Mission: ECCGA is a non-profit organization that helps organizations and residents plant community gardens in order to raise fresh, healthy fruits and vegetables for consumption. All materials, plants, fencing and seeds we use to help establish the gardens are either donated or purchased through grant funding. We teach environmentally sound practices, such as rain barrel collection for water, composting, soil amendment and gleaning. By encouraging small community gardens, we educate the public on health issues and their relationship to food.
Website: https://www.getgrowingct.org/
Community Partner Representative: Merrijo Logan
Student Team Members: Clare Coyne ‘22, Henry De Coster ‘21, Eric Freeman ‘22, Khadija Gohar ‘22, Luci McGlynn ‘22, Payton Mulvehill ‘22, Tether Preston ‘22, Emma Weis ‘23
Funding Source: Eversource Grants for Non-Profits
Funding Request: $5,000.00
Project Summary: Current ECCGA projects include new community garden construction across eastern Connecticut and a new educational program named the regenerative soil series. This new program aims to teach farmers the no till practice of organic farming. No till, otherwise known as no-dig, is when tools such as pruners and rakes are utilized to remove cover crops prior to the next planting as opposed to chemical herbicides to remove them. This means that growers can minimize soil disruption thus maintaining soil chemistry and moisture for longer. This method can be compared to how growth cycles on forest floors or meadows occur naturally in the wild.
Presentation: Slides in PDF format