Posted on Jul 22, 2019
 
Monday evening our members had the pleasure of meeting and listening to Farmer Craig Floyd.  He is the Farm Manager at Coogan Farm which is a part of the Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center in Mystic.  The 34 acres of Coogan Farm, purchased in 2013, resulted in the creation of The Giving Garden - 30,000 square feet of garden plots, cared for under the direction of Farmer Craig with the help of over 370 volunteers.  The garden has provided 20 tons of food distributed to "63 programs that serve 91 feeding sites across New London County."  The garden is a model for "sustainable, more resilient agriculture."  As Farmer Craig teaches, "resilient agriculture seeks to continually feed the soil as we grow and feed the community without using agri-chemicals."  "Sustainable farming builds soil health, fertility, organic matter, nutrient density, biota diversity, water holding capacity by increasing the carbon content of the soil.  The soil is tested and amended with minerals as needed to enhance the biologic activity of the mycorrhizal fungi."  Farmer Craig teaches classes his various agricultural techniques for their own properties.
If you want to learn more about The Giving Garden go to https://dpnc.org/coogan-farm-garden or visit them at 162 Greenmanville Avenue (RT27), Mystic CT.  Their phone number is 860.536.1216.
 
President Kathryn presenting a children's book for the Westerly Children's Library honoring Farmer Craig Floyd for all his work.
 
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