be from this list: Super Veggie Rolls, Avocado Nut Feast , Fruit Shakes, Coco Bliss Balls, Coconut Coleslaw, Raw “gnocchi” with Basil & Tomato sauce

Canning & Freezing your Fruit and Vegetables Saturday, June 22, 2-4:30pm $35 for Garden members, $40 for non-members Canning and freezing are great ways to preserve the food you grow or purchase from your local farmer. Remove the mystery and fear out of preserving your food using the boiling water bath & pressure cooking methods of canning.

Class is hands on, so bring your apron and your knives. Learn about the equipment you need, the process, and cautions to make it totally safe. We will also talk about freezing food and how to do that safely. Taught by one our "regulars", Charli Vogt, RN who loves doing anything that involves the kitchen; you will have fun as well as learn a TON of information. Books, and some canning supplies MAY be available for sale at this class. www.BeyondTheMeasuringCup.com. 2 Jars of canned goods for each student will be ready for pickup 24hrs after the class and will be in a box on the front porch.

Family FUN Making Healthy Easter/Spring Treats For your Doggy Pal! Behind the Scenes at the Bakery Thursday, March 28, 4:15-5:30pm Garden Members $10, Non-members $15 Location: Taj Ma Hound Bakery in Oakhurst at 707 D East Lake Drive Decatur, GA 30030 When you eat your Easter/Spring chocolates and your dog looks at you with those begging eyes you can give in with an Easter dog treat you made yours self! Join Krista Aversano, owner Taj Mahound in Oakhurst, as she shows your family how to make all natural dog biscuits in fun shapes and designs. Taj Ma Hound is a local bakery and they focus on quality treats with beautiful decorations. Parents/Adults must accompany children 6 and under. Class includes all supplies. You will leave the class with treats to share with your doggy pal and the knowledge of how to make healthy treats to keep your pet happy! To learn more check out tajmahound.com .

5 PERSON MINIMUM AND ADVANCED REGISTRATION REQUIRED AT WYLDECENTER.ORG Garden Faerie House Playtime!

Earth Day Celebrations Wednesday, April 24, 4:15-5:30 $10 Garden members, $15 non-members Let’s celebrate Earth Day at the Oakhurst Garden by making our earthy faeries places to play and explore. Join our very faerie Miss Luna Lady Bug in an enchanted play time where we will create tiny homes throughout the garden for all the elves and faeries to dance and entertain the forest creatures. Your child will construct biodegradable Faerie houses for the garden made from bark, leaves, terra cotta, clay, stones and more. Participants will learn to create magical abodes from found natural objects and will see the potential of playtime in the abundance of what the earth provides. Fresh apples provided as snack. Drop off class perfect for ages 5-10.

Fantastic Raw 5-Minute Menus For The Family: Coco Bliss Balls, Shakes, Coconut Coleslaw and more!

Saturday, June 15, 11-12:30pm $20 Wylde Center Members, $25 Non Members.

Parents and Children are invited to learn and create a nutritious meal together with Nnenne OnyiohaClayton, Holistic Nutritionist & Wellness Educator, using a healthy every day ingredients you can easily find in the garden, farmers’ market or health food store. Kids are guaranteed to love these fun, tasty, and nutritious five-minute menus, but not as much as their parents will! We will not only be making these dishes but also enjoying them freshly-made!

Meuu Items will be from this list: Super Veggie Rolls, Avocado Nut Feast , Fruit Shakes, Coco Bliss Balls, Coconut Coleslaw, Raw “gnocchi” with Basil

NEW!

CAMPS AND MULTI-WEEK PROGRAMS

Clay Days! Celebrate the Earth with Clay at That Pottery Place: Kids Class Wednesday, May 1, 4:30- 5:45pm $20 Wylde Center Members, $25 Non Members Location: That Pottery Place North Dekalb Mall 2050 Lawrenceville Hwy, Decatur Join Andrea Zoppo and Edith Pula, owner of That Pottery Place, for a hands on clay workshop for kids and/or adults. We will make a clay musical instruments, called an ocarina, and a small bowl. Great c;ass for ages 6+. Adults can participate and make art too. Children under 6 must be accompanied by an adult. Pottery will be ready to pick up 3-4 weeks after the class.

Advance registration is required by April 24.

Family FUN Making Healthy Treats For your Doggy Pal: Behind the Scenes at the Bakery Saturday, June 22, 10:30-11:45am Garden Members $10, Non-members $15 Location: Taj Ma Hound Bakery in Oakhurst at 707 D East Lake Drive Decatur, GA 30030 Join Krista Aversano, owner Taj Mahound in Oakhurst, as she shows your family how to make all natural dog biscuits in fun shapes and designs. Taj Ma Hound is a local bakery and they focus on quality treats with beautiful decorations. Parents/Adults must accompany children 6 and under. Class includes all supplies.

You will leave the class with treats to share with your doggy pal and the knowledge of how to make healthy treats to keep your pet happy! To learn more check out tajmahound.com

Circle of life! Children’s Gardening-2 Classes (Ages 4-6 flexible) Saturday, April 13, 10:30-12pm And Saturday, April 20, 10:30-12pm $30 Wylde Center Member, $40 Non Member Together we will discover the wonders of spring and where our food comes from. Join instructor Carling Sothoron, a current Waldorf school teacher and garden educator, for a hands-on introduction to the fun and magic of planting, tending and harvesting fresh fruits and vegetables. Children will get to experience nature up close as we explore all corners of the garden, dig for critters and make earth art.

This adventure in gardening will provide participants opportunities to use their five senses, care for the chickens, snack on their accomplishments and get their hands dirty. We will learn to make compost, identify different seeds and plants, and discover what it takes to cultivate your own garden.

