Grow your Own Food!!!

 Hosted by Barbara Bernstein

It's time to plant your garden and this morning we talk with two Portland gardening proponents who work to make gardening accessible and enjoyable to everyone. We'll talk with Renee Moog, the coordinator for the SE Natural Techniques Demonstrations Garden at 57th and Cooper (sponsored by the Metro Natural Gardening Program), and Leslie Pohl-Kosbau who founded and still directs Portland's community garden program. Learn why gardening is a revolutionary act and how growing your own vegetables doesn't just improve your own life - it helps make the planet a better place to live.

 Leslie Pohl-Kosbau was a new city gardener in 1974 when her boss asked if she'd create a community garden program. People wanted to grow their food, they wanted help and they wanted some direction. Pohl-Kosbau provided it. "It means a lot to gardeners because they can hone their skills; they're not isolated," she says. "They're in a garden where they can learn from other gardeners."

Pohl-Kosbau has gardened since she was a child. Although an inflammatory condition has prevented her from puttering in the dirt as much as she wants, Pohl-Kosbau keeps a plot at the Fulton garden and favors potatoes, kale, basil and tomatoes. Oh, and raspberries.

Whether planning a patch of peas or turning the entire front yard into an urban minifarm, it’s easy to grow an edible garden that’s safe for people, pets and the planet. Metro’s Natural Techniques Demonstration Garden in Southeast Portland makes it fun for the whole family to get going on growing green. It’s all about building soil with compost and mulch, picking plants adapted to the region, using nontoxic pest and weed control and watering wisely. Renee Moog, a coordinator for Metro regional government’s popular demonstration gardens, is on hand to chat about Metro’s free learning activities, the benefits of gardening without toxic chemicals, and top tips for growing organic food at home. Tune in to discover how organic gardening at home makes a difference in the community and beyond. For more information on Metro’s free gardening programs, call 503-234-3000, or visit www.oregonmetro.gov/garden.