Somerville Garden Club Programs in 2009:
February 11
Somerville Urban Forest Initiative
The Somerville Urban Forest Initiative was formed to raise awareness among residents, business owners, and community groups about the importance of trees in our neighborhoods and in our city. Brad Arndt, Coordinator for Somerville Urban Forest Initiative, will talk about the inventory of trees in the city, the far-reaching impacts trees can have on quality of life, and how individuals can get involved in efforts to improve and increase the city’s “green infrastructure.”
March 11
Heirloom Tomatoes and Hoop Houses
Laura Marshall known as the local ‘Tomato Lady’ will give a presentation on growing and tending Heirloom tomatoes from seed Susan Gerould and spouse Will Tenney will talk about using a Hoop House in their Somerville garden as a season extender for growing edibles.
April 8
Under the Canopy: Successful Shade Gardening
Mary Dewart, a certified landscape designer of Dewart Landscape Design, will give a presentation on exploring the dynamics of light and shade in the garden.
May 13
Field to Table with Spring Greens
Claire Kozower, Executive Director at Waltham Fields Community Farm, will share her simple methods for growing fresh and healthy greens in containers from spring through the fall. We’ll sample some of the season’s first bounty and allow time for others to share what works well for them. (Waltham Fields Community Farm is a non-profit organization supporting farmland preservation, hunger relief and education.
June 10
Creative Container Gardening
Amy Fisher, of Pemberton Farms & Garden Center in Cambridge, will give a talk and demo on container gardening using annuals, perennials and herbs.
July 8
Somerville School Gardens Program
Aviva Asher, Coordinator of the Somerville School Gardens program, and two of the programs’ student gardeners will present a slide show and talk about the vegetables and herbs they have been growing in raised beds at the schools during the past few years. Some of their produce and products will be displayed. They will discuss their three markets; a cafe, a restaurant, and a farmer’s market, and the educational significance in teaching youth these entrepreneurial skills.
August 12
The Local Edible Bounty of August
Information will be presented on growing and pickling cucumbers by SGC member, Peter Heller, growing herbs by Seija Halva, PhD and Garden CoachSM, and the making of Fiore Di Nonno mozzarella cheese by Lourdes Smith. After the discussion, there will be tasting of the local bounty.
September 9
Favorite Garden Stories and Implements
SGC Members tell their favorite garden stories and/or bring in their favorite gardening implements for show-and-tell. A prize is given to the member with the best garden story and to the member with the best gardening implement.
October 14
Wildflowers of the Fells
Naturalist and photographer, Brian Hamlen, will give a talk and slide show of the wildflowers that grow in the Middlesex Fells. He will lead a nature walk to observe the Fells’ wildflowers the following weekend (date to be determined).
November 17
Local Beekeeping
Birgit De Weerd will talk about raising bees locally in Bedford, MA. Some of the local honey produced by the bees will be available to purchase at this meeting.