Wylde Center Urban Farm Camp at the Oakhurst Garden 3 sessions from 9-1pm beginning on the following dates: June 10, June 17, June 24 $200 Wylde Center Members, $220 Non Members Location: Oakhurst Garden 435 Oakview Rd. Decatur, Ga, 30030 This year's summer camp will provide an intensive and creative learning experience centered around urban agriculture. Ages 7-11 are welcome and session sizes are capped at 15 to ensure all children receive maximum interaction during activities that range from planting seeds and harvesting vegetables, to creating art and garden ornaments. Special activities will include learning about the secret life of bees and chickens for the younger kids and opportunity to make fresh cheese from local milk and candles from bee's wax for older children. Local Master Gardener's, Chefs, and urban agricultural experts will teach children a variety of topics to include gardening basics, cooking with vegetables, and environmental awareness.

Meet our Friends the Trees! : Plant a Tree to Take Home Sunday, June 2, 1-3pm $20 Wylde Center Members, $25 Non Members Join suburban homesteader and homeschooling mom April Brown for a day of exploring and appreciating our special friends, the trees. We will be learning about the important role that trees play in our lives and in the lives of our fellow creatures. Habitats will be discovered as we make our way through the garden and it's lively creek. We'll enjoy a snack and a special story under the canopy of one of the most beautiful trees in the garden. Children will be painting pots to take home with their very own baby trees to care for. Please wear shoes and clothes that you can get wet and dirty as we get one on one with our special friends, the trees. Suitable for ages 5+.

Terrific Tomatoes Workshop for Kids Saturday, June 29, 10-11:15 am $10 Wylde Center Members, $15 Non Members Grow and enjoy these amazingly versatile fruits!

To begin with, we will explore the culinary history and surprising nutritional benefits of the tomato, the “love apple”. Participants will be shown how to save tomato seeds, grow them and harvest them in order to fully appreciate their life-cycle.

In the second half of the class, you will be shown some wonderful tomato-based recipes to make with your harvest. Come and enjoy this trip through time with Nnenne. Parents may stay and participate or drop off kids ages 6+.

Circle of life! Children’s Gardening-2 Classes (Ages 6-9 flexible) Saturday, May 4, 10:30-12pm And Saturday, May 18 , 10:30-12pm $30 Wylde Center Member, $40 Non Member Together lets discover the wonders of spring and where our food comes from. Join instructor Carling Sothoron, a current Waldorf school teacher and garden educator, for a hands-on introduction to the fun and magic of planting, tending and harvesting fresh fruits and vegetables. We will cultivate a part of the Oakhurst Garden and prepare delicious recipes using freshly picked ingredients. We’ll experience nature up close as we explore all corners of the garden, dig for critters and make earth art. We will our five senses, care for the chickens, snack on our accomplishments and get our hands dirty. We will also learn to make compost, identify different seeds and plants, and discover what it takes to cultivate your own garden. Fresh apples and garden produce provided as snack.

Wylde Center Urban Farm Camp at Edgewood Community Learning Garden 5 sessions from 9-1pm beginning on the following dates June 10, June 17, June 24, July 8, July 15 $200 Wylde Center Members, $220 Non Members Location: ECLG is located at 1503 Hardee Street, Atlanta, GA 30307 This year's summer camp will provide an intensive and creative learning experience centered around urban agriculture. Ages 5-11 are welcome and session sizes are capped at 15 to ensure all children receive maximum interaction during activities that range from planting seeds and harvesting vegetables, to creating art and garden ornaments. Special activities will include learning about the secret life of bees and chickens for the younger kids and opportunity to make fresh cheese from local milk and candles from bee's wax for older children. Local Master Gardener's, Chefs, and urban agricultural experts will teach children a variety of topics to include gardening basics, cooking with vegetables, and environmental awareness.

SPROUT’S CORNER

TAKING WING IN THE SPRING: THE MONARCH MIGRATION BEGINS

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very spring, monarch butterflies begin migrating north from their warm winter homes in Mexico and Southern California. Over several generations, they will end up as far north as Canada! Any day now, the monarchs will be arriving in our own backyards in Atlanta.

Track the Monarch Migration Annenberg Learner’s Journey North project allows K-12 students to engage and share their scientific observations as they follow spring’s arrival across North America, including tracking monarch sightings.

See when they are getting close to your backyard: http://www.learner. org/jnorth/maps/Gallery.html

by Melanie Heckman

Want to See More Monarchs? Plant a Butterfly Garden!

{ Attract monarch butterflies to your garden by planting native

milkweed, which is where monarchs lay their eggs and is the only plant the caterpillars eat. You’ll see some chewed leaves, but that’s ok – it just means the caterpillars are munching and growing!

{ Adult monarchs drink nectar and other fruit liquids.

Plant bright flowers with lots of nectar and easy access, like black-eyed susans, coneflowers, and zinnias, to name a few.

{ Include a few small puddles for minerals and some flat rocks where they can land.

{ Avoid pesticides and insecticides that can kill butterflies. { Butterflies like to come out during the warmest part of the day.

Sit back and watch during late morning and early afternoon as monarchs and many other butterflies visit your garden!

Here is a map of the monarch’s migration routes in the spring.

Fun facts

{ The monarch migration moves about 25-30 miles per day, but one monarch flew 265 miles in a single day!

{ Monarch caterpillars get chemicals called cardenolides from milkweed, which makes them taste bad.

{ A monarch’s brain is the size of a head of a pin!

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Want to Learn More?

For Kids An Extraordinary Life: The Story of a Monarch Butterfly, by Laurence P. Pringle Monarch Butterfly, by Gail Gibbons Hurry and the Monarch, by Antoine O. Flatharta For Adults The Last Monarch Butterfly: Conserving the Monarch Butterfly in a Brave New World, by Phil Schappert Chasing Monarchs. by Robert Michael Pyle The Monarch Butterfly: Biology and Conservation, by Michelle J. Selensky and Karen S. Oberhauser

VOLUNTEER

VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT P

restaurant night.

at Gipson has a weekly ongoing date to volunteer at the Wylde Center. She does anything and everything from laundry, to making copies of checks, hand addressing donation letters, addressing our many mass mailings, entering information into our software programs, filing, cleaning, re-arranging offices, and so much more. Not only has Pat been helping with anything and everything that needs to be done at the Wylde Center regularly for years, she often takes hours worth of work home to complete over the weekend! And to top if off, Pat is also a Wylde Center member at the Growing Circle level. Pat’s many contributions and level of commitment is invaluable to our organization. We are so fortunate to have her as part of our organization.

