beanstalk, Author at Seed St. Louis

UnitedHealthcare’s “Do Good. Live Well.” Initiative Funds 50 Community Gardens in St. Louis

Posted on April 29, 2016 by beanstalk

Donation supports development of nearly 100,000 square feet of garden space across the city

ST LOUIS – April 23, 2016 –UnitedHealthcare is donating $74,000 in support of Gateway Greening’s 2016 community gardening and urban agriculture programs across St. Louis to celebrate the kickoff of the spring gardening season. Gateway Greening, a local nonprofit organization, educates and empowers people to strengthen their communities through gardening and urban agriculture.

With UnitedHealthcare’s support, Gateway Greening will be able to build and expand 50 community and youth gardens – totaling nearly 100,000 square feet – reaching more than 2,000 people throughout the city. Funding for this project was made possible through CBS EcoMedia’s WellnessAd program.

UnitedHealthcare employee volunteers celebrated the new partnership by working in two of Gateway Greening’s local sites—Bell Garden and the Botanical Heights Community Garden. The volunteer day is part of UnitedHealthcare’s “Do Good. Live Well.” employee volunteer initiative, whose mission is to inspire service and encourage volunteerism.

Gateway Greening’s Executive Director, Matt Schindler, is looking forward to working with UnitedHealthcare. “Gateway Greening appreciates both the volunteers and financial support of UnitedHealthcare. This connection through CBS EcoMedia is enabling Gateway Greening to further our impact of strengthening St. Louis communities through urban agriculture,” said Schindler.

“UnitedHealthcare is grateful for the opportunity to partner with Gateway Greening and EcoMedia to give people in St. Louis a fun, safe and educational environment to learn how to grow fresh fruits and vegetables,” said Steve Walli, CEO, UnitedHealthcare – Heartland States.

Gateway Greening’s garden development services begin by providing training on community gardening best practices and continue through a multiphased garden planning process in partnership with garden groups. The educational program culminates with the award of garden materials and supplies such as raised beds, soil, garden tools, and additional infrastructure such as compost bins, picnic tables, arbors and toolsheds.

About UnitedHealthcare

UnitedHealthcare is dedicated to helping people nationwide live healthier lives by simplifying the health care experience, meeting consumer health and wellness needs, and sustaining trusted relationships with care providers. The company offers the full spectrum of health benefit programs for individuals, employers, military service members, retirees and their families, and Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, and contracts directly with 1 million physicians and care professionals, and 6,000 hospitals and other care facilities nationwide. UnitedHealthcare is one of the businesses of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), a diversified Fortune 50 health and well-being company. For more information, visit UnitedHealthcare at www.uhc.com or follow @myUHC on Twitter.

About CBS EcoMedia Inc.

EcoMedia was founded in 2002 by social entrepreneur Paul Polizzotto. The company’s mission is to harness the power of the advertising dollar to make tangible, quality of life improvements in communities nationwide. In 2010, after successfully partnering on a wide range of environmental projects, EcoMedia was acquired by CBS Corporation, exponentially scaling its reach across television, radio, interactive, and publishing media.

Through EcoMedia’s patent-pending EcoAd, as well as EducationAd, WellnessAd, Viewers to Volunteers and Volunteering with the Stars advertising programs, national brands and local businesses provide millions of dollars in financial support to some of the nation’s most effective nonprofit organizations, funding critical veterans’, education, health and wellness, and environmental projects nationwide.

EcoMedia’s innovative and proprietary business model has fundamentally altered the advertising and nonprofit landscapes, elevating the ordinary, traditional commercial – and media, in general – into a catalyst for tangible, quantifiable social change.

EcoMedia has earned numerous awards and recognitions for its work, including the U.S. Conference of Mayors Award for Excellence in Public Private Partnerships (2009), Edison Awards for Social Innovation and Social Impact (2012, 2013), and the Starlight Children’s Foundation’s “General H. Norman Schwarzkopf Leadership Award,” which honors individual and organizational leaders who are doing extraordinary work to advance the common good and strengthen their communities.

Please visit ecomediacbs.com, like us at Facebook, or follow us on Twitter.

