Today’s Agenda

1. Today’s Agenda • Welcome and Introductions • Devotions • Introduction of the Bonding Garden Project • Inspiration and Advise from Technology for the Poor’s Director: Dr. Job Ebenezer • Actual Nuts and Bolts • Questions • Next Steps • Prayer • Adjourn

2. Welcome Share with us: 1. Your name 2. One gardening experience you have had 3. Your expectations of our time together

3. Luke 12:16-21 (New International Version) 16And he told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. 17He thought to himself, 'What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.' 18"Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." ' 20"But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?' 21"This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God."

4. Reflections • Why did the rich man tear down perfectly good barns and build bigger ones? • Is there something else he could have done with his abundance? • So what does that have to do with ELCMA, with you and with this gardening project?

5. Why Teach Gardening? • A skill that participants will have for a lifetime • A skill that can be used anywhere • Vegetables will supplement the diet in very healthy ways. • Decreases worry food contamination • Over abundance and value-added items can be used to supplement the participants’ income • Self-esteem and self-worth increase • Families bond together while working together for a common goal • Your ideas . . .

6. Why Teach Container Gardening? • We can grow vegetables in spaces that are not suitable for growing plants • Easy to set up and less work • Conservation of soil and water • Minimum use of chemicals • Raised containers make gardening easier for seniors with minimal bending and lifting • Children can participate without performing hard tasks • Can use discarded containers which can be recycled • Your ideas . .

7. Why is ELCMA Involved? With God’s guidance, ELCMA acts as a conduit bringing people and resources together to solve issues identified by the affected community

8. Dr. George Washington Carver Inspired Dr. Ebenezer to Promote Simple Technologies

9. Dr. Carver’s Philosophy: “Let all the methods of nature study be brought down to the everyday life and language of the masses.”

10. Dr. Carver On Learning from the Common Folk: He always liked to hear the common folk talk, because he got a good deal of information. After meeting an old lady and talking about herbs, Dr. Carver said, “..this modest, obscure old lady knew more about the medicinal values than anyone I had ever met. I learned a lot from her.”

11. Key Characteristics of Technology For the Poor • Take into Account the ASSETS of the Poor • Use methods that are low cost, simple and appropriate to the local conditions • Allow the technology to be controlled by the poor • Use Wisdom-based Technologies

12. How will we work together?

13. Covenant: ELCMA will: • Provide training for the site manager and four sessions with the participants • Provide suggested purchases/barters for the project • Assist in brokering connections to local agencies for expertise on canning, freezing, saving heirloom seeds and composting and with local Lutheran churches for support • Visit the site during trainings to gather data, trouble shoot problems and train participants. • Be available by phone and e-mail to assist site manager with the gardening project • Offer suggestions to improve the project for future sites • Hold the test sites and the participants in prayer

14. Bonding Garden Site will: • Identify participating families with children and/or seniors who are facing food insecurities to participate in this project • Provide a site manager/volunteer to work with the participants • Provide space for the wading pools, water, training space, encouragement and other assists as needed for the participants • Assist ELCMA in documenting the results of the project • Offer suggestions to improve the project for future sites

15. Families will: • Take responsibility for their wading pool – planting, watering, harvesting, preparing and preserving the harvest, saving the seeds, composting and amending the soil for the next planting season • Attend training sessions to aid in the success of the project • Assist in the collection of data about this project • Allow photos of their wading pool, themselves and their families to be used in reporting the success of this project • Offer suggestions to improve the project for future sites • Agree to mentor a family new to the project next year, as needed, sharing with them and assisting them in becoming successful at gardening.

16. SIGN COVENANTS AT THIS TIME

17. NUTS & BOLTS

18. Some Containers Used in Container Gardens Wading Pools

19. Feed Sacks

20. Feed Sacks continued

21. Old Tires

22. Discarded Plastic Buckets and Other Used Containers

23. Variety of Setups Urban Garden Wooden Raised Bed

24. Suggested First Steps For The Bonding Gardens Sites • Get to know your site manager and exchange contact info • Get to know your ELCMA Garden Project Coordinator and exchange contact info • Meet the other families and pick up materials provided • Look over your gardening journal, recording training dates in it. • COMMIT to attend all future trainings (3) • Consider reading magazines and books where available and check the internet for gardening tips • Begin saving household items for gardening • Keep notes, lists and share • Take pictures, if possible

25. Commit to Work Days for: • Prepare pool sites • Prepare pools for planting • Frequent days to weed, water & harvest • Prepare sites for winter • Celebrate together

26. Your GARDENING BUCKET will include: • 1 2 ½ gallon household bucket • 1 Foam kneeling pad • 1 Gardening gloves • 1 Spray bottle • 1 Dozen Small peat cups for starting new vegetable plants • 1 New or gently used hand trowel • 1 New or gently used “claw”cultivator

27. PREPARE SITE FOR CONTAINERS • Level the area • Allow walkway between pools if many are located in one area • Consider ways to elevate pools if necessary • Check for full sun location • Locate near water sources • Other concerns . . .

28. PLANTING: What, Where and When

29. Caring for the Garden Weeding Watering

30. Harvesting the Bounty

31. After the Harvest • Preparing meals • Preserving the harvest for later • Gathering and saving seeds for next year • Winterizing • Composting • Planning • Inviting

32. SOME PLANTING & GARDENING SITES : www.TechnologyforthePoor.com http://rareseeds.com/guide/ http://www.victoryseeds.com/information/planting_guide.html http://www.attra.org/attra-pub/complant.html http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/PDF/complant.pdf http://asktheberryman.com/planting_guide/index.html http://www.ncsd.ca.gov/Library/water_conservation/Compost-Guidelines.pdf

33. QUESTIONS