Community Garden Conference April 2 In Hartford

HARTFORD — A Community Gardening Conference for Connecticut is scheduled for April 2 from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm at the Hartford Hospital-Institute of Living.

Conference topics will address soil health, working with kids, community kitchens, garden rules, greenhouses, season extensions, sustainable gardens, composing, and produce marketing.

There will be optional tours of the Institute of Living’s Notable Trees, a landscape designed by Frederick Law Olmsted. There will also be a tour of the Knox Parks Foundation’s greenhouse and Grow Hartford Urban Farm.

The keynote speaker will be Daniel Ross of Nuestas Raices, of Holyoke, Mass. Mr Ross will discuss “Building Our Community — How We Are Changing Holyoke.” He will relate the growth of Nuestas Raices from a single garden on a vacant lot, to today’s eight gardens, farm market, youth program, greenhouse, and bakery.

According to Tom Bott, a community garden organizer in Torrington, “Each year this conference is an excellent source of information on how to garden and how to run a community garden. It is wonderful to have so many experts available and to be able to network with other gardeners.”

The conference is being sponsored by Connecticut Community Gardening Association. The registration fee is $5 for youth, $10 for community gardeners, $15 for conference attendees, and $25 for sponsors. Lunch is included in the registration fee. Child care is available on a limited basis. For conference information email ccga@comcast.net or call Krista Pich at 860-545-7397.