By participating in EcoMedia’s EcoAd, WellnessAd, EducationAd, and Viewers to Volunteers advertising programs, EcoMedia’s advertisers agree to provide funding for projects we believe will have a beneficial effect upon the environment, health and/or education within local communities. EcoMedia’s advertising programs are not certification programs nor are the EcoAd, WellnessAd or EducationAd logos seals of approval. EcoMedia does not in any way certify, endorse or make any representations about EcoMedia program advertisers, their products or services.

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GATEWAY GREENING ANNOUNCES COMMUNITY GARDEN CONTEST

Posted on April 29, 2016 by beanstalk

St. Louis (April 28, 2016) – For 30 years, Gateway Greening has educated and empowered individuals to strengthen their communities through gardening and urban agricultur. This year, Gateway Greening is bringing back the popular Community Garden Contest, that calls for Gateway Greening supported community gardens to submit their garden as the “best” of one of the five categories below. Does YOUR garden have what it takes?

Art in the Garden A garden that incorporates art to express itself or community identity. Examples of art in the garden may or may not thematically relate directly to gardening.

Biodiversity A garden that widely incorporates plantings to support biodiversity, or wildlife habitats that support a variety of species and variability within species.

Garden to be a Kid In A garden that is inclusively designed to maximize youth engagement.

Hang Out Garden A garden that you want to relax, kick back and socialize in.

Intensive Veggie Production A garden that maximizes vegetable productivity using various intensive growing strategies, such as succession planting, season extension, vertical growing or square foot gardening.

In September, the winning gardens can show off their garden “digs” in the St. Louis Community Garden Tour.

To enter your garden or to view submissions, visit www.gatewaygreening.org/contest. Submissions are due by May 31, 2016.

Garden judging takes place on June 18, 2016. Want to be a judge? Great! Visit www.gatewaygreening.org/contest to register as a judge in one of the five categories.

About Gateway Greening

Gateway Greening is a nonprofit organization that educates and empowers people to strengthen their communities through gardening and urban agriculture. Gateway Greening has been working to provide creative, grassroots solutions to urban problems since 1984. Programs include supporting more than 200 community and youth-focused gardens across the St. Louis area through educational opportunities, garden supplies and technical assistance; and Gateway Greening’s Urban Farm, a 2.5-acre farm in downtown St. Louis that provides therapeutic horticulture and a jobs training program. Visit Gateway Greening at www.gatewaygreening.org. @gatewaygreening.

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GATEWAY GREENING ANNOUNCES EXPANSION OF EVE’S PARADISE COMMUNITY GARDEN IN ST. LOUIS

Posted on April 29, 2016 by beanstalk

St. Louis (April 29, 2016) –Eve’s Paradise Community Garden in the Walnut Park West Neighborhood is in the process of being expanded as a result of an award from Gateway Greening. Six raised beds will be installed and filled with soil. Wooden Benches, a picnic table, wheelbarrow, and assorted handtools were also awarded.

Eve’s Paradise is supported by ICMA (The International Community of Music and Arts) and has 10 gardeners from the community. As a group, the garden will be able to grow 576lbs of produce annually, on average. This garden is part of the Feeding St. Louis project, transforming vacant lots into community gardens that sell healthy produce back into the community at minimal costs.

“I am Desiree Jackson the President of the International Community of Music and Arts, and to me the Community Garden is an embodiment of our mission. At ICMA, we educate and engage the community through diversity of culture, music, and the arts. Many of our volunteers have never worked in a garden before or built anything with their hands, Eve’s Paradise gives them an opportunity to be engaged and educated as a community to the benefits of gardening and healthy living. Seeing the children working with their hands and together inspires me to believe in our future garden and community leaders. I want to thank Gateway Greening in supporting our dreams and in turn offering a new dream to our community.” – Desiree Jackson, Garden Leader and President of ICMA

For 30 years, Gateway Greening has educated and empowered individuals to strengthen their communities through gardening and urban agriculture. Gateway Greening’s Garden Program receives many requests to start or expand community gardens in St. Louis. Projects are selected based on a number of factors including: need, the quality of the garden space, the level of community support, and the thoroughness of the plan for using the garden space. Awarded sites are typically supported with seeds/plants, garden tools, materials (hardscape and landscape), and guidance.

