RSVP for Wisconsin Community Garden Conference

media release: Wisconsin is home to hundreds of community gardens in communities of all sizes. For the first time ever, community garden participants and organizers will have an opportunity to come together at Wisconsin’s inaugural statewide community garden conference, a two-day virtual event scheduled for February 12-13, 2021. Conference registration, which is open to all, will go live at https://danegardens.net/conference/ on January 8 and remain open until February 1.   

The Wisconsin Community Garden Conference is a collaboration of Groundwork Milwaukee, Brown County Community Gardens, and Dane County Gardens Network, which includes the University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension and Madison nonprofit Rooted. The Gardens Network has held an annual community garden conference for Dane County gardeners for a number of years. After an enthusiastic response to a survey of individuals involved in community gardens throughout Wisconsin, organizers decided to collaborate on a larger statewide event. Says Gardens Network Manager Nicholas Leete, “Throughout Wisconsin, people have different ways to organize their gardens and grow vegetables. As we bring together gardeners and organizers from around the state, we will be able to compare and learn from each other's best practices.”

The conference will be presented virtually 9am-12:30pm on Friday, February 12, and 12:30-4:15pm on Saturday, February 13. There is a suggested attendance fee of $5-$10, payable upon registration. Attendees will select sessions from one of two tracks: one focused on gardening and one on garden leadership. Sessions include topics ranging from multicultural gardening and gardening during COVID to vegetable diseases and no-till gardening.

The conference hopes to help connect gardeners and garden leaders throughout Wisconsin, to further strengthen the state’s many community gardens and their positive impacts on food security, health, and community building. As Matthew Vogt, Community Programs Manager at Groundwork Milwaukee explains, “Although aspects of community gardening may be diverse within different areas in Wisconsin, a statewide community garden conference is valuable to bridge gaps of knowledge, expertise, and education surrounding the common goal of providing spaces for each respective community to grow and learn.”

More information on specific sessions and registration can be found at https://danegardens.net/conference/.