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rdifalco

Flavors: With a little help, a garden grows - Chico Enterprise Record - 1 views

  • If it takes a village to raise a child, for me it takes a community to grow vegetables.
  • This year, we made a friend. His name is Mark Stemen, head of the Butte Environmental Council, and he introduced us to the idea of community gardening. Knowing we have a program for at-risk youth called Wilderness Experience, Mark encouraged us to lease a plot at Humboldt Community Garden to teach the kids the benefits of gardening.
  • The first time I talked to Mark about the garden, he told me his philosophy: the most important word in Community Garden isn't garden. He is absolutely correct. So far, we have done nothing by ourselves. Every time we go to the garden, we meet new people who are happy to be there, gardening alongside us. We use the tools provided by the community, the compost and the water. We were given some of the plants, and someone even gave us a hose when they saw ours was too short. We've chatted up our plot-neighbors for recipe ideas and tips on when to harvest our vegetables.
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  • Introducing our community of Wilderness Experience kids to the Humboldt Community Garden has already been so worthwhile, and we've only been at it for a couple of months. For the first time in a long time, I'm confident our plants will grow. For more information about Butte Environmental Council's Community Gardens (there are two, Humboldt and Oak Way), check the website at www.becnet.org/community-gardens.
rdifalco

BEC OPENS ITS NEW "HUMBOLDT COMMUNITY GARDEN" TO THE PUBLIC - Sun. Sept. 16, 2012 Green... - 1 views

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    Sunday, September 16, 2012 saw the official kick off of BEC's new community garden on Humboldt Road and El Monte. The garden is located on city property that lies directly across from Marsh Junior High School and next to the Murphy Commons Garden. The land, one full acre, was entrusted to BEC under a free lease by the city of Chico in order to create a public and affordable food growing garden where beginners could meet and learn from seasoned gardeners.
rdifalco

In west Chico, new community garden vision is growing - Chico Enterprise Record - 0 views

  • CHICO -- A vision has sprouted for another Chico community garden, with hopes a new crop of urban farmers will be tending seedlings by next spring. Mark Stemen, a board member with the Butte Environmental Council, went public last week with the idea for the Oak Way Community Garden. A one-acre vacant lot at the northwest corner of Eighth and Nord avenues, the space is slated for an eventual fire station. But until then it could be a great spot for people to grow their own food, he said.
  • "It would be a great alternative use," Stemen said. "People think it's a great location and it's clearly an unused space." Having spent the morning checking on seedlings at the Humboldt Community Garden, Stemen smiled last week as his dirt-stained fingers unfurled a canvas mockup of gridded plots, a model orchard and a looped walking path. The location has many perks, he said, including it's on the other side of town from the Humboldt garden, it has nearby parking and water hookups and it provides easy access for those with disabilities. It's also near a park operated by the Chico Area Recreation and Park District, which could prove mutually beneficial.
  • Like the Humboldt garden, the city would lease the property to the Butte Environmental Council, which would charge gardeners a small amount to cover water and insurance costs. And volunteers will fundraise for piping, fencing and other materials. Robyn DiFalco, executive director of BEC, said she is excited by the prospect of
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  • another garden. "The Humboldt garden has been such a success," she said. "I'm happy we can help fulfill that need."
joulesnewton

Garden gets splash of color with new mural - Chico Enterprise Record - 0 views

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    CHICO - A splash of color has been added to the bright sunflowers and red tomatoes growing in the Humboldt Community Garden with the new greenhouse mural. Artist Michelle "Moss" Wurlitzer of Chico designed the wall painting after speaking with the gardeners about what they liked about the garden. The mural has cycles of the moon and the life of sunflowers to signify life and birth, plus a lot of food because that is one of the reasons people love the garden, she said.
rdifalco

Humboldt Community Garden almost like a backyard for weeding and wedding - Chico Enterp... - 0 views

  • CHICO >> For Lynsey and Jimmie Pratt, getting married in the Humboldt Community Garden was almost like getting married in their back yard. The garden is where they spend a lot of their time, share tasks they love and hang out with friends. When they thought about the perfect place to dive into the next stage of their lives, the garden made perfect sense. A community garden is a shared piece of land, where each person gets a small plot. In this case, the garden is run by the Butte Environmental Council. Gardeners pay a small fee to cover the water bill.
  • As far as the couple knows, they are the second to get hitched at the Humboldt Community Garden. The other couple had a very private affair.
rdifalco