The Eve’s Paradise Community Garden is located at 6071 Garesche Ave, St. Louis, MO 63136

About Gateway Greening

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GATEWAY GREENING ANNOUNCES EXPANSION OF FRUITS OF ZION COMMUNITY GARDEN IN ST. LOUIS

Posted on April 29, 2016 by beanstalk

St. Louis (April 29, 2016) –Fruits of Zion Community Garden in the Wells/Goodfellow Neighborhood of St. Louis was expanded as a result of an award from Gateway Greening. Four raised beds are to be installed and filled with soil – 2 of the beds are double high, making gardening accessible to the elderly and disabled. The award also includes benches, assorted handtools, sprinkler, and wheelbarrow. The Fruits of Zion Community Garden was founded in 2015 through a Gateway Greening award.

Fruits of Zion Community Garden is supported by The Order of Melchizedec Gospel of Christ Church and has 26 gardeners. As a group, the garden will be able to grow 576lbs of produce annually, on average. The garden’s goal is to provide the community with a resource for healthy food and learning opportunities, and a safe place for community stakeholders to gather.

“Gateway Greening has been a blessing to me it allowed me to jumpstart in to the world of gardening which is something I’ve always wanted to do.” – Ariel Norman, Garden Leader

The Fruits of Zion Community Garden is located at 2809 Goodfellow Blvd, St. Louis, MO 63120.

About Gateway Greening

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GATEWAY GREENING ANNOUNCES IMPROVEMENTS AWARD TO THE GREENLEAF GARDEN ON HOLY GROUND IN ST. LOUIS

Posted on April 29, 2016 by beanstalk

St. Louis (April 29, 2016) –The Greenleaf Garden on Holy Ground in the Central West End is in the process of being improved as a result of an award from Gateway Greening. Three raised beds will be installed to replace existing beds and all beds will receive additional soil. A weight scale and new signage has also been awarded.

The Greenleaf Garden on Holy Ground is primarily supported by the First Unitarian Church of St. Louis and has nine gardeners. As a group, the garden will be able to grow 450lbs of produce annually, on average. Most of the (now 20) beds produce vegetables used at the Trinity Food Pantry. Six beds are set aside for youth education.

“We love Gateway Greening and are thrilled to get another expansion grant and be part of the Gateway Greening gardening community.” Connie Goss, Garden Leader.

The Greenleaf Garden on Holy Ground is located at 5007 Waterman Blvd, St. Louis, MO 63108.

About Gateway Greening

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GATEWAY GREENING ANNOUNCES EXPANSION OF KELLOGG PARK COMMUNITY GARDEN IN MAPLEWOOD

Posted on April 29, 2016 by beanstalk

St. Louis (April 29, 2016) –Kellogg Park Community Garden in Maplewood, MO has been expanded as a result of an award from Gateway Greening. Six raised beds were installed and filled with soil. An ANOVA bench, 3-bin compost system, a wheelbarrow, and additional signage have also been installed. The Kellogg Park Community Garden was founded in 2015 through at Gateway Greening award.

Kellogg Park Community Park has 10 gardeners from the community and as a group, the garden will be able to grow 480lbs of produce annually, on average. Produce will be used by the growers and informally spread throughout the community.

“Gateway Greening is awesome! They supplied everything we have at our garden. There wouldn’t be a Kellogg Park Community Garden without Gateway Greening. I just had to apply with them and give some volunteer time, and we got all the supplies we need to support 10 gardeners to have their own beds for vegetable gardening. I’m getting to know my neighbors more, and building a more connected community through the garden. Gateway Greening has supported me with the garden the whole way. I don’t just get materials, but I learn a lot every time I volunteer or take workshops. They’re an endless, immensely valuable resource doing a world of good for St. Louis. I’m very grateful for Gateway Greening and all they do!” – Stephanie Usher, Garden Leader

The Kellogg Park Community Garden is located at 2500 Circle Dr., Maplewood, MO.

About Gateway Greening

Gateway Greening is a nonprofit organization that educates and empowers people to strengthen their communities through gardening and urban agriculture. Gateway Greening has been working to provide creative, grassroots solutions to urban problems since 1984. Programs include supporting more than 200 community and youth-focused gardens across the St. Louis area through educational opportunities, garden supplies and technical assistance; and the Gateway Greening Urban Farm, a 2.5-acre farm in downtown St. Louis that provides therapeutic horticulture and a jobs training program. Visit Gateway Greening at www.gatewaygreening.org. @gatewaygreening.

