Video: See the fun and learning at the Ultimate Schoolyard Garden

The Catawba River District and five partner organizations have coordinated the creation of the Ultimate Schoolyard Garden display at the Southern Spring Home and Garden Show, taking place last weekend and this coming weekend at the Park Expo Center on Independence Boulevard.
The Ultimate Schoolyard Garden features a whopping 18 separate displays within a single 30-by-30-foot exhibit space. Learn about:

• Ozone gardens
• International gardens
• Aquaponics (where fish AND plants share nutrients and water)
• Incorporating bees, goats and chickens into your school's natural area. Rain barrels
• composting
• Inviting wildlife into your outdoor garden area.

Henry Owen with Friendship Gardens put together this video tour of our exhibit. We hope you enjoy it.
Even better, we hope you go to the show, which runs Friday-Sunday at the Park Expo Center on Independence Boulevard. There's nothing like walking through the exhibit and seeing all of this in person!

Show details

See the Ultimate Schoolyard Garden Feb. 28-March 2 at the Southern Spring Home and Garden Show. CLICK for details of the show.

Register now for Feb. 18 workshop – Gardening 201 (the sequel!)

The Green Teacher Network invites educators and volunteers working in schoolyard gardens to our winter workshop on Feb. 15. This is a great place to learn and network with people just like yourself.
We'll have several hands-on activities and a cooking cart presentation by Johnson & Wales culinary instructor Megan Lambert. We'll even send you home with materials for your garden!

Here are the details

• Time: The Network will meet 9 am-1 pm Feb. 15.
• Place: The Park Expo and Conference Center, 800 Briar Creek Road, Charlotte.
• Cost: $10 to cover materials and lunch.
• RSVP by Feb. 11: Please CLICK to complete our online reservation form. 

The program

Gardening 201 – Additional information on launching and developing a successful schoolyard garden. The workshop will offer hands-on demonstrations on:

• Composting at school
• Planting raised-bed gardens
• Using a tasting cart in the classroom, with taste-testing ideas

Gardening 201 builds on the Nov. 1 workshop program, Gardening 101. (CLICK to view several short videos of that presentation by Henry Owen of Friendship Gardens).

Ultimate Schoolyard Garden – You won't believe it until you see all of the ideas our team of experts have packed into the Ultimate School Yard garden. Get an overview of the exciting display we are helping create for the upcoming Southern Spring Home & Garden Show, Feb. 21-23 and Feb. 28-March 2 at The Park Expo and Conference Center.
Sneak preview – Our event takes place in the same facility as the Southern Spring Home & Garden Show (no, not a coincidence!). Stay after the workshop for a quick visit to the display hall where our team is installing the Ultimate Schoolyard Garden. Tour starts at 1:15.
Professional credit – We will record hours and provide a certificate of participation that can be used for  professional credits.

Reservations and additional information

• Reservations: CLICK to register for the workshop. Deadline is Feb. 11.
• Questions: SEND AN EMAIL to Edna Chirico.
• Learn more: Visit GTNCharlotte.org to learn more about our group and programs and to sign up for our newsletters.
• See Gardening 101 videos: CLICK to view several short videos that capture the key points of our previous workshop, Gardening 101.

GTN Charlotte's reach grows with new website, videos

Dec. 9 – The Green Teacher Network for schoolyard garden advocates may be living up to its name in a new way – as a digital network for information and sharing.

Gardening 101 offers tips for launching schoolyard gardens

Dec. 9 – Henry Owen of Friendship Gardens spent an hour sharing ideas on how to launch a schoolyard garden with participants at the Green Teacher Network’s Nov. 1 gathering. What got the biggest response? Seedlings sprouting in, of all things, old CD jewel cases.

Green Teacher Network wants you, even if Nov. 1 event is full

Oct. 25 – The River District’s fledgling Green Teacher Network is taking off! We have had so much interest in our second quarterly workshop on Nov. 1 that we have closed registration for the event!

Get garden basics, sneak peek of Ultimate Garden, at Green Teacher Network

Sept. 12 – Get the basics on launching a schoolyard garden and a sneak preview of the Ultimate Schoolyard Garden at the second quarterly meeting of the Green Teacher Network, 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Nov. 1 at the CPCC Harris Campus.

Fruit & Vegetable Coalition promotes healthy foods at Transit Center event

Sept. 12 – In honor of National Fruits & Veggies Month, the Mecklenburg County Fruit & Vegetable Coalition "Super Moms" will be at the Friendship Gardens "To-Go Mobile Market” in the uptown Transit Center on Sept. 19 to distribute fruit and veggie information and kid-friendly recipes. The group would love to have your support.