Do any of you belong to or have you started a gardening club? The clubs near me seem almost entirely focused on flowers and not growing food. I'd love to hear what works for your group. I'm in central MA and researching starting an urban ag/backyard garden/homesteading club. Thanks.

I've got the same issue here in Metro Detroit. All flower clubs. It's hard to find answers to edible plant questions I always seem to have. lol

I've thought of the same thing to ! But.
I no ideal. Hoo.what. where.how. to begin.
We could be up to a brick wall.🗿
It seems most people just plant ez stuff. Like a couple tomatoes and peppers.
What u think ? 😎😎😎

Just join the group over at our forum on Vegetables and Fruits, and you can post your questions to your heart's content:

http://garden.org/forums/view/...

Truly the edibles club for everyone! That's what we're here for.

I agree with Elaine -- although I can see why a person would like to have a local club as well. You might consider contacting you County Extension Service -- they may have some ideas for you.

but in the meantime... you have us!!

tusanella33 said:Do any of you belong to or have you started a gardening club? The clubs near me seem almost entirely focused on flowers and not growing food. I'd love to hear what works for your group. I'm in central MA and researching starting an urban ag/backyard garden/homesteading club. Thanks.

Hi Mia! Welcome to NGA. I would love to join such a club, but it would be a long drive to meetings!

Giving away produce might only attract people who like to EAT fresh veggies, not grow them.
Giving away seedlings would attract gardeners, but they would have to see or hear about your give-away.

Maybe watch closely for groups that hold plant sales, especially in the spring. We have a bunch of "for charity" seedling sales around here. THOSE would be good places to advertise such a club.

Maybe you have to START it with something like a "Meetup" or an open house you host. Liek the movie: "If you build it, they will come."

Weedwhacker said:I agree with Elaine -- although I can see why a person would like to have a local club as well. You might consider contacting you County Extension Service -- they may have some ideas for you.

but in the meantime... you have us!!

>> You might consider contacting you County Extension Service

They usually have websites that are well-worth-while browsing.

Hmmm, "Worcester, MA" ... you're near Shrewsbury! I went to school with someone from there ... Worcester County.

How about their "News and Events" tab? You could go to some meeting that seemed relevant, and announce that you were forming such a club or informal group. Or they might post a notice of your club.
https://ag.umass.edu/upcoming-...

Here's the section for home gardeners:
http://ag.umass.edu/topics/hom...

http://ag.umass.edu/
http://ag.umass.edu/services/s... - soil tests

(Central MA including Worcester County)
http://ag.umass.edu/extensiono...

(Here's the beef.)
http://ag.umass.edu/quick-guid...

(all newsletters)
http://ag.umass.edu/agricultur...

(veggie newsletter)
https://ag.umass.edu/vegetable...

Maybe they would let you put in a notice about the first club meeting.
Maybe they would let you email to a mailing list they have.

In my experience most gardening clubs participate to improve their local community by creating plantings or renovating plantings; it's about good-deed-doing by using pretty flowering plants.

Most vegetable gardeners that I have known are not interested in leaving their yard to attend meetings. That being said, I have met lots of vegetable growers who enjoyed sharing their knowledge - I just walked up to their fence and said, "Hello; nice garden!".

One of the best ways to meet other vegetable gardeners is to join your local community garden. Some places have plots for free; others have a reasonable fee for the season.

Oh, great idea @greene ! How about just go and visit your local community garden, if you don't need to get a plot. Sounds like you have a space at home that you are using? But the community gardens usually have lots of keen vegetable gardeners out there working on a Saturday.

I'd venture to say THAT'S your place to have a garden club and also have your meetings there. (at least until it's too cold) Take a walk around and introduce yourself, get an idea how many gardeners there are etc. If you offer to bring lemonade and cookies on a hot Saturday afternoon, lots of people will love to sit down with you and talk veggie gardening. Make it informal at first, then start posting a notice when the meetings will be so more people might show up - like those that work in their plots at 6am ? ? Winding down towards the last gardening days, ask for contact info, and arrange to meet for coffee on Saturdays - most gardeners are sort of at loose ends when the garden is dormant. In January, everybody will bring seed catalogs!

