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We are so delighted to announce that we have received our limit of 5,000 requests for Free Seed Project seed packs for this year's mailing! This means we are no longer accepting requests for this year, but if you are interested in receiving free seeds, please visit our website at www.freeseedproject.org (link in bio) to find the request form to sign up for our waiting list. Once on the waiting list, you will be the first to know should we plan to send out more seeds down the line. .
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Thanks for helping to make this year's Free Seed Project a great success! We can't wait to share the stories of abundant gardens!
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#LiveLikeAlly #FreeSeedProject #organicgardening #GrowYourOwn #gardening #fairshare #permaculture #organic
This year we are giving out free seed packs to 5,000 people across the country to help them grow their own food and create food sovereignty in their communities!
Tag a friend to share the abundance!
Learn more and get free seeds at www.freeseedproject.org
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#LiveLikeAlly #FreeSeedProject #GrowYourOwn #frontyardgarden #gardening #organicgarden #permaculture
Hello everyone!
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The Free Seed Project is back and bigger than ever! In 2018 we helped over 2,000 people across all 50 states of the USA to grow their own food. In 2019, we sent out another 3,000 free seed packs. This year we are sending free garden starter kits to 5,000 people to help them take back power from Big Ag and put that power back into the hands of our communities- by growing our own food!
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We are focusing our efforts on helping people who would not otherwise get to grow their own food or who have never grown food before. We are offering these seeds to people who can’t otherwise afford or access seeds as well as groups/ people that are helping others without access to healthy home-grown food and people who have never grown food before.
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If you are interested in receiving a free seed pack please go to the Free Seed Project website freeseedproject.org to read more and to submit a request for seeds (link in bio). And if you have friends and family who could benefit from this program please share this with them!
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#LiveLikeAlly #FreeSeedProject #GrowYourOwn #CommunityGardens #BackyardGardens #organic
Cenerica is a Community Fruit Trees grant recipient from Louisiana. She has been involved with a local community garden located in a food desert in a low income neighborhood, and that deserving and appropriate location is where she decided to plant twenty more fruit trees! Anyone who frequents the garden or who is simply passing by will be able to reap the benefits of abundant fruit by being able to pick it right off of the tree! Cenerica says, “This community does not have a fresh food source within walking distance of its citizens. There are two dollar stores side by side in the area. Without transportation these are the only sources of food. These trees would bring a tremendous amount of much needed fresh fruit to this community.” It is obvious these twenty trees will provide so much to the people who live nearby. She says the community garden also hosts “workshops on eating [and] growing your own food and healthy living.” We want to thank Cenerica for being so active in her community to make it a healthier and happier place. These Community Fruit Trees couldn’t have been planted in a better location.
The photos above show the dormant fruit trees planted among companion crops.
#LiveLikeAlly #CommunityFruitTrees #GrowYourOwn #communitygarden #fooddesert #foodsharing #communityresources #permaculture #sharetheabundance
We thought we would take the time to highlight a true delight in this world: the persimmon. The persimmon fruit comes from a range of species of trees in the genus Diospyros. Some of the most common species include an Asian type- Diospyros kaki- and an American type- Diospyros virginia. If you ever have found persimmon fruit in a grocery store, it is almost definitely from the Diospyros kaki species. However both the Asian species and the American species can be grown in different growing zones in the United States.
When fully ripe, they taste like the gooeyest, sweetest date there ever was, but you have to be careful! If eaten before they are fully ripe they can be severely astringent (mouth drying). A little bit of patience to wait until the fruit is fully squishy and ripe will be rewarded with the most delicious treat!
As if these super sugary, gooey morsels of pure bliss weren’t sweet enough, we think they are even sweeter because they extend the fruit season into dead winter. That’s right! Whether it is the Asian persimmon or the American persimmon (for colder climates) the persimmon tree clings to its fruits often through January and after the tree has gone dormant, providing its lucky fruit pickers with fresh fruit even when there is snow on the ground.
We are very delighted that some of our Community Fruit Tree recipients have planted persimmons for their communities, and we encourage you to grow your own, too. Between the two varieties, persimmons can be grown all across the US. Not only that, but the American persimmon is truly an American native, so you may be lucky and happen to stumble upon one during a wintry stroll through the woods. Keep an eye out for those beautiful orange gems hanging from bare branches. Talk about the prettiest Christmas tree bearing the most wonderful gifts!
