As the first hint of spring passes through the metro area, many locals start thinking about gardens, plants and fresh-picked veggies. For those who are eager to dig up some dirt, this Saturday should get them motivated. And if some are city dwellers with little access to green plots, they can learn where and how to grow in many of the city’s sprouting numbers of urban gardens. That is all thanks to DC Field to Fork and its 4th annual daylong event, Rooting DC, held at Coolidge High School in Takoma Park.
A free how-to gardening forum, the event offers attendees a chance to listen in on about 20 different interactive workshops on everything from schoolyard and youth gardening to gardening basics. It’s all in an effort to promote a shift in how locals view their food sources, says Katie Rehwaldt, co-coordinator of Rooting DC with Bea Trickett. “It’s for both new and experienced gardeners to come together to share information and resources about gardening and food access in the District,” she says. And as an added bonus one session is devoted to a cooking demonstration, called Roots and Greens.
Fiscally sponsored by America the Beautiful Fund, the DC Field to Fork Network includes numerous local groups, says Rehwaldt. “Field to Fork is dozens of organizations working in DC to foster regional change in how we approach our food, strengthening links between community gardening, food distribution, nutritional education and seasonal cooking.” Among the 36 supporting groups are Bread for the City, Capital Area Food Bank, FRESHFARM Markets, DC Central Kitchen, and So Others Might Eat.
To help urbanites understand the dynamics of school-yard and urban gardening, Rooting DC has organized nearly 20 sessions for attendees, explains Rehwaldt, The day will be launched by a general talk, “From Movement to Revolution: Why Growing Your Own Food is Essential to Freedom” by Gordon Clark of the Montgomery Victory Gardens.
After these opening remarks, attendees head off to one of various workshops — some geared to appeal to parents and children as a way to involve the whole family — that address such topics as Gardening in Small Spaces, ideal for city dwellers with little accessible growing area; Wild About Worms, which should delight children; and Working Our Roots: Heritage Gardening to Heal Communities, led by local food historian, Michael Twitty.
“Heritage Gardening is my term for when people plant crops that reflect their ethnic, cultural, and regional background,” says Twitty, who points out that the Washington area is rich with cultural and ethnic diversity. “This area is incredible,” he says. “We have a long growing season, and so many cultures here…There’s a large Ethiopian community who value the meskeram flower that blooms in September. So why can’t we grow that or Black-Eyed Susans or Thai basil? We can express civic pride through cultivation… I want to inspire someone to create a garden to bring people together.”
For more information call 202-638-1649.