As Rick said "IF you build it they will come". Oh, and don't forget to include us - let us know how it goes? And keep on asking questions here anyway. As one wise gardener on the Plumeria forum says "the only dumb question is the one you don't ask".

Hi there again 😎
Good ideas above. I guess if you and i are gonna try to start some kind of vege club.we better git off our rears ! Huh ?
The nga is great. Ive learned alot and givin my ideas. Just in a few months of joining. Butt ! Its not the same as sitting around people.face to face from your own area ! Is it? Not that i would jump ship on nga. Because we could share our knowledge back and forth with club members and nga. Imagine that !!!

The biggest difference that I see (between NGA - or any online site - and an actual "garden club") is that I check in here when I have a spare 10 or 15 minutes, but with a "real club" you have to appear at a certain date and time, and take care of your assigned or volunteered-for "duties," etc. I guess I just don't want that much organization in my life anymore!

Weedwhacker said:...with a "real club" you have to appear at a certain date and time...

Plus you have to bring refreshments for the entire club and, ugh, you have to dress in a socially acceptable outfit to attend the meetings. Not so with good old NGA. I can check in to NGA even if I am covered in dirt and sweat in my gardening clothes or even in my pajamas.

Once again we seem to be talking to ourselves. @tusanella33 has not checked back in to join this discussion.

There is a garden club in Sutton, MA, only a few miles from Worcester:
http://www.suttongardenclub.ty...

There is another club in Shrewsbury, MA:
https://www.facebook.com/The-S...

I think that (even here on NGA) flowers/blooms seem to be photographed and talked about more than vegetables. That does not mean that vegetables are not included in the garden club activities. The only way to know is to visit and/or join the clubs.

"you have to dress in a socially acceptable outfit to attend the meetings. "

Another good reason for me to stick with the online form of "garden club."

greene said:

Plus you have to bring refreshments for the entire club and, ugh, you have to dress in a socially acceptable outfit to attend the meetings. Not so with good old NGA. I can check in to NGA even if I am covered in dirt and sweat in my gardening clothes or even in my pajamas.

That is exactly right. And I often do check in here dressed in my sleepwear. And as like right now, a dirty mess from working out in the garden. Doesn't matter, no one can see me.

I can't imagine why anyone would want a web cam on their computer! We do most of our business from home just so we don't have to clean ourselves up.

ctcarol said:I can't imagine why anyone would want a web cam on their computer! We do most of our business from home just so we don't have to clean ourselves up.

Boy I sure do agree., I don't want anyone to see me. Makes like easy that they can't see me. No web cam here and there never will be. I guess if there is no choice on a computer upgrade then I will simply put duck tape or something over the camera.

I agree too, Carol!

LOL, Rita -- my computer has a camera... you just don't turn it on. Uh... I think... you can't see me, right??

1hugaholic said:I've got the same issue here in Metro Detroit. All flower clubs. It's hard to find answers to edible plant questions I always seem to have. lol

I'm not in the downtown Detroit area, so I don't know for sure what is available there, but I have to imagine that you should be able to find something. Try your local library and see if they have garden clubs or even their own seed 'library'--some others here in Michigan do!

Meetup is another place you can find veg-heads of various types. Here's a couple that may or may not be of interest to you:
http://www.meetup.com/vegan-99...
http://www.meetup.com/Everyone...
http://www.meetup.com/WillFora...

Here's a site with a bunch of clubs that should be in your area:
http://www.mgwwc.org/Pages/Loc...

You might even stumble onto something of interest with this website:
http://detroitagriculture.net/


Good luck!

Weedwhacker said:I agree too, Carol!

LOL, Rita -- my computer has a camera... you just don't turn it on. Uh... I think... you can't see me, right??

I am too paranoid. I see movies where they hack in and can see all that is going on without the person being aware of what's going on.

Not that anything here is interesting enough for anyone to bother. But in this case my paranoia rules. No camera!!