“The real joy of volunteering at the office comes from continually witnessing the many people who use and enjoy the Oakhurst Garden-families, classes and individuals! I've really been impressed with the passion, dedication, and friendliness of the Wylde Center staff and volunteers. It has allowed me to see first-hand the evolvement of the Oakhurst Garden site as well as its many wonderful programs. The experience has made me more deeply aware of how important and valued the Wylde Center is to the community.”

“Then, several years ago when I began babysitting for Stephanie Van Parys, she would ask if I'd assist with preparing the Wylde Center’s mailings. Over time, this evolved into volunteering one morning a week at the WC office. Every week is a new adventure, never knowing what Stephanie and Reagan will ask me to do that day! I assist in a variety of tasks from preparing mailings, counting plant money, sorting items, entering data and cleaning. Recently, I began branching out to other garden volunteer opportunities during one-time events such as the Living Green series at the library and

photo by Tanya Gipson

Asked why she is involved with the Wylde Center, Pat says in her own words: “As a person who loves flowers and ornamentals, I've been continuously involved in my own garden as well as my daughter's hoping to create the next "famous botanical garden".

This enjoyment of beautiful gardens led me to volunteer during the Decatur Garden Tour over the years.

Sol proudly supports the Wylde Center. soldesignco.com 17

MEMBERSHIP

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING THE WYLDE CENTER

GIFTS RECEIVED JULY 1,2012-MARCH 31,2013 GROWING CIRCLE MEMBERS ($500-$5,000) Karen Allin George Andl and Linda Pogue Anonymous Matthew and Marilyn Berberich Kate Binzen and Peter Lindsay Susan Cannon Chad and Pam Dittmer Duane Dunlap and Frances Somerville Nicole Fehrenbach Hal and Lisa Foster Patrick and Angela Foster Gary and Patti Garrett Adele and Pat Gipson Hector and Mary Beth Gonzalez Mary Goodwin and Ann Herrera Karen Kun and Haskell Beckham Sharan and Tony Martin Miriam Mathura Robin Miller and Marty Samuels Joy and Steve Provost Jim and Susan Spratt Stephanie Ramsey Rita Sislen Denise Stokes Christine Tryba Cofrin and David Cofrin Jill Wasserman and Stephen Devereaux IN MEMORY OF SALLY WYLDE Kristin Birkness Carol Burgess Stephen and Mary McCall Cash Robert Britt Dean Barbara Gifford Elizabeth Lide and Paul Kayhart Nancy and Allen Manley Carlotta Morris Peter and Cindi Poth-Nebel Emily and Ellen Redman-Moneypenny Lynn Russell and Donna Inkster Glynis Ward IN MEMORY OF Vinka Berg by Rick Berg Jennifer Kathleen Davis by Kathleen Davis Vincent J. Epps by Stephen and Linda Dorage Harold and Catherine Hutto by Edward Coyle Moses Ervin Long by Beth and Jeff Long Rhoda Risavy by Linda and Bob Bernstein Wayne Shaffer by Julie Shaffer Rosalie Stafford and Emily Whittington

by Karen Allin Adam Stine by Stephanie Ramsey Malinda Teel by Carol and Woody Bartlett Mark Treadwell by Susan Cannon IN HONOR OF Lisa Alembik by Lubo Fund INC CSD Wesley Freeland by Amy Freeland Claire Miller by Simon and Sandra Miller Joy Provost and Lisa Provost by Kore and Brendan Breault Joy Provost by Eileen Murphy and Michael Gray Flossie Royal by Donald and Genevieve Edwards School Nurses by Elizabeth and David Hanna Lucia Sizemore by Louise and James Reaves Solomon Family by Edith Heter Thomas, Beth, Miriam and Hannah Daniel by D. Gayle Gellerstedt

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Stephanie Van Parys by Lockey McDonald Stephanie Van Parys by Barbara Cleveland Vietnam Veterans by Steve and Darlene Barrett Gavin Violante by Leigh Priestley and Ninetta Violante Jennifer Weissman by Gail Rothman and Doug Altizer Eternal gardener, Bob Whittle by Gabriel Ramirez and Lisa Whittle CIVIC AND BUSINESS MEMBERSHIPS/CONTRIBUTIONS Atlanta Metro Food & Farm Network Cakes & Ale Cook’s Warehouse Decatur Festivals, Inc. Dell Make a Difference Farm Burger Fidelity Bank Green Thumbs Up HLM Financial Group Kitsch’N 155 The Little Shop of Stories Les Dames d’Escoffier Atlanta Chapter Lotus of Life Chiropractic Mellow Mushroom Oakhurst Market Robert Morrison Raging Burrito Revolution Doughnuts Rise-N-Dine at Emory Village LLC Roberts Family BBQ RSUI Indemnity Company Standard Feed and Seed Sugar Moon Bake Shop Time Warner Matching Grants Program Travelers Insurance United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta VMware Foundation Wahoo! Grill Wells Fargo The Yoghurt Tap FOUNDATION Allin Family Foundation Anonymous Bright Wings Foundation Community Center of South Decatur EMSA Fund Fulton-DeKalb Hospital Authority The Highland Vineyard Foundation John & Mary Franklin Foundation Lubo Fund Zeist Foundation MEMBERSHIPS RECEIVED Emily Abernathy Betsy Abrams Henry and Nicola Ackerman Allison Adams Kris Adams and Roger Hertel Anne Alexander Marian Allen Kristin and Billy Allin Stacey Alston Lewis and Kimberly Amos Anne-Marie Anderson Dean and Rebecca Anderson Judi Anderson Lynda Anderson Lynda Anderson and Kenneth Conover Phillip Anderson Tracey Anderson and William Blackwood Cathie Andress Anonymous x 6 Emily Arnfast Kelly Arnold Lynette Astwood Amanda Lee Atkins Dennis and Krisa Attick Cheryl Bagby

