GRO-Jericho!

Laura here:

On April 26, TTJ hosted a zoom meeting initiating GRO-Jericho to inspire the formation of neighborhood groups around gardening. If you’re a home gardener like me, you’ve got things you can grow well and others not so much; the idea is for neighbors to think about both offers and needs within the areas of vegetable crops, storage space, and food preservation, etc. Have a conversation, and figure out how cooperating will lead to more for all, possibly extending the season’s output.

You may have an informal group already, or maybe no one gardens much; TTJ will provide support to both new gardeners and experienced green thumbers in the form of mentorships, tutorials, and Google Docs to keep groups connected.

Here’s a sample letter; feel free to adapt and pass along to your neighbors to start the conversation!

​[HI Neighbor!
Inviting you to join a new initiative, GRO-Jericho, a combination of collaborating, swapping and neighborly fun!
I’m starting a neighborhood group here at Barber Farm, and other neighborhood groups are joining the initiative, organized by Transition Town Jericho (TTJ). Check out website: transitiontownjericho.net
The idea is this: Some of us garden a little or a lot of this or that, and we can collaborate together so we fill in the gaps. For example, I love growing garlic, lettuce, herbs, scallions, collards, radiccio and carrots, all organic and often have enough to share. As far as preserving foods, I have some experience fermenting foods & a dehydrator for drying. On the other hand, I’d love it if someone wanted to offer up canning, and would love access to veggie storage space over the winter.
If each neighbor thinks of both offers and needs, the possibilities are many!
If one of us non-gardeners has a sunny spot to share, maybe another neighbor who doesn’t have a good space could garden there. TTJ has resources to get us going whether it’s a new garden, or help along the way, offering Google Docs to keep the GRO-groups connected.
Call or email me if you’re interested!]

Good luck leading the way in your neighborhood, and keep us posted! If you’d like to have a Google Doc set up for your neighborhood group, send an email with a request to: [email protected]