GATEWAY GREENING ANNOUNCES EXPANSION OF DESALES COMMUNITY GARDEN IN ST. LOUIS

Posted on April 29, 2016 by beanstalk

St. Louis (April 29, 2016) – DeSales Community Garden in the Fox Park Neighborhood of St. Louis is in the process of being expanded this spring as a result of an award from Gateway Greening. 3 new double-high raised beds were installed making gardening accessible to elderly and disabled individuals. Lumber on 3 existing raised beds were replaced. Additional materials: 2 picnic tables, scale, sprinklers, and handtools were also awarded.

DeSales Community Garden has 24 gardeners from the community and as a group, the garden will be able to grow 900lbs of produce annually, on average. Produce is donated to nearby Five Star Senior Center or divided amongst gardeners.

“In just one year, Gateway Greening helped our garden jump from a 5-member garden to a 22-member and fully thriving food and community hub. We even have some on a waiting list, which means opportunity awaits us! Thanks to GG’s installation of three double-high raised plots, community members with limited mobility have access to gardening as well. This is all exciting work and we are thrilled to see a network of community gardeners forming in this neighborhood. We couldn’t have done this without the advocacy, informational, and infrastrucuture support of GG!” – Lindsay Elliot, Garden Leader

The DeSales Community Garden is located at 2635 California Ave, St. Louis, MO 63118.

About Gateway Greening

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Gardening as an Outdoor Education Option

Posted on April 25, 2016 by beanstalk

Gardening as an outdoor education option provides students with a purpose for their learning. Early spring, students at Mallinckrodt and Shaw VPA broadcasted lettuce seeds in their garden bed and called it a salad bowl. Well, it is looking beautiful and growing wonderfully.

Students learned to harvest the lettuce and with the help from MU extension agent Diana Finlay they made a salad and ate it in their garden this week.

Along the way, they learned science lessons in plant lifecycle and plant parts and picked up valuable life skills such as hard work, focus, persistence, follow though and team work.

As an educator, I am overjoyed when these students describe lettuce from the garden as sweet or beg to eat raw collard greens or thoroughly weed an entire bed full of purple nettle in 15 minutes or less.

Do you have a garden at your school that is underused? Remember, it doesn’t take a lot to get started. At Gateway Greening, we have resources that can help you extend your classroom outdoors through gardening. For weekly inspiration be sure to check our quick little garden videos.

My Week in a Nutshell

Posted on April 12, 2016 by beanstalk

Gateway Greening supports many school gardens and as a youth educator I am fortunate enough to be able to work with several different schools. I wanted to share with you all my week in a nutshell.

Week after spring break in the school garden sometimes looks a lot like this picture below. We had planted kohlrabi in February, carefully thinned it our and even experimented with transplanting some of the seedling and then the spring break happens. In the excitement of the break we forgot to water them the Friday before and and came back to find this. We hope to do better next time.

he preschooler below have read Susan Grisby’s First Peas To The Table in late February and planted their own peas beginning of March. However, a sneaky garden rabbit is also a big fan of peas. Couple of weeks ago students planted onion near the peas hoping to keep the rabbit out but this week they found them eaten again. In the picture below, they are protecting them with a bird net that was donated to the school garden.

A lot of time garden educator finds it challenging to have enough things to plant to keep each student busy and engaged. We have resolved this issue in part by introducing these students to environmental art inspired by Andy Goldsworthy. Here a student has wrapped up the stump in the yarn they found and created a design with natural material found in the garden.

This winter when it was too cold to come out we spent a few class sessions reading Seedsfolks by Paul Fleischman. This book was wonderful and exposed students to many complexity of human nature at a level that they could understand them. Students came out this week and through sidewalk drawings highlighted characters and things that had stuck with them from our reading this past winter. It heartwarming to see the them connecting to this book in this way.

And there is always that one kids who likes to come up to and tell jokes, right teachers? Well he got to write this joke on our new chalkboard fashioned out of an old sign that was in the discard pile. At Gateway Greening, we frequently have these nice metal signs for various reasons so feel free to reach out to us. You will just have to chalkboard paint it.

Our new chalkboard quickly became very popular. Initially I had intended to use it to create a list for tasks that parents can help with if they only had 15-20 minutes during pick up or drop off, however, students have absolutely enjoyed using it unleash their creativity. And it is a good use of the chain linked fence that was not on the pretty list.