Matthew Baird Gail Bardis Denise and Scott Bailey Sandy Bartow Daniel and Kimberly Baskerville Linda Bell Robert Benfield and Stephanie Stuckey Benfield Dr. Katrina Bergbauer Kim Berry Ann and Bill Bibb Ruby Bock and Barry Rhodes Bill and Haqiqa Bolling John Bolton Patricia Bonner Laura Bordeaux Marcia Borowski John and Sarah Bottini Evan Bowers Carin Bradley Erin Bracy Trish and Tim Bricker Elizabeth Briere Nancy Brim and Peter Carnell Jed Brody Alex Brown Lindsey Brown Phoebe Brown Susan and Christopher Brown Adam and Mary Brush Amy and Wes Bryant Charles and Emilie Bryant Ed and Patty Buckley Mark Burnette The Butera Family Elizabeth Butler-Witter Chris Byelick Roxanne and Zachary Cahn Kelly and Richard Calkins Beth and Terry Cannon Nicole and David Carlson Edward and Jane Carriere Laura Carruth and Jared Poley Dr. Catherine Carter James and Lucia Case Sandra Castle Arlene Cauthorn Genia and Brian Cayce Robin Chanin Sekai Chideya Echia and John Chihade Bill and Lilabet Choate Gene Clower Richard Cohen and Marti Keller Pam Collins Grace and Dodd Cook Jessica Cook and John Harvey Quinnie Cook Nancy Cornish David Cotton and Kelly Enzor David and Suzy Crenshaw Jane Cronin Emily Cumbie-Drake Paul and Deborah Cushing Alan Daigle Lydia and Bob Dalton Jack Daulton Elizabeth Davey Gwen Davies and John Wuichet Michelle Davis-Watts and Tim Watts Katina Pappas-DeLuca William Deneke and Deborah Silver Susie Derrickson Carol Desantis Diane Despard Andrew and Brooke Dittmeier Duran Dodson Holly Doe Jim and Jane Donofrio Susan Doyle J. Walter Drake Barbara Drescher Rodney DuBois Jennifer DuBose and Christopher Bivins

Genia and Kip Duchon Paula Edwards Mary Elizabeth Egnor and Matthew Hogben Lisa Hoveland Eisen Mary Elzey Nita Epting Anne Farrell and Tim 0’Keefe Lisa Federico Paul Ferraro and Kristin Rowles David Florence Nicole and Brandon Forde Dawn Forman Keith and Sumarie Forrester Ellen Rae Gallow and Jonathan Herman Mary Garrett

THANK YOU TO OUR 15 YEAR ANNIVERSARY DONORS Gifts received January 1 - December 31, 2012 Lewis and Kimberly Amos Lynda Anderson Anonymous James and Catherine Bradshaw Marc and Shelby Brennan Mark Burnette Elizabeth E Butler-Witter Susan Cannon Stephen and Mary McCall Cash Edward Coyle Robert Britt Dean Stephen and Linda Dorage J. Walter Drake Duane Dunlap and Frances Somerville Jennifer Fabrick Keith and Sumarie Forrester Patrick and Angela Foster Gary and Patti Garrett Adele Gipson Anne-Marie Happe Misty Harper Tracy Holbrook Mike and Tara Koski Linda Lehsten Denyse Levesque Karen Lionberger and Kathy Kearney Kathy and Tim Marker Tracy and Melissa McArthur Lockey McDonald Michael McLane Claire Miller Steve and Marty Monroe Karen Morris Cheryl and Edward Nahmias Brian and Loria Pollack Joy and Steve Provost Gabriel Ramirez and Lisa Whittle Louis and Sandy Rice Hugh Saxon and Judy Schwarz Christa and Tim Sobon Robert Soens June and Scott Torrance Karen Truitt Evelyn Tuck John and Margaret Tuttle Anna Varela and James Salzer Ann Walter and Derek Economy Rebecca and Jonathan Watts Hull Adam Webb

MEMBERSHIP Ann and Claude Gauthier William Kimmell Jerry Gentry Mandy King Kathryn and Walter George Karol and Richard Klim Sharon Gilbert Judy Knight David Gittelman and Tom Murphy Bob and Judy Koski Annie Godfrey and Jack Kittle Virginia Krawiec Karolina Graber and Kenneth Moberg Janine Kupersmith Arlen Gray Cris and Don Lake Kate Grinalds and Josh Wiesner Judy Lampert Cindy and Stephen Gunderson Linda Rae Lazzari Dina Gunderson Michael and Jennifer Leavey Colleen Hackett Elizabeth Lee Craig and Jessica Hadley Robin Lee Anita Hall Linda Lehsten Mike and Christine Hamilton Scott Leith John and Nancy Hamilton Elizabeth Lenhard and Paul Donsky Amy Handler and Phi Oppenheim Denyse Levesque Anne-Marie Happe Nora Levesque Misty Harper Cheryl Linden Julia Harris Lindsey and Alvin Lingenfelter Courtney Hartnett Karen Lionberger and Kathy Kearney Lee Ann Harvey Carla Linkous and Sam Stewart Carolyn Hatch Amy Lovell and David Smith Owen Hedgecock Tamara Lucas Peter Helfrich Nancy Luckey Shon Henderson Janice and Cedric Lumsden Rachel Henning and Gerry Cook Kim and Jay Lyle Blaine and Kristen Herman Demarest Lloyd MacDonald Katia Hetter Jackie Macomber Vincent Hill and Amy Lovvorn Pierluca and Sandra Maffey Linda Hilsenrad and Jon Pierce Rich and Beth Mahaffey Frank Hinek Beth and Joe Mahany Lindsay Hodgson Valeria Maier Rebecca Hudgins and Greg Brough Lynn Manfredi-Petitt and Bob Watkins Lynne Huffer and Tamara Jones Christie and John Manasso Rodney and Ann Hunter Donald J. Marino II Cameron Ives Aaron and Amanda Marks Tracy and Jonathan Iwaskow Steve and Judith Marks Kim and Ryan Jenkins Carol Martini Erin Johnson Scott and Molly Marrah G. Stuart and Gloria Johnson Margaret and Viraj Master Maria Johnson Craig Matthews Mistie and Riley Jones Stephanie Mauk Shane and Kristin Jones Therese and David May Tamara and Lewis Jones Veronique McBride Jerelyn Jordan Melinda and John McCuan Christopher Kaufman Michael McLane Marina Kazragis Ramsay McWhirter Mary Alice Kemp Brigitte Mebius David Kennerly Anne Mellinger-Birdsong Molly Kesmodel and Deanna Greene Claire Miller FFM_HLM BW Ad_JeffHAnnB_Layout 1 1/17/12 11:55 AM Page Priya Kewada Jennifer Miller and Benjamin Findley James Kindt and Paula Gaber Rebecca Miller and Dawson Morton

