The knowledgeable folks at Edible Flint offer expert tips to help you make the most of
your gardening project.
- Start seeds indoors near a window sill that has plenty of light. You may need to use a plastic dome lid in order for the soil to reach 70°. Lightly mist with water so you don’t drench them and cause the seeds to escape.
- Now is a good time to add fertilizer to your fruit trees and bushes. On a day that is above freezing, do any trimming before all the budding is done.
- Make sure you get a soil test. These can be bought from MSU online, thru Edible Flint, and at the MSU Extension. It’s important to know what your garden soil is lacking or has too much of.
- Remove old mulch – some takes too long to break down into the soil. Remove it and let the soil get ready for new mulch and nutrients that are needed.
- Plant peas by the end of the month – some peas like it a little warmer, but most are ready to be planted. The earlier you plant, the sweeter they are!
- Repot indoor plants with fresh soil and good nutrients to revitalize them for spring and summer.
- Get your lawn ready for planting by removing leaves and debris.
Edible Flint is a 501c (3) non-profit organization started in 2009 with a mission to support Flint residents in growing and accessing healthy food in order to reconnect with the land and each other. Since 2011, Edible Flint has supported gardeners and citizens of Flint and Genesee County by providing 2,504 Veggie Starter kits, 400 bags of compost, 318 hose filters and 90 rain barrels. They have conducted 500 soil tests and tilled 263 gardens in that time. Since 2015, the Edible Flint demonstration garden has produced 7,069 lbs. of fresh produce for the community.
This year, Edible Flint will build their garden at a new site and would love volunteer help. Farm Volunteer Day is scheduled for April 6, and volunteers will be working to get the new site ready. Distribution Day is scheduled for May 15 at Neighborhood Engagement Hub. Pre-ordered veggie kits will be available for pickup on this day, as well as hose filters. Also new this year, Edible Flint will feature a Pop-Up Garden Market. The celebrations will continue on May 18, when the organization will host their Demonstration Garden Kick-Off Event.
Edible Flint partners with the Neighborhood Engagement Hub and provides assistance to those who need help working with large equipment such as that available in the hub tool shed. Garden Kits, featuring a variety of transplants and seeds for local gardeners, can be ordered along with hose filters, soil testing, compost delivery, compost bags and tilling service at edibleflint.org. Edible Flint resources are grant-funded and only eligible for residents of the City of Flint.