There are many ways to water the garden but in a school garden giving students a little something to carry their water in seems to work a lot better than any other method we have used.

There are many reasons to not always clear out your garden beds in fall and winter. One reason is because in early spring when you take your classes out it gives students something to chew on other than knowledge and information. Who says kids don’t like greens?

Another great feature in any community or school garden is to have a place to sit. These stumps were delivered free through city forestry department. This student is reading a book she checked out from the Little Free Library that lives in the garden. It’s all about creating spaces that invite.

When it rained on our flower dissection class Allison Miller took the students indoors and we continued with our lesson. Allison Miller is assistant professor of biology at Saint Louis University.

In conjunction with Missouri Extension agent Diana Finlay, Gateway Greening offers a class at Shaw Elementary where students learn about tasting the food that they grow and learning to eat them. This particular day, I harvested some asparagus from a community bed at Bell garden to have students try them before they planted their own. To my surprise, I say that because it is not often that I hear that kids didn’t like something in the garden, they strongly disliked fresh asparagus. I think that will change if they grow their own and try it. To find out we will have to wait three years, I suppose.

Students were doing blind tasting with Diana and then learning to identify foods using descriptive terms.

This squash sandwich got a 50-50. This particular students didn’t care for it much.

Ms. Diana showing kids what asparagus stems look like.

It’s easy to sneak in language arts in the garden.

Planting some pollinator friendly plants such as Cupflower and Bee-balm.

We learned a little bit about states of matter as we made soaps in our school garden using using the dried herbs from last year and flowers from this spring. Students were so proud to show of their work.

Smelling lemon essential oil.

-Punita Patel, Youth Educator

GATEWAY GREENING AWARDED $205,000 GRANT BY MONSANTO FUND

Posted on April 12, 2016 by beanstalk

Grant will be used to educate and empower the youth of St. Louis through exposure to gardening and healthy eating.

St. Louis (April 12th, 2016) – Gateway Greening has been educating and empowering individuals to strengthen their communities through gardening and urban agriculture in the St. Louis community for more than 30 years. As part of its 2016 initiative, the Monsanto Fund has granted $205,000 to Gateway Greening for its Youth Garden Program. Monsanto Fund has partnered with Gateway Greening since 2004, contributing more than $1.5 million to various programs over the last 12 years.

Through the Monsanto Fund, Gateway Greening’s youth gardens and programs are able to inspire and educate children across St. Louis through hands-on outdoor lessons and activities in the garden. We work with parents, teachers and other community leaders to teach kids about gardening, agriculture and healthy eating. Matt Schindler, Gateway Greening’s Executive Director, explains the importance of this grant. “The Monsanto Fund is helping our youth in St. Louis develop a lifelong appreciation for nature, gardening and learning. Gateway Greening is able to utilize this grant from the Monsanto Fund to build and grow our Youth Garden Program, which is impacting over 3,000 kids and over 70 communities in the St. Louis region every year,” said Schindler.

Gateway Greening has said that all subjects can be taught from the garden. Kathleen Carson, Gateway Greening’s Education Manager, points out science in particular. “The Youth Garden Program is growing scientists. Our Youth Educators work with teachers to get elementary students out in their school gardens, exploring plant science, soils, weather, water cycle, food webs and, of course, eating food they have grown themselves. In addition, they are creating inviting places for their school community to flourish,” said Carson.

Michelle Insco, Monsanto Fund program officer, highlights the wide scope of benefits provided by the program. “Gateway Greening’s Youth Garden Program beautifies our community, teaches young people about food and nutrition, and pulls science education out of the classroom and into an engaging, outdoor environment,” said Insco. “Many of these students grew up in the city, so they also learn how agriculture is an integral part in our daily lives, even if they’ve never been to a farm. Monsanto Fund is proud to support this program.”

When building youth gardens, projects are selected based on a number of factors including: need, the quality of the garden space, the level of community and staff support and the thoroughness of the plan for using the garden space. Awarded sites are typically supported with seeds/plants, garden tools, materials (hardscape and landscape), curricular resources and training. We strive to establish sustainable garden projects that can continue teaching our youth for years to come.

About Gateway Greening

About Monsanto Fund

The Monsanto Fund, the philanthropic arm of the Monsanto Company, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening the communities where farm families and Monsanto Company employees live and work. Visit the Monsanto Fund at www.monsantofund.org.