Suzanne and Chuck Miller Walter and Kimiko Miller Eddi Minche Bonnie Minter Maya Misra and Christopher Muhlstein Jenna Mobley Crystal Money Steve and Marty Monroe Lori Montgomery Cathy and John Mullins George Munsterman Erin and Michael Murphy Priscilla Mustin Eric and Jill Myers Leslie Myers Brigitte Nahmias Cheryl and Edward Nahmias Lance Netland Jennifer O’Shields Douglas Oster Dr. Marise Parent and Lou Herzog Henry and Diane Parkman Toni Pastore and Robert Terry Joe and Bobbi Patterson Marguerite Paul Robert Pemberton Dr. Benjamin Perlman Lawrence and Annika Perry Barbara Petit and Charles Bolster, Jr Christi and Stephen Phillips Jeffrey and Rebecca Pickett Dov Pine Brian and Loria Pollack Andrea Postell Grace Pownall and Ronald Harris Amy Price Celia Price Mikey Provost James and Sondra Raasch Sharon Radford George Rainbolt and Madeline Zavodny Brian Randall Stephanie Redmond Mark Reeve and Leslie Withers Walter Reeves Meredith Reynolds Jen and Jeremy Rhett Kelly and Peter Richards Ann Ritter Nicole Rivera 1J.Pargen and Lesley Robertson Amy Robinson

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Jenny Robinson-Hartley and Jason Hartley Doug and Jane Root Ruth Ann Rosenberg and Stephen Swicegood Kimberly Rossi Caroline Rumley and Hiram Maxim Julie Sammons Cindy Sanders Shelley Satonin-Hershkovits Hugh Saxon and Judy Schwarz Cara-Lee Scheinfeld Beth Ann Schroder Cara and Mike Schroeder Mary Serdula and M. Riduan Joesoef Kerri Shannon and Joe Younkins Barbara and Brian Sherman Jennifer Sherrock Sherry Siclair Christopher Sidor and Bobbi Kay Benjamin Silk John and Carolyn Silk Kirsten Simmons Lucia and Tom Sizemore Ellen and Henry Slack Brian Smith James Smith II and Jennifer Treter Christa and Tim Sobon Carling Sothoron Kerri and Dwight Specht Enid Steinbart and Lew Lefton Jeffrey and Cynthia Stemple Rashel Stephenson and Chris Carpenter Susan Stone Stephanie Straeter Kurt Straudt Meredith and Neil Struby Caroline Stubbs Rajee Suri Robin Tanner Fritz and Rianne Taylor Celeste Tibbets Kate Tobin June and Scott Torrance Magarette Towner Teresa Tucker Judy Turner John and Margaret Tuttle Roy and Maureen Vandiver Anna Varela and James Salzer Ralph and Marifel Verlohr Cindy and Brett Verner Vera Vogt Elizabeth Von Hoene and Dan Bulger Sally Wallace and Bradley Moore Sherry Wallace Kim Wallen and Daiga Dunis Elissa Wallis Ann Walter and Derek Economy Jay and Stephanie Wansley Cynthia Warner Rebecca and Jonathan Watts Hull Dr. Adam Webb Cynthia Webb Caitlin White Laura White Robert and Nicole Wicking Sylvia Williames Elizabeth Williams Karl Williams Nidhi Williams Suzanne Wilson Elise Witt Pam Wuichet Joey Zeigler Kira Zender Barbara Zoppo Sarah Zureick-Brown

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19

FOOD

IN SEASON

RISE-N-DINE’S SAGE QUINOA GRITS To make Quinoa: 1/2 cup water 1/4 cup quinoa Bring water to a boil. Add quinoa and stir. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook covered for 15 minutes. Produces approximately 3/4 cups.

To make Grits 4 cups water 1 cup half-n-half 4 teaspoons unsalted butter 1 cup stoneground, slow-cooking grits 1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt 1 and 1/2 teaspoons dry rubbed sage 1/2 teaspoon white pepper 3/4 cup quinoa, cooked (above) Set aside water and half-n-half. In a bowl, combine the remaining ingredients, except for the cooked quinoa if it is still hot. In a 3-quart or 4-quart saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add half-n-half and return

20

to a boil. Add the remaining ingredients, including the cooked quinoa, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. When combined, reduce heat to a slow, simmering boil. Cover and cook for 30 to 35 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until desired consistency is reached. If grits become too thick before they are tender and creamy, thin with a 1/4 cup hot water. Taste and add more salt and/or butter if desired.

If stoneground grits are not available, regular grits can be used (but not “quick-cooking”) and will take about half the time. Grits are creamiest and tastiest right after they are made, but can be made one or two days ahead. Just reheat, in a pan greased with butter, in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes.