Have you ever had a persimmon? It might just be one of your favorite fruits and you just don’t know it yet!
#LiveLikeAlly #persimmon #persimmonfruit #persimmontree #growyourown #plantfruittrees #forage #foragefruit #fruittrees #gooey #delicious
Photo: https://www.flickr.com/photos/iamsufi/8364673463/
One of our Community Fruit Trees recipients from Texas @farmgirl_garden_coach has her own YouTube channel with some fun and informative videos on there! Check out the link in our bio to watch one she made about testing the dormancy of her recently planted fruit trees. Thanks for making helpful content and for helping to spread the Community Fruit Trees movement, Vanessa! .
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#LiveLikeAlly #CommunityFruitTrees #dormanttrees #fruittrees #permaculture #sharefood #growyourown #community
We are proud to continue our relationship and partnership with Rob Greenfield as we carry our collaborative projects into the new year. We truly believe in the power of doing good, education, and sustainability efforts. Please follow the link in our bio to learn about our programs including the Free Seed Project, Community Fruit Trees, and Gardens for the People. We thank you for your endless support and participation and we hope that you will have the opportunity to get involved in our programs or other local green initiatives this year!
#LiveLikeAlly #FreeSeedProject #CommunityFruitTrees #GardensForThePeople #sustainability #greeninitiative #permaculture #community #dosomething #takeaction
Our Gardens for the People program is still growing strong! Back in April we were able to plant two gardens- one at @InspireCFL for the great community that utilizes that space, and one at a single parent household. This fall we were able to plant three more. With help from @connectedlandscapes and the recipients themselves, we built, installed, and planted gardens for low income, single parent and elderly families. Now all of these folks will have direct access to fresh veggies, nutrient rich greens and tasty herbs! Our goal is to plant five more in the Orlando area by the end of the year.
Do you know anyone who would really love a front yard, raised bed garden? The winter is the perfect time to grow abundant annual veggies in Florida! If you or anyone else you know in the Orlando area might be interested in receiving one of our Gardens for the People, please email [email protected]
Read more about Gardens for the People at robgreenfield.tv/gardensforthepeople.
#LiveLikeAlly #GardensforthePeople #community #frontyardgardens #GrowYourOwn #raisedbedgardening #givewhatyoucan #inspire
We live for that smile...
It's all for you. <3
Credit: www.geofflawtononline.com
#LiveLikeAlly #Permaculture #growyourown #backyardgarden #livesimply #plantseeds
This homesteading family from Liberty Hill, Texas was one of our recipients for the Community Fruit Trees grant. They’ve started digging their holes for the ten Community Fruit Trees that will soon be planted on the edge of their property next to a public road. We’re so excited to follow along on their journey!
Wouldn’t it be a dream to be walking down the street only to find yourself staring at juicy morsels of fruit begging to be picked when you then spot a sign that welcomes you to pick that fruit? Our dream with the Community Fruit Trees initiative involves making healthy and fresh food more easily accessible, bringing communities together, and providing educational opportunities. We want to see our vision come to life across the nation, so that is the reason why we opened up the project for others to take part in. If you’re interested in being a steward of Community Fruit Trees contact us at [email protected]
#LiveLikeAlly #CommunityFruitTrees #permaculture #fruittrees #communitygarden #getinvolved #volunteer #growyourown #planttrees
A positive action is never too small. Thank you for doing your part, whatever that may be.
#LiveLikeAlly #patterns #patternlanguage #permaculture #doyourpart #rippleout #inspireothers #zerowaste #growyourown
Have you ever tried your hand at seed saving? We encourage our Free Seed Project recipients and anybody else who grows food and flowers to learn about seed saving. It’s a great way to secure your crops for next year, save money, and start building healthier and more localized plants.
Dana received seeds from us and wanted to share this message with you: “Two years later I still have seeds from the Free Seed Project! Not everything pictured here, but I have lettuce seeds, radish, [and more] that I saved and will now go in my winter greenhouse garden. Haven't asked for seeds since!! Be smart and save seeds!! Then share!” Thanks, Dana! We recommend checking out the book Beginning Seed Saving for the Home Gardener to help you dive into the world of seed saving!