Darkness & Light: March in the Garden & North State Calendar of Gardening Events | anew... - 0 views

  • The On-line Calendar of North State Gardening Events at jewellgarden.com adds events throughout the month.
  • March 24 – Chico: Butte Environmental Council "Breaking Bread, Breaking Ground, A Gathering in Support of Community Gardens 4:30 - 7:30 pm. The Butte Environmental Council and Cultivating Community will be hosting Breaking Bread, Breaking Ground II: A gathering in support of community gardens. The meal is a local gourmet Mexican meal prepared by Donna Garrison, who coincidentally won the Humboldt Community Garden salsa completion last year. David Guzzetti will be providing a Flan Cake desert. There will also be a silent auction, and No-Host Bar. Musical performers include Los Caballitos de la Cancion, who will get us into fiesta mood! Tickets are $25 each and you can reserve a space by calling the BEC Office at 891-6424. Please make checks to BEC. Our address is 116 W 2nd St Ste 3, Chico, CA 95928. The event is Arc Pavilion 2020 Park Ave Doors open at 4:30, dinner at 5:00.
rdifalco

Competitive potluck and community garden party Tuesday night - Chico Enterprise Record - 0 views

  • If you've driven by Oak Way Park this summer or last spring, it's hard to miss something new. Neatly divided plots of land have sprung to life at the corner of Nord and West Eighth Avenues. The land is the second community garden organized through the Butte Environmental Council, http://www.becnet.org Some of the growers are people who were on the waiting list for BEC's community garden on Humboldt Avenue. Now that things have sprung up, BEC will host a potluck party at Oak Way Park Tuesday night, 5-7 p.m.
  • "Our agreement with the city is that we can do the community garden on the property until it is needed for something else," explained Robyn DiFalco, BEC executive director.
  • BEC has also partnered with Independent Living Services of Northern California. The plan is to build raised beds that will be accessible by people who have mobility limitation.
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  • Mark Stemen, a cheerleader for community gardens, was a leading force in the creation of the Humboldt Garden, at Humboldt and El Monte, and had enthusiasm left over to spearhead the garden at Oak Way Park.
rdifalco

To Grow Your Own Food: Humboldt Community Garden | anewscafe.com - 0 views

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    bout and photographed other community gardens around the region, including the Community Teaching Garden on the campus of Shasta College in Redding and the Mt. Shasta Commu
rdifalco

Plotting for spring, Chico community garden grows larger - Chico Enterprise Record - 0 views

  • Dozens of dirt diggers are still gazing at frost-damaged plants in south Chico. But there's an eye toward spring. The Humboldt Community Garden is in the middle of an expansion. Winter weeds are being turned over to create new working space for nine new garden plots. This will add to the 45 areas that have already been cultivated at the 14-acre garden spot at El Monte Avenue and Humboldt Road. The Butte Environmental Council — http://goo.gl/wwyrP — spearheaded the garden last spring across from Marsh Junior High School. The city of Chico leased the land, and organizers charge $30-$70 a year for water.
rdifalco

Sow There: Letting other people handle the dirty work - Chico Enterprise Record - 0 views

  • Dr. Mark (Stemen) phoned this week to say there was a tractor working at the Humboldt Community Garden on El Monte Avenue and Humboldt Road. Within minutes, my rubber chicken and I were at the garden gate. The garden is in the middle of a grand expansion, and one gardener was busy making new garden plots using a small tractor. I've been to the garden before, once when the land was an open field, and again after plants had been put into the ground. My, how things have grown. The raised beds are noteworthy, as are two teepees and trellises for beans.
rdifalco

Ex-military find comfort, camaraderie in community garden - Chico Enterprise Record - 0 views

  • a garden plot for veterans at the Humboldt Community Garden has become a place where she enjoys the best of both lives. "It's like our little piece of the world," she said. "I've come out here and just sat and known I can be a vet here."
  • Veterans Affairs counseling groups and substance abuse groups also hold meetings at the garden, which is a project of the Butte Environmental Council and the city of Chico. The prolific produce is carted over in bowls and boxes to the Veterans Affairs office to share with those who may not have means or access to enjoy it otherwise.
  • The veterans garden project has become one of Tony Nicosia's happiest places. When the Vietnam veteran had car trouble Monday, he took the bus to make sure he could be there. "I love it, getting down and getting dirty. I like fresh vegetables. I want to see those plants grow from a little sprout larger and larger," he said. "It makes my heart feel big."
rdifalco