Makes 8 8-oz. servings.

Reprinted with permission from Rise-n-dine. Located In Emory Village at 1565 North Decatur Road, Atlanta, GA 30307, Rise-n-dine recently participated in the fall Decatur Farm to School dine-out.

EVENT

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GARDEN

PLANTING FOR POLLINATORS

A

few years ago, my neighbor Scott mentioned to me that his vegetables were better pollinated in his garden next door to mine compared with other gardens he has in other parts of town. He thought it was because of the two beehives I had at the time. That summer, my garden was indeed buzzing with a host of shining and furry insects busily working the flowers, but I didn’t see many honey bees. Chances are quite good that the pollinators responsible for Scott’s good fruit set were various species of native pollinators rather than honey bees.

By many standards, my garden is a mess: there are piles of brush here and there, various kinds of weeds bloom through the year, many herbs such as cilantro and parsley bolt and go to seed all over the place. At times, my husband has serious doubts about my skills as a gardener. I admit that I didn’t plan all of it. However, I do think that my garden is welcoming to pollinating insects, and here is why: my garden provides both food and shelter for them year round.

Give them something to eat. Food is the most obvious need. Pollinators eat mostly nectar as a source of energy, and some pollen as a source of protein. They move pollen from flower to flower, and thus pollinate the plant, as a side effect. All pollinators need to feed on something when the crop you would like them to pollinate is not around. This is the problem faced by the almond orchards in California. In most of these orchards, there is abundant food available for pollinators when the almond trees are in bloom in February, and close to nothing the rest of the year. This is because almonds are grown in a monoculture: a single crop for thousands upon thousands of acres.

The only way to pollinate these orchards is to truck in some one to one-and-a-half million beehives from all over the country when the trees are in bloom.

Diversity is the name of the game. The wider the variety of plants growing in your garden and allowed to bloom, the more likely you are to provide a steady supply of food for pollinators. You can grow plants specifically for their flowers, like sunflowers, cone flowers, cosmos, and asters. You can also let bloom some food plants usually grown for their leaves. Some of these make blossoms that are particularly popular (with insects), such as garlic chives and leeks, all the carrot relatives (parsley, dill, cilantro, fennel), and all the mint family (thyme,

22

by Veronique Perrot

mint, rosemary, oregano, marjoram, lemon balm, anise hyssop).

Many uninvited plants, known by some gardeners as weeds, also provide abundant forage for pollinators. Many winter annuals, like henbit, bloom in early spring, and disappear by early summer. Dandelion and white clover add color and texture to the lawn while offering flowers to insects.

You can also plant specifically for pollinators, by growing native plants.

Not very surprisingly, native plants support a more diverse group of native pollinators. The list of natives is very long; let me mention only boneset and its close relatives Joe-Pye weed, dog fennel and thoroughwort (all Eupatorium sp.).

Some shrubs and trees turn into pollinator magnets when they are in bloom. Stop under the linden trees at the Dekalb Farmers Market when they are in bloom in the spring (May), smell the perfume and listen for the buzz. A hawthorn has taken up residence in my garden, and it vibrates with insects when it is covered with blossoms.

Give them somewhere to live all year round. In addition to food, pollinators need places to nest and overwinter. Different species have different requirements, and many species can be accommodated by leaving a little wilderness at their disposal. That is the use of my brush piles and untidy places. These don’t have to be front and center as lawn ornaments. The dead branches and hollow stems can be tucked under the shrubbery at the back of the garden or in the corner behind the shed. If you have room, a semi-permanent brush pile is an easy way to dispose of shrub clippings and other debris with minimal effort while providing shelter for many garden helpers. If you want to be more proactive, you can offer artificial nesting sites for solitary bees in the shape of a block of wood with pre-drilled holes or a bundle of hollow stems (see references).

Resources

Attracting Native Pollinators, 2011, by E. Mader et al., Storey Publishing, 371 p.

To create artificial nesting sites: http://montanawildlifegardener.blogspot. com/2010/06/build-mason-bee-house-in-5-minutes.html More about California almond pollination issues: http://scientificbeekeeping.com/2012-almond-pollination-update/

GARDEN

High framed raised beds at the Edgewood Community Learning Garden

Freshly built trench ‘n mound raised beds at the Sugar Creek Garden

RAISING UP YOUR GARDEN

W

hen you hear the term “raised bed,” you probably imagine a wooden box filled with soil, somewhere between 6 inches to 3 feet off the ground. As edible gardening has spread through home and community gardens, so has the use of raised beds. However, raised beds do not necessarily have to be boxes built out of wood.

The Wylde Center greenspaces exhibit a variety of different types of raised beds, which are easily adapted to a variety of landscapes and gardening needs.

The benefits of raised beds are that they provide better drainage, warmer soil temperatures, and looser soil for the plants’ root development.

The Oakhurst Garden’s community garden plots exhibit the standard image of a raised bed as they are constructed with pine wood and screwed together with wood screws. Each bed measures 5 x 10 feet or 4 x 8 feet and is about 8 inches deep. This wooden border raised bed is great if you have poor soil or do not want to spend lots of time digging out the earth and amending the soil. As Oakhurst Garden site coordinator JC Hines puts it, “It’s an insta-garden!” Bordered raised beds can be constructed out of wood and screws, bricks, stones, logs or other natural material at your disposal. After you build the border for your bed, you should fill the bed with top soil, compost, and natural amendments like composted manure. As beneficial garden critters make their home within your bed, the soil life will increase as will the health of your plants. While there are many advantages to the bordered raised bed, JC explains that this type of bed “isn’t always ideal if you want to grow crops that require large amounts of space or have a tendency to spread.”

The Edgewood Community Learning Garden (ECLG) also uses bordered beds which are much higher than those at the Oakhurst Garden as they are about 2 feet high. Monica Ponce, the site coordinator at the ECLG explains, “These beds are great for teaching and easy for the kids to work in since they don’t have to bend down to the ground.