#livelikeally #seedsaving #backyardgardening #localproduce #growyourown #saveyourseeds #organicgardening
Remember Jason Burke who was inspired by Gardens for Single Moms to rally his students together to build some in their own community? His local news source wrote a great article on him and his students. Click the link in our bio to read his inspiring story, or visit our Facebook page to find a clickable link!
https://abingtonsuburban.com/news/growing-support-1.2517305 *This image belongs to the Abington Surburban*
This year we launched a pilot for our Community Compost Program in Orlando, Florida.
The concept is real simple. Today most people throw their food scraps into their garbage cans and that then goes to a landfill where it emits methane into our air. A huge percentage of what we send to the landfill can actually be composted right in our local communities.
That’s where this program comes in. Households are given a five-gallon bucket to place their food scraps in. Each week, after filling it up, they place it by the curb and then we come by on bicycle with a trailer to take the bucket and leave them with a clean one to fill again. No fossil fuel guzzling garbage truck needed!
We then take the food scraps to our community composting sites in the yards of people in the neighborhood. There it is turned into rich compost to feed gardens in the community.
This summer we collected over 400 pounds of food scraps that could have otherwise gone to the landfill.
We want to see Community Compost Programs spread across the nation, and through our pilot and the successful model of other programs across the country we will be creating a template to help you start a program in your community.
#CommunityComposting #LiveLikeAlly #composting #compost #permaculture #localfood #organicgardening #backyardgardening #bicycling #rideabike
We tend to agree!
Check out @ronfinleyhq and @ronfinleyproject for more Gangsta Gardening goodness!
#LiveLikeAlly #growyourown #gardentotable #ronfinley #gangstagardening #organic #communitygarden
So you have become familiar with the word “permaculture,” but don’t exactly know what it all entails, right? Well, in permaculture the best way to learn about it from top to bottom is to take a Permaculture Design Course (PDC). Sometimes unless you are in the right circles it might be hard to pin down local courses. That is why Geoff Lawton’s online course is great!
Geoff is one of the founding members of permaculture and offers an all online PDC abundant with video lessons, live Q&As, and an online community to interact with.
If you are interested in diving deeper into the world of Permaculture, we recommend checking out what Geoff offers! 2019 enrollment is closed, but you can sign up for the 2020 notice list to be reminded when enrollment opens again at https://www.discoverpermaculture.com/pdc-2019.
#livelikeally #permaculture #geofflawton #pdc #permaculturedesigncourse #learnmore #online
Our Free Seed Project recipients are exploring new techniques and practices in the kitchen because of their abundance of produce! Check out this beautiful tomato sauce and start of sauerkraut Maggie created with her fresh veggies.
There are so many ways to preserve extra produce. What is your favorite preservation method?
#FreeSeedProject #LiveLikeAlly #sauerkraut #canning #preservation #freshproduce #organicproduce #growyourown #trysomethingnew
A message from @robjgreenfield:
This is my dream.
Abundant fruit growing on every street across the nation.
Healthy food at our finger tips.
Food growing freely all around us.
Independence from corrupt food corporations that are destroying our home.
No reason for children, elders, underrepresented communities, people experiencing homelessness, or anyone to go without fresh food.
Power in the hands of the people.
Nutrition in our food.
Health in our soil.
Food sovereign communities.
A common belief that food is a human right, not a commodity.
Non-ownership of food.
Local food systems by the people, for the people.
Food grown for nutrition and taste, not for shipping stability.
An equal acceptance of all food no matter its shape, color or size.
Diversity of species.
Homes for all the species of the earth.
People sharing the bounty in such abundance that money isn’t even a thought.
This is my dream.
That is my mission through Community Fruit Trees.
If this is your dream too, I want to help make it a reality.
I am looking for people who want to turn their streets into Community Fruit Tree streets by planting a fruit tree in every front yard on their block. Along with my friends at Live Like Ally, we’ll cover the costs. We’ve got you covered. We just need your dedication and determination and your dream.
Email [email protected] if you are dedicated to this dream.
Learn more at www.CommunityFruitTrees.org
Everything we do is for Ally.
A bright and wise soul who departed from the physical realm too early.
In loving memory of Ally Willen. Born 27 May 1994 – Lost to nature 24 April 2015
#LiveLikeAlly #inlovingmemory #nature #adventure #love #compassion #travel #eckerd #newzealand