Having recently moved to a climate zone several degrees warmer than my home state, I have been appreciating the spring in SW Virginia and NE Tennessee and sharing that joy with our participants this year at Appalachian Sustainable Development. The sun is warm, the trees are blooming, and we are getting our cool season
Appalachian Sustainable Development (ASD), is now recruiting participants for their 2022 Grow Your Own food access program. Experience is not necessary and residents of Buchanan, Tazewell and Washington counties in Virginia are encouraged to fill out the intake survey at: https://www.asdevelop.org/programs-resources/grow-your-own. Space is limited and applications close at 5pm on Sunday, 2/13/2022. For more information,
A young mother teaches her child patience and the value of hard work. A full-time college student finds new ways to practice her studies. A native Appalachian appreciates her community more than ever. Ashley Keene, of Oakwood, Virginia, shares her gratitude for Appalachian Sustainable Development’s (ASD) Grow Your Own program. A 501 (c)3, ASD’s
Established in 2012, Appalachian Sustainable Development's Grow Your Own program empowers beginner gardeners to take control of their food sovereignty by cultivating their own home or community gardens. "Appalachian Sustainable Development has been an incredible resource for me, supplying plants, seeds, row cover and valuable information about season extension over the past two
The Never-Ending Adventure When I started the Grow Your Own program last year, I had been successful with houseplants, a few potted vegetables, but had never had my own garden. I was so excited when my landlord allowed me to dig up two 20 ft rows in the front
ASD welcomes four new VISTAs to our Agriculture Education and Groundwork programs! "Volunteers in Service to America" Founded in 1965, Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) is an anti-poverty program designed to provide needed resources to nonprofit organizations and public agencies to increase their capacity to lift communities out of poverty. AmeriCorps
Gardening is not for the faint of heart. Yeah, I said it and I meant it. Gardening is hard; it is also dirty, messy, and unsure. However, it is also exciting, fulfilling, and wonderful. A lady by the name of May Sarton once said, “A garden is always a series of losses set against
When Did I Last….? Anyone who knows me even a little knows of my obsession with planners, calendars, all things date-oriented, not to mention my strict adherence to lists. However, when it came to my gardening, my record-keeping was spotty to use the kindest term possible. I would write things on slips of
What to Do with Blackberry Winters It’s happening again. The weather has been gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous. In fact, the weather has been so gorgeous that many gardeners have been persuaded to go ahead and plant out their summer crops like peppers, squash, tomatoes, and melons. For the second year in a row, weeks
SNAP into Victory Gardening Everyone keeps talking about Victory Gardens, but how do you get started? Even if you have never had a garden before that’s alright, Appalachian Sustainable Development has your back, we are creating a blog series to walk you through your Victory Garden step by step. In our first Victory
