Garden Exchange Workshop

October 27, 2018

Community members shared knowledge, seeds, recipes, and stories at the inaugural Garden Exchange Workshop. Longtime Garden Manager Catherine Shelton led discussions on cultivating community around food and agriculture. Participants gathered for coffee, conversation, and lessons on seasonal growing in Sumter County.

Shelton demonstrated winter planting techniques, strategies for saving seeds, and propagating spring crops. She constructed a lasagna-style raised bed which has been utilized year-round in the Community Garden for nearly a decade. This technique works well for poor or shallow soil.

Participants also shared gardening tips, tricks, and experiences. They took home seeds and region-specific instructions for planting winter collard greens. County Extension Coordinator William Lampley shared resources available through the Alabama Cooperative Extension System in Sumter County and across the state.

Shelton closed the workshop with a culinary demonstration; she shared two methods of making her Garden Bean Dip – with a food processor and hand mashed. All the ingredients were sourced fresh from the garden or from frozen summer harvest produce. Shelton surprised community members with a (very poplar) fruit tart featuring Community Garden peaches.

Coleman Center for the Arts’ Community Garden began in 2009 as the One Mile Garden project by visiting artists Bob Bingham, Robin Hewlett, and Ally Reeves. This workshop was organized to serve the garden’s original goal — connecting community, food, and farming. Over the years, the conversation has grown to include environmental justice, small-scale food production, food access, and sustainable self-care for individuals and communities. Shelton and Coleman Center staff are grateful to participants for supporting and contributing to this conversation.

The Garden Exchange Workshop is part of the Coleman Center’s Community Arts Workshops series focusing on creative learning experiences designed for multiple generations.

Handouts, recipes, and more information:

Lasagna-Style Raised Bed Instructions

Growing/Harvesting Instructions for Collard Greens

Catherine Shelton’s Garden Bean Dip

Glenda James’ Cold Remedy

Alabama Cooperative Extension System/Sumter County

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