I mainly use them for vegetables, but sometimes herbs and flowers.”

These higher beds are obviously great for kids, as well as gardeners who prefer to work more upright. For areas with a lot of foot traffic, these higher beds also protect the plants from getting accidentally stepped on by animals and garden visitors.

At Sugar Creek Garden, the raised beds are not defined by a border.

Instead, they are double dug and also raised up by adding existing top soil and compost available from the site. To double dig a bed, first determine a sunny location in your garden and decide how big you want your bed. Sugar Creek site coordinator Dara Suchke explains that to start double digging, “Use a shovel to dig down and remove the

soil one foot deep. Set that soil aside, and then pry the shovel down an additional one foot, but simply loosen the subsoil by cracking it with the shovel.” As you move along your bed, you will be breaking up and loosening the top soil while also aerating the subsoil while returning the top soil to the bed in a loosened state. Double digging ensures that your soil has good drainage.

In order to make your beds higher, which can be useful for defining aisles vs. beds, you may combine double digging with the “trench ‘n mound” method in which you dig out the aisle of your beds’ rows and add the top soil (the soil from the aisle) to the soil in your bed, thus increasing the bed’s height and visibility.

Properly preparing your raised beds To get your plants off to a strong start, properly preparing your beds is essential, particularly when working with Georgia clay. Follow Amy Foster, the Hawk Hollow Site Coordinator and Garden Coach for general tips for bed preparation.

1.You must remove all the sod and plant growth in the area that you want to plant. I like to cut the edge of the bed first using a spade so that the border is clear.

2. Using a spade or a shovel, remove all the plants and weeds.

You want at least 4 inches of loosened soil, but I prefer to get at least 6-8 inches. Try not to turn the soil over, if possible. Sift through with your fingers or fork to remove all roots, soil clods, and rocks.

3. Amend your soil condition. You can get a soil test done to determine what kinds of nutrients may be needed to balance the pH or increase soil fertility. Generally, Georgia soils are lacking in phosphorus, which can be remedied by an application of bone meal.

4. Adding topsoil and compost will help improve fertility and break up the concentration of clay often found in native soils in the Piedmont region.

5. After you break up the clods in the amended soil, then shape the top of the bed with a rake. An inground raised bed should have a nice arc to it, while a contained raised bed should be even without low spots where water can pool. I like to mulch around the beds to help prevent weeds from growing or seeding into the nice new bed you just built.

By the Wylde Center Horticultural Staff: JC Hines (Oakhurst Garden), Monica Ponce (Edgewood Community Learning Garden), Dara Suchke (Sugar Creek Garden), and Amy Foster (Hawk Hollow Garden)

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GARDEN

GETTING YOUR GARDEN READY FOR SUMMER CROPS

by Veronique Perrot

Georgia red clay being born: the granite falls apart in your fingers, and it has this lovely red color... the white part on the right was at the center of the piece granite, not yet rusty. The picture shows a piece about 1 inch across.

Y

ou've probably heard it before: feed your soil to feed your crops.

It is one of the cornerstones of organic gardening, and it is why organic gardeners talk as often about soil as about what's growing in it. Another reason we talk so much about soil improvement has something to do with gardening here, in Georgia. In some parts of the world, the soil is good as is, or will stay good once adjusted for a long time (years). People gardening there lucked out; we didn't.

Because of our local geology and climate, our soils are not naturally rich in plant nutrients, and they have a low natural ability to store nutrients when some are added. This is not a (garden) death sentence or a suggestion to go garden somewhere else, but a reminder that we can't take our soil for granted. We can improve both our soil's nutrient content and its ability to store nutrients, but we need to work at it over and over again.

How geology and climate made our soils The famous Georgia red clay is derived from granite, which in itself is relatively poor in elements that plants and people need, such as potassium, magnesium, and calcium. Soils derived from granite are relatively poor as well. In many places in the Georgia Piedmont, the bedrock is six feet or more below the soil surface: we tend to have very deep soils.

To compound the problem, our warm and humid climate lead to the transformation of the granite into a type of clay that has a very low ability to store nutrients and water. We usually think of clay as the working material for potters and the stuff that sticks to our boots after a heavy rain. For people interested in soils, clay comes in different styles, and can be characterized by two main properties: their ability to retain water, and their ability to retain various nutrients.

The type of clay that is present in our soil is kaolinite, and it retains neither water nor nutrients well. Our clay is colored red by iron ox-

24

ides, aka rust. Since kaolinite doesn't swell nor shrink much, it makes very stable soils, something builders like very much.

In short, we have soils that don't store water well and are not naturally rich in plant nutrients.

What can we do to transform my garden soil?

Fortunately, we can address most, if not all the issues of our famed red clay by increasing the organic matter content of the soil. It does take a while and large quantities of organic matter to turn solid red clay into dark, friable garden soil. Such a soil is not natural for our region. Next time you walk in the woods, scratch the surface of the thin litter of leaves, and notice how quickly you get to the red stuff.

This is true even in an old growth forest, as close as we can get to a natural soil around here. For more details about soil organic matter, see the inset on the right. Here we will focus on how to add organic matter to the soil.

You only need to improve the top 6 to 12 inches of your garden beds.

Most of the roots of our vegetables don’t go much deeper How to add organic matter?

There are many ways to add organic matter to your garden, and they can and should be used in parallel.

Here is the traditional method for preparing a garden bed for summer crop. First remove the weeds that have grown during winter. This is a good time to dig up any Bermuda grass that may have crawled into the bed last summer. Then add a couple of inches of compost and dig it in.

If your beds are covered by a rich blanket of chickweed, henbit and other winter annuals, you can use them as a free source of organic

GARDEN matter. Instead of pulling the weeds, leave the roots in place: they provide organic matter where we want it most, in the soil. Mow the tops before they go to seed, and use them as mulch or work them into the soil as a green manure.

Mulch, mulch, mulch!

