On the QT | The Official Newsletter of GWA November-December 2017 | Page 7

New Career Ops Discovered
BY AARYN WILSON
Produce from urban farms can be found in many
farmers markets.
bles. The rest of the land is used to host various
events, including a summer day camp for local
at-risk children who have issues with their
weight. Students use the recreational facilities
to become more active and learn to grow and
eat vegetables from the farm.
MORE THAN A FARM
Neighbors, too, are invited to use the walk-
ing trails, tennis courts and basketball goals
on the property as well as buy some produce.
Fitness Farm, like many urban farms, sells
produce on site and at local farmers markets.
Is urban farming on small parcels of land
inside the city limits the next big thing? It’s
hard to know, as there are no recent statistics
on how many small urban farms exist within
city limits—at least in Indianapolis.
But there are enough of them to prompt
several of the Indianapolis- area urban farmers
to come together to form IndyGrown, a
cooperative network of urban farms through-
out the area. Members, including both South
Circle Farm and Fitness Farm, are committed to
organic, regenerative farming practices.
Purdue University’s Cooperative Extension
Service also supports urban farmers by offering
a certificate program in urban agriculture.
Instructors combine online learning, classroom
lectures and field trips to teach urban agricul-
ture to anyone interested in urban farming on
any size farm.
I hope urban farming is the next big thing.
Many urban farmers do more than grow
vegetables to sell. They also reach out to the
community at large and offer opportunities
for others to learn how to grow their own food
and for everyone to learn how to cook and eat
fresh vegetables.
Carol Michel is an award-winning, freelance writer
with a degree in horticulture from Purdue University.
She is the author of Potted and Pruned: Living a
Gardening Life and blogs about gardening regularly
at www.maydreamsgardens.com.
I would like to thank
the NextGen Schol-
arship committee for
choosing me as one of
the recipients of this
year’s scholarship to at-
tend the national con-
ference. I am grateful,
inspired and humbled.
I was committed to
going this year and willing to pay out of pocket.
Given my student loans, my desire to be an en-
trepreneur and the worthwhile temporary jobs
I’ve held since graduating from college in 2016,
this scholarship certainly helps any financial
uncertainties I may experience.
Having attended conferences mostly geared
to scientists and farmers in the past, the
camaraderie felt at the GWA Conference and
Expo blew those other conferences out of the
water. Fellow attendees inspired me to believe
that I could be a writer. More than that, several
people sincerely offered to help me in whatever
way they could.
FAMILY-LIKE FEEL
Unlike other conferences I’ve attended that
had more of an uptight feel, #GWA2017 attend-
ees made me feel like part of their large family.
This experience of a lifetime opened my eyes
and heart to so much, such as career oppor-
tunities I had not considered, how much fun
garden writers have when they get together,
reawakening my love for ornamental plants
and beautiful gardens—which I had put aside
after taking woody and herbaceous plants in
college—and all the people who shared their
career stories with me, served to assist my inner
writer.
I met Kirk Brown the first day of the confer-
ence. He was eager to meet me and introduce
me to people like Teresa Speight and Bill
Johnson. From people like Teresa, I learned
more about their entry into this world of
garden writing. One thing I took away from the
conference was the importance of developing
horticultural skills in some way. To begin with,
learn plant names—a very impactful skill to
have that Robin Wall Kimmerer emphasized—
as it gives us the opportunity to teach people
who have been distant from nature.
SUSTAINABLE PARKING LOTS
When the keynote speaker, Kevin Gaughan
of Buffalo, gave his address, I was all ears as he
discussed the challenges and victories his city
has experienced. I briefly was able to speak to
him and he offered me a few words of wisdom.
Another person I was thrilled to have learned
from was Buffalo landscape designer Dave
Majewski, who showed me two of his parking
lots redesigned to capture runoff water into rain
gardens. What interested me most was learning
how Majewski made fungally diverse, high
quality compost that he said was a growing
business for him.
Whenever I go back to Buffalo I’ll pay him a
visit. Also, I’ll be sure to check out Frank Lloyd
Wright’s Graycliff, as I thoroughly enjoyed the
Martin House. Buffalo itself as a city could not
be a better location to have experienced my
first GWA event. I look forward to having fun
and connecting with members in my region
and across the country before we all meet
again in Chicago next year.
Aaryn Wilson, who holds a bachelor degree in plant
science from the University of Minnesota, was one of
three scholarship recipients to attend #GWA2017.
SUBMIT YOUR GARDEN TOURS
Let fellow GWA members know about your
garden excursions. In the upcoming
January-February issue, On the QT continues
the tradition of listing GWA members’ 2018
garden tours. Check the weekly email GWA
News Clippings for details.
Deadline: November 12, 2017.
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