Veterans plant giveaway is Monday in Chico - 0 views

  • The fourth annual veterans plant giveaway is planned 9 a.m. to noon Monday by the Veterans Garden Project at Butte Environmental Council’s Humboldt Community Garden, Humboldt and El Monte roads. Hundreds of plant starts have been grown in the Butte Creek Canyon greenhouse and will be given away free to any veteran and their families who stop by the garden. Tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, lettuce and many more starts will be available for veterans to take home for gardening.
  • The plant giveaway is offered twice a year, on Memorial Day and Veterans Day.
ndcarter

Open house garden festival planned Feb. 19 in Chico - 0 views

  • A free open house and garden festival is planned noon to 3 p.m. Feb. 19 at the Humboldt Community Garden, corner of Humboldt and El Monte avenues in Chico, hosted by the Butte Environmental Council.
rdifalco

Sow There: 100 ways to use zucchini, both enormous and small - Chico Enterprise Record - 0 views

  • the new community garden on Humboldt Ave. (at El Monte) has a lot of open space.
  • Butte Environmental Council
  • People who show up at the garden have built enviable raised beds and a tarpless tee-pee for beans. A work day is planned for 8 am. (when its cool) until noon Saturday. BEC executive director Robyn DiFalco said they'll be planting ornamentals and generally moving dirt around. You can also show up and decide if you want to rent your own garden plot, which starts at $25 to pay for water and insurance.
rdifalco

Chico City Council to consider law that cracks down on underage drinking - Oroville Mer... - 0 views

  • Also Tuesday, the City Council will hold a public hearing on the Draft Housing Element Update and consider authorization to submit it to the state for review and comment. The housing element is one of seven required elements in a general plan, and must be updated every five to eight years.
  • The element has six basic components: a housing needs assessment, a site inventory, a constraints analysis, housing programs, quantified objectives and public participation. The proposed actions are designed to meet various housing needs, including affordability for low-income residents, production of affordable housing for all income groups, and improvement and investment in existing residential neighborhoods.
  • Also Tuesday, the council will consider a resolution approving a one-year license to the Butte Environmental Council to operate a temporary community garden at West Eighth Avenue and Highway 32. The vacant, one-acre city-owned site is eventually planned for development as a fire station, but an interim use of a garden with no permanent structures would not interfere with that plan, according to city staff.
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  • All costs associated with the garden will be sustained by the Butte Environmental Council. The lease would be eligible for renewal.
joulesnewton

Farm Briefs for April 21 - Chico Enterprise Record - 0 views

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    * April 27, 2-4 p.m., Humboldt Community Garden, 2177 Humboldt Road in Chico - Berry workshop with Mark Stemen. Instruction includes how to use vertical space, and instruction by Sherri Scott. Topics include berries, plant care, pruning and plants suitable for Chico.
rdifalco

CN&R - Eat your vegetables! - Feature Story - Local Stories - April 18, 2013 - 0 views

  • Chico is currently home to at least 20 community gardens, where friends and neighbors gather together to work a shared piece of land. Through her work with the GRUB Education Program and Cultivating Community North Valley, Stephanie Elliot has had a hand in helping several of these get started.
  • It’s also important to research your location and check the soil to make sure there’s no history of contamination.
  • The Cultivating Community website has listings of open spaces. Elliot also recommended contacting Mark Stemen of the Butte Environmental Council, who has researched several vacant lots suitable for community gardens.
rdifalco

Editorial: Hits and misses - Chico Enterprise Record - 0 views

  • The city of Chico owns an acre of property near Emma Wilson School, on the corner of West Eighth Avenue and Highway 32.
  • So the City Council did the wise thing when it allowed a group to use the land in the meantime as a "community garden." The Butte Environmental Council has another one near Marsh Junior High School and says it's very popular. That land was purchased for an aquatic center. That, too, is on the back burner.
  • The City Council Tuesday voted unanimously to allow BEC to use the westside land as a second community garden.
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