Growing the Backyard...

Do you have a garden related skill you would like to share with your neighbors? Want to host a SkillShare in your yard? Want to learn something new?

Topics may include (depending on interest):

• basics of urban farming
• aquaponics
• garden planning
• seed starting
• starting a garden
• garden maintenance
• growing food for personal use
• using sustainable growing methods
• harvesting
• markets and marketing
• food preparation
• food preservation
• seed saving
• food justice
• composting
• soil building
• season extension
• hoop houses
• developing value added products from the produce that is grown.

Tim Page, Urban Farmer and owner of Holistic Health Farms, makes his home in the Backyard neighborhood. He brings lots of experience in both urban farming and leading projects like “Growing the Backyard”. He has worked on the Emerge Streetwerks HomeGrown Garden Club, Frogtown Farm, We Win Institute Garden, North End Urban Farm, Community Food Justice Council. He has served on the board of Environmental Justice Advocates of Minnesota (EJAM) and the African American Aids Task Force, and he founded two 4H clubs. He has also been instrumental in starting a number of farmers markets in both Minneapolis and St Paul. The Growing the Backyard CHAT will benefit from Tim’s expertise in all areas of urban farming including, product development, markets, community outreach and education.

Immediately adjacent to the Cultural Wellness Center, Tim has transformed the backyard at 2020 Oakland into a Training Center and demonstration garden space. The emphasis at this site has been on growing in containers to demonstrate potential garden mobility. The site also features a high tunnel for season extension, a composting project, and worm composting, with plans to add an aquaponics system.

Tim and his partner Cherry Flowers operate two Twin Cities based consulting businesses called Holistic Health Farms and Page & Flowers. www.holistichealthfarms.com and www.pageandflowers.com.

AlleyNews.com