Regardless of how you prepared your beds, protect your investment in your soil by mulching your beds. Once you have planted your summer crops, mulch around the plants to keep their roots cool, to limit water loss from the soil, and to prevent weed growth. Mulch could be shredded leaves from last fall, a thin layer of untreated grass clippings, straw, etc. You should also mulch beds in which nothing is planted for summer. The soil’s organisms, particularly earthworms, will use that source of organic matter and incorporate it into the soil.

You may have to add more mulch during the growing season if it looks thin.

Look for an article in the next issue of this magazine about cover crops, an efficient way to add locally grown organic matter to your garden.

Soil organic matter: a zoo under our feet The soil’s organic matter is composed of all things that are alive, or were alive, in the soil. A lot of the living stuff you have seen: earthworms, grubs, the occasional mole, and plant roots. Most of the living stuff is too small to see with the naked eye; the soil teems with bacteria, fungi, various protozoans, and microscopic animals like nematodes.

The dead stuff is made of the leaves from last fall, the compost worked into the soil, the rotting wood chips in the paths, the mulch around the tomato plants, etc. It also includes the dead plant roots, and the dead bodies of the bacteria, fungi, protozoans and nematodes. Soil organic matter, particularly the dead stuff, functions as a sponge: it is able to store water in the soil, and release it to plants when needed.

All the living organisms in the soil are crucially important to its health. They eat each other and whatever dead stuff is available, keeping each other’s populations in check.

Why do we have to keep adding organic matter?

The problem is that there is a high turnover of organic matter in our climate. Our climate is generally warm and humid. The soil doesn't freeze for any length of time: no frost heave here, and no dry season -- drought is another issue. This means that biological activity doesn't really stop, and it proceeds at a fast clip during a large part of the year. Organic matter doesn't last long, both above ground and inside the soil. The consequence for the garden is that we have this lush vegetation (check out the size of the trees here!), and we need to continually replenish the soil's organic matter.

They form the soil food web. The more abundant and diverse the soil food web, the better it is at keeping disease-causing organisms in check.

During their life, the soil’s organisms transform the dead stuff into particular compounds generally known as humus. When integrated in the soil, humus increases the soil’s ability to retain nutrients. Good finished compost contains a large amount of humus, making it popular as a soil additive.

design • installation • maintenance 404.373.0023 info@inbloomlandscaping.com www.inbloomlandscaping.com 25

GARDEN

FINDING THE PERFECT MATCH

by Anne-Marie Anderson

S

turdy and utilitarian, fluffy and cute, or just downright eccentric, there’s no shortage of options when seeking the perfect feathered friend.

If you’re considering your first flock (or adding on), the choices will make you feel like a kid on Christmas morning. But before you rush out to grab that little yellow (or brown, or stripy) bundle of fluff, a little research will ensure a match made in Heaven.

First of all, check local ordinances to make sure you’re actually allowed to keep chickens. In the City of Decatur, the City of Atlanta and Fulton County, things are pretty straightforward. Observe common sense rules like siting the coop away from neighbors, keep things sanitary and don’t try to start an industrial-sized chicken operation.

Ordinances in DeKalb and Cobb County are currently under review; right now you can only keep chickens on two or more acres.

It’s not just about the eggs Having established the legality of your flock, take a long, cool look at yourself and goals. What do you want from your chickens: looks, personality, eggs, meat, or a combination of the above?

Looks A few supermodel breeds warm the cockles of the chickenista’s heart.

They might not be the best layers, but they sure are cute. Top of the list are silkies, the shitzus of the poultry world. They’re fluffy, friendly and a little ditzy. Also in this group (some owners even enter them in shows) are cochins, brahmas and faverolles. There’s nothing quite so adorable as a baby with feathery feet, but you’ll be trading that for fewer eggs, and a muddy coop just won’t make the grade.

Other options include Dr Seuss-style Polish chickens with mad topknots, or ‘Naked necks’, which are exactly what they say on the label.

You’ll probably have to order from an on-line hatchery rather than picking these up from your local feed store, but they’ll definitely be a talking point.

Eggs Most urban farmers choose dual-purpose heritage breeds, which are robust and easy to care for, provide a reasonable number of eggs, and can even be used for meat. While purists might lust after an entire

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flock of matching Rhode Island Reds, you can happily mix similarsized breeds.

The majority lay eggs of a medium brown color, while Ameraucanas are famed for their blue or green tinted eggshells (the eggs inside are the standard color), and Leghorns lay eggs as white as their feathers.

The chickens themselves can be equally colorful: glossy black (australorps), vibrant orange (New Hampshires), golden yellow (buff orpingtons) or zig-zaggy (barred rocks). The most prolific and consistent layers are modern hybrids such as the Golden Comet (also known as Golden Sex Link or Red Stars). They really are egg-laying machines, and while a little more flighty than some of the older breeds, can’t be matched for an egg a day.

Meat Experiments in urban meat production do not always go smoothly, and the breeds that provide most meat are not really suited to the small urban coop. It’s important to learn how to harvest your chicken quickly and humanely, and have space to do so out of sight of your neighbors. Listen to the old adage that it’s hard to eat something you’ve named (yes, we still have Mr. Fluffy Feet). You’ll find that while your kids will solemnly fill you in on “the circle of life”, they’ll be the first to ask tearily, “but what has he/she done wrong?” !

Side benefits Be aware that laying is most prolific during a chicken’s first year or so, and will gradually tail off thereafter. However, older chickens continue to provide bug patrol, kitchen waste management services and rocketpowered compost. That’s more than the average pooch can offer to the household budget.

Want to know more?

The Wylde Center offers classes throughout the year on raising chickens, building coops, and more. See our website for further details or the Animal Husbandry section of the class listing in this magazine.

Anne-Marie Anderson, the Celtic Gardener, teaches ‘Introduction to Chickens’ at the Wylde Center and is Chair of the 2013 Urban Coop Tour (October 5-6). She believes chickens are cheaper and more fun than therapy, and that every garden should have a couple.

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