Portland Farmers Market Invites Portlanders to Get Growing on Earth Day

Portland Farmers Market Invites Portlanders to Get Growing on Earth Day by
Starting a Garden Similar to The Obamas’ at the White House

Earth Day Celebration at Saturday PSU Market on April 18 Includes Complimentary Seed Planting and Potting
and How-To Guides for Creating a Garden Like The First Family’s

Portland, Ore., April 3, 2009 - The Portland Farmers Market encourages us to Get Growing Portland! like the Obamas this Earth Day. To help inspire residents to get their hands dirty in creating a home garden, Portland Farmers Market is hosting a special Earth Day celebration where visitors to the Saturday PSU market can plant seeds at a complimentary potting station and learn about The White House garden planted by First Lady Michelle Obama and a group of schoolchildren.

“Whether at the White House or in your backyard, home gardens help us re-establish a connection to the land that many people feel has been lost in modern culture,” says Ann Forsthoefel, Portland Farmers Market Executive Director. “This Earth Day we hope more and more people will roll up their sleeves and dig in to growing herbs and vegetables at home.”

She adds, “Part of Portland Farmers Market’s vision is to build a vibrant local food economy. You can become a part of this effort by planting your own garden at home, supporting local farmers at farmers’ markets, and frequenting restaurants and grocery stores that buy local produce and products. All of these ideas will help this movement take root in our community this Earth Day and beyond.”

Earth Day Celebration
On Saturday, April 18, (the Saturday before Earth Day) from 9 am to 2 pm, Portland Farmers Market will host a seeding and potting station where shoppers of all ages and ability levels can plant complimentary green bean seeds, similar to the beans planted at the White House. Portland Farmers Market will also be distributing a schematic of The White House gardens and experienced gardeners will be on hand to help shoppers design their own backyard gardens.

Local artist Rebecca Shelly will host a Local Victory Garden exhibit at the market which will include a combination of original drawings and limited edition posters. The work explores Victory Garden posters from World War II with imagery from Shelly’s own childhood working with her parents in the garden.

Shelly says, “The imagery from these posters is just as valid today as it was in the forties. Victory Gardening was seen as a morale booster. With the state of our economy, growing something can be extremely uplifting. Choosing to grow your food is a small action that yields tremendous results.”

Get Growing Portland! Series
The Earth Day potting activity is part of the Portland Farmers Markets Get Growing Portland! series, which is taking place throughout April and is sponsored by Seeds of Change. As part of the series, seasoned and new gardeners come together every Saturday in the Portland Farmers Market growing shed, where shoppers can bring their purchased herb and vegetable starts to be potted in new, portable containers. Soil and fertilizer is supplied through the generosity of Portland Nursery. This station is staffed by different Portland gardening organizations every week. There will also be community tables that feature a different nature-related nonprofit each week.

Also in April, the first 250 Portland Farmers Market shoppers receive free seeds from Seeds of Change. Plus shoppers can pick up a Get Growing Portland! plant promotion card at the Market’s information booth. Shoppers can use the card when they purchase garden and nursery stock at Portland Farmers Market vendor stalls. Anyone who spends $30 or more qualifies to enter a drawing to win an AeroGrow AeroGarden. The Get Growing Portland! prize drawing will take place on April 25 at 1:00 pm.

Get Growing Portland! Schedule:

April 4

• The first 250 shoppers will receive a complimentary package of seeds from Seeds of Change.
• Potting station (9:00 am – 2:00 pm): hosted by Metro Master Gardener Program
• Community table: Farmers Ending Hunger
• Inspired by the ongoing hunger crisis that continues to plague many communities throughout Oregon, Farmers Ending Hunger (FEH) was created with the intention of utilizing the productive resources of Oregon’s farmers to fight hunger.
• Community Table: The Portland Chapter of Heifer International
  “Heifer helps people feed themselves. The goal of every Heifer project is sustainability – project partners achieving self-reliance. And year after year, as partner families “pass on the gift” of knowledge and one or more of their animals’ offspring to others in need, they become links in a network of hope, dignity and self-reliance that helps hundreds of others care for themselves. Heifer has offered tangible, effective and long-lasting ways to make a real difference for almost 60 years.”

April 11

• The first 250 shoppers will receive a complimentary package of seeds from Seeds of Change.
• Potting station (9:00 am – 2:00 pm): hosted by Village Gardens
• Community table: Oregon SOLV
  SOLV is a non-profit organization that brings together government agencies, businesses and individual volunteers in programs and projects to enhance the livability of Oregon. Governor Tom McCall and other community leaders established SOLV in 1969. They saw the need for community action to address growing problems in the ever-growing state. Today SOLV is building on their vision with a strategic plan that will guide us as we work to preserve this treasure called Oregon.

April 18 – Earth Day Celebration

• The first 250 shoppers will receive a complimentary package of seeds from Seeds of Change.
• Seed planting activity for children and adults of all ages (9:00 am – 2:00 pm)
• Local Victory Garden exhibit hosted by artist Rebecca Shelly
• Potting station (9:00 am – 2:00 pm): hosted by Portland Community Gardens
• Community table: Virginia Garcia Memorial Foundation Migrant Camp Outreach Program
  Virginia Garcia Memorial Foundation was founded in 2001 to provide an enduring philanthropic base of support for the mission of the Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center. Our vision is to ensure that no one in Washington or Yamhill Counties lacks basic health care. Through the Migrant Camp Outreach Program the Center provides medical treatment and health education to migrant and seasonal farm workers living and working in the area migrant labor camps.

April 25

• The first 250 shoppers will receive a complimentary package of seeds from Seeds of Change.
• Potting station (9:00 am – 2:00 pm): hosted by Growing Gardens
• Get Growing Portland prize drawing at 1:00 pm from the music stage.
• Community table: Great Outdoors Academy
  Great Outdoors Academy works with young people, creating opportunities for personal expression through writing and expeditionary learning. Our programs promote intellectual and personal development. We help young people build a positive relationship with writing, foster appreciation and respect for the natural world, and promote involvement in a community of peers.

Portland Farmers Market is generously supported by community partners Seeds of Change, West Coast Bank and Mix.

About Portland Farmers Market
Founded in 1992, Portland Farmers Market, a nonprofit 501(c)6, brings the best of the country to the heart of the city by supporting the region’s farmers and creating vibrant urban marketplaces where growers and consumers come together. This nonprofit’s staff of four full-time and four part-time employees aims to grow, nourish and inspire the community by staging weekly markets in five different locations throughout the Portland area from March until December. In addition to managing the markets, Portland Farmers Market has been an early leader in Portland’s sustainability movement and has served as an incubator for small businesses. With more than 250 vendors from Oregon and Washington – including farms, bakeries, nurseries, meat and seafood providers, cheese makers and specialty food producers – Portland Farmers Market is a true showplace of Northwest agriculture. www.portlandfarmersmarket.org