The Lost Art of Growing
Growing food from the soil is an ancient practice but most modern people have lost touch with the art.
VIGA provides education so that everyone from the backyard gardener to the serious farmer can participate in the joy of sustainable agriculture and reap the benefits.
C.R.A.F.T
The Vashon Island Growers Association has run its C.R.A.F.T. program on Vashon since 2011. C.R.A.F.T. stands for Collaborative Regional Alliance for Farmer Training. CRAFT began in the Hudson Valley of New York in 1994 as a combined effort of local farmers to enhance educational opportunities for their farm apprentices by organizing regular events on participating farms. For years Vashon Island farms have hosted many beginning farmers through internship programs, apprenticeships, volunteer opportunities and the WWOOF program. A group of island farmers were looking for new ways to offer their farm interns more diverse and organized educational opportunities. When these desires were brought to the VIGA board, the CRAFT program was adopted to meet this need.
The goals of VIGA's CRAFT program are to:
Give a broader experience to beginning farmers than they can receive on their farm alone
Provide a peer base to help beginning farmers connect with others who share similar goals
Increase the knowledge and skill base in sustainable agriculture
2022 Schedule to Come:
Get Growing
Educational programs include educational programs such as CRAFT (focusing on farmers and interns) and Get Growing (focusing on home growers) which share and build our knowledge about sustainable and regenerative agriculture through community-based, inclusive workshops.
VIGA's GET GROWING is a Garden Workshop series about growing food.
Designed for beginning vegetable gardeners and those with some experience who are looking to expand, Get Growing is a series of four, hands-on workshops held on Sundays throughout the growing season. Each of the workshops will be led by a group of experienced Island growers, and will combine fun presentations with discussion and in-the-dirt projects aimed at getting you growing your own vegetables and fruit at home. The 2 – 3 hour workshops will be held at different garden locations around the Island, with one class each in February, May, July and September. Workshops require a donation, or Membership at the SOIL and above levels, more about Membership here. You can follow the action on the Get Growing Facebook group. Ask your questions and get answers to other questions that you didn't know you had.
To watch videos from Get Growing, click here!
Other Get Growing Resources