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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
The Free Seed Project encourages our recipients to share their harvests for a good cause! Pallabi in Wichita, Kansas donates extra produce she grows to her local food pantry. What a treat for them to receive fresh food! Do you donate food or volunteer at your local food pantry? -- “We have a food pantry set up near our community garden, and I donate the extra produce that comes from my garden.
I love to share my harvest with my friends and neighbors, too.
Really feeling accomplished and blessed.” -Pallabi, Kansas
#FreeSeedProject #LiveLikeAlly #foodshare #communitygarden #growfoodnotlawns #organic
Have you heard about the Green Riders? They are an open group of individuals who traverse the world doing Good Deeds on Bikes. This summer they biked through nine countries in Europe while living in service to others. They volunteered more than once a week, picked up trash along their route, and left every place better than they found it. Live Like Ally supports the Green Riders and can’t wait to see where their next journey of servitude will be!
A written summary of their trip can be found at http://robgreenfield.tv/greenriderseuropeendtour.
Image: The Green Riders show off their Free Seed Project shirts outside of an off-grid homestead where they volunteered for a day.
#LiveLikeAlly #DoGood #GreenRiders #GreenRidersEurope #bicycletouring #servitude #trashtag #moop #permaculture #volunteering
Maggie V. from New Jersey just received her Free Seed Project t-shirt! She is rocking it in front of her garden here. Looks like she had a very successful year of gardening!
If you are interested in joining our waiting list for the next round of seeds, please visit robgreenfield.tv/freeseedproject.
If you have already received seeds and are interested in receiving a free t-shirt, please email [email protected] for instructions.
Happy Autumn, everyone!
#LiveLikeAlly #FreeSeedProject #GrowYourOwn #equinox #growfoodnotlawns #harvest #communitygarden #permaculture
A couple of months ago we shared with you a story from Jason Burke who built his own Gardens for Single Moms with his Geography students in Pennsylvania. We have some updated photos showing how those gardens thrived and have a blog post to share with you as well! Check out the blog at http://robgreenfield.tv/inspired-by-gardens-for-single-moms/ and let us know if you feel inspired by his story, too. Spread the love! .
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#spreadthelove #livelikeally #gardensforsinglemoms #communitygarden #growyourown #volunteer #inspire
Cara from Michigan enjoys sharing her food grown from Free Seed Project seeds with her friends and neighbors. She clearly has a kind and giving heart! Thanks Cara! “My garden is going strong. Gifting tomatoes and cucumbers today to two young girls who enjoy fresh veggies. Made 14 quarts of pickles, some with the dill [from the Free Seed Project] for friends and family! I run a very small free clothing pantry and believe strongly in kindness and paying it forward. With your seeds I can now pass out fresh veggies! Thank you!” #FreeSeedProject #LiveLikeAlly #communitygarden #sharetheabundance #pickling #foodshare #growyourown #gardentotable
We at the Live Like Ally foundation think that planting fruit trees has some really great benefits! We would love to see every person planting a fruit tree in their front yard to share with the neighborhood or organize a local community orchard planting! Perhaps you already have a fruit tree or are planning to plant some, but are wondering the best way to care for them. Well, we have a couple of tips for you!
It is important to note that conditions widely vary by climate, but there are still a few key ingredients no matter where you live to growing a healthy fruit tree. After choosing a tree suitable for your climate and planting it properly, follow these tips for post-planting care.
1. Mulch, mulch, mulch! Mulch around your fruit tree will help keep the soil moist and aid in fertility. There are certainly correct and incorrect ways to mulch, so to learn more you can find a link to a great visual on our Community Fruit Tree Care Guide at robgreenfield.tv/communityfruittreecare.
2. Watering! Regularly watering a freshly planted tree will help its roots establish. We recommend watering a new tree 5-7 times per week for the first two weeks of its establishment. Climate and rainfall conditions will play a role in how often to water once the tree is established. Conversely, if you plant a bare-root/dormant fruit tree (one that is dormant) over-watering can actually be fatal, so only water as necessary (if at all) to keep the roots moist.
3. Compost. Adding compost before you mulch your tree will provide some added nutrients to give your fruit tree a boost. We recommend locally produced compost and not synthetic fertilizers.
4. Some trees require pruning for best results. This often varies by species, but most often it is good to prune while trees are dormant, and the purposes vary widely from removing diseased or dead limbs to structural purposes. You may find resources and guidance in the Community Fruit Tree Care Guide linked above.
We hope these points will help you grow thriving fruit trees! Be sure to check out our resource guide linked above for more in depth information, or reach out if you have any questions!
Community Fruit Trees are spreading across the USA!
Through our partnership with @RobjGreenfield, so far we have planted over 200 Community Fruit Trees and this fall we want to plant 100 more in YOUR communities.
Do you want fruit to be growing freely and abundantly for everyone in your community to enjoy? Do you want to make your community a happier, healthier and more sustainable place? Do you have the dedication and organizational skills to make it happen? If yes, then contact us at [email protected] We will cover the financial costs to help you plant delicious and nutritious food in your community.
Learn more about the program on our website: http://www.robgreenfield.tv/communityfruittrees
And then if this sounds like something you'd LOVE to do then send us an email and we'll share more details with you.
Look at this beautiful salad made from Free Seed Project tomatoes and basil grown at Joy Springs Farm in Texas! We hope everyone has been able to enjoy a salad from their garden this year!
#FreeSeedProject #LiveLikeAlly #Straightfromthegarden #growyourown #gardentotable #organicgardening #homesteading
With a heart of gold and without discrimination, Ally rooted herself in service of the biosphere and all of its inhabitants. Through our projects we hope that others will be enabled and inspired to give themselves in some way to make our beautiful planet a better place in Ally’s name. Thank you for continuing on her story.
#LiveLikeAlly #dogood #leavegoodfingerprints #spreadlove #inspireothers #plantagarden #growyourown #selflessness #community
Tonda is using her seeds from the Free See Project for good! Thanks for sharing with those in need in your community, Tonda! We support your mission. "The mission of the St. Isidore Garden is to provide fresh produce to the needy in our community. The garden is located at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Warner Robins, GA. The location in the center of town allows community members to pick fresh produce themselves, which many have cited is therapeutic for them. Produce is also picked by volunteers at least three times a week and distributed to the Christian Service Center, the United Methodist Soup Kitchen, Thanksgiving boxes, community food drives, etc. The garden is solely supported by donations, grants, and fundraising. The St. Isidore Garden team would like to thank Live Like Ally and the Free Seed Project for their seed donation!" #FreeSeedProject #LiveLikeAlly #LeaveGoodFingerprints #communitygarden #foodbank #growyourown #foodshare #givethanks #selfless #organic