By Debbie Ketchum Jircik, Eagle River
and LynnAnn Thomas, Sugar Camp

A unique collaborative community garden project called Seed to Seed Edible Garden has emerged over this past winter and spring through the VILAS Vision Leadership program.

As UW-Extension master gardener/master composter volunteers, we are the leadership participants, in collaboration with UW-Extension Horticultural Educator Mary Stys, Trees for Tomorrow, Eagle River Rotary, Vilas Food Pantry, and a team of community volunteers.

This group planted a container vegetable garden at Trees for Tomorrow that will serve as a kitchen garden for Trees and also raise fresh produce for the Vilas Food Pantry. The garden will be used to teach Trees attendees and community members of all ages about the culture and ecology of growing fresh healthy food.

The Seed to Seed Edible Garden Project’s mission is to educate people of all ages and economic means to grow their own food and to share a passion for sustainable gardening practices and the joy of eating something you’ve grown yourself. Along with Seed to Seed volunteer Kate Swanson, we helped participants attending the May 26 Kalmar Center Community Dinner to plant vegetable container gardens to take home and tend.

We also were at the Eagle River Farmer’s Market planting vegetable container gardens for sale as a fund raiser for the Seed to Seed project.

In fact, Seed to Seed will be at the farmer’s market throughout the summer doing fundraising and hands on presentations on various topics including composting and growing your own micro greens.

We found further inspiration for the project while attending a “From the Ground Up” workshop with Will Allen, 2008 MacArthur Fellowship award winner, at Growing Power in Milwaukee this past April.

With enough community interest, we plan to invite a team of Growing Power educators up here to offer a hoop house construction workshop at LynnAnn’s Path to Nature Garden Center in Sugar Camp some time in the next year.

In the future, we hope to work with others in Eagle River to find land and help develop a larger community garden.

If you are interested in getting involved with the Seed to Seed Project, volunteers are needed to help water and tend the Trees for Tomorrow garden.

Anyone interested in donating empty hanging baskets in good condition can bring them to the Eagle River Farmer’s Market to the UW Extension table. If you are unable to get involved in our project directly, a great way to support us is to plant an extra row or container in your own vegetable garden and donate the harvest to the Vilas Food Pantry.

We are also looking for monetary donations to grow the project. One approach we're working on is trying to get funding for Seed to Seed through National Geographic Green Effect awards. (Visit their website to support the project by giving it a five star rating.)

For more information about Seed to Seed or to volunteer, contact Debbie at 715-479-9737 or LynnAnn at 715-272-2032.