Community Led Food Forest Workdays
Ella Library: Mondays 5-630pm
Emma Wheeler Homes: Thursdays 4-6pm
South Chattanooga Community Center: Tuesdays 12-2pm, Thursdays 9-11am
Rotating Thursday Mornings:
April 3: Emma Wheeler, April 10: Ascension Lutheran, April 17: Chattanooga Valley, April 24: St. Elmo UMC
Rotating Saturday Mornings:
April 5, 10AM- 12PM, LMC, Planting Native Plants
April 12, 10AM - 2PM, Emma Wheeler Homes, Garden Workday
Please contact glepage@kingpartners.org or jallen22@umd.edu for more information
City Wide Events
(not run by FFCC)
Spring Plant Sale from Crabtree Farms
“Crabtree’s Spring Plant Sale & Festival starts off the spring season by offering sustainably grown vegetable, fruit, herb and flower starts for your spring and summer garden. Hundreds of attendees come to shop for plants and enjoy the vendors, music, local food trucks and children’s activities.
The 2025 Spring Plant Sale & Festival is Friday, April 25-Sunday, April 27 and we will have vendors on Friday the 25th and Saturday the 26th from 9am-3pm. Sunday is the plant sale only from 11am-3pm.” Details here.
Bird Banding with TN River Gorge Trust
“Join us in 2025 on May 9 or May 23 as our research team captures and bands wild birds at our Bird Observatory.
Participants will go for an early morning boat ride to the remote Bird Observatory where TRGT staff will be banding birds.”
Public Program: Seeds for Education
“Past recipient at Hixson High School Lee Friedlander and Katie Claiborne will share how they integrate their pollinator native plant gardens into their environmental and visual art curriculums, respectively. Sally Wencel will share tips on the grant application process.”
Virtual Seminar: Collecting and Saving Seeds from Native Plants
“Are you interested in using native plants in your landscape? One way to acquire plants cheaply is to collect seed in your area from plants in wild populations. This is a budget-friendly way to incorporate color into your landscape and support pollinators and other wildlife.”
How to Use Cover Crops with Dorrit Zeigler
Dorrit will walk us through terminating the fall vetch and planting a new cover crop.
Virtual Seminar: Steve Murphree on Galls and Gall Makers
"Some view galls as ugly deformities, while others consider them to be among the most beautiful phenomena of nature. Either way, galls are a very important component of ecosystems." [Tennessee Conservationist, September/October 2022] Steve Murphree is a Professor of Biology at Belmont University who specializes in Entomology and Ecology Research.” Details and link to seminar here.
Public Program: Learn to Harvest: Permaculture and Invasive Species Remediation
“Join us for a presentation by Nathaniel Bankhead for a presentation about permaculture and invasive species management. This talk is an invitation to a more thoughtful and energy-conscious approach to invasive plant remediation and native plant restoration, because harvesting is more skillful than killing. Nathaniel will utilize examples of Wild Violet and others' work in removing invasive plants via grazing, medicine making, composting and more while reintroducing native edible and medicinal species.” Details here.
Master Your Garden Expo from MGHC
“Since 2013, the Master Gardeners of Hamilton County-TN have presented our “Master Your Garden” Expo at the Camp Jordan Arena, in East Ridge, TN. Focusing on gardening and the outdoors, the Expo brings together a wide-ranging array of exhibits, demonstrations, educational activities, and vendors of interest to experienced gardeners, gardening enthusiasts, and the general public. ” Details here.
Saturday April 12, 10am- 6pm. Sunday April 13, 10am- 4pm
Paid Workshop: Growing a Summer Garden with The Garden Chick
“Join us for this class on summer gardening! As the warm days of May approach, everyone gets excited for the taste of fresh summer vegetables like tomatoes, peppers, squash, and green beans. You’ll learn easy tips for growing your summer garden without the hassle of endless weeding, constant watering, or battling pests. Karen Creel will guide you through the steps to create and maintain a thriving kitchen garden filled with a diverse array of vegetables, herbs, and flowers.” $30 Details here.
Spring Plant Sale from Wild Ones
“Join us for this free event. A variety of local and regional native plant nurseries will be selling a large selection of plants.” Details here.
Virtual Seminar: Bieke Puncochar on Neighbors 4 Native Plants
“We started NNP because we are very excited about urban habitat restoration. We want to make it easier for active families like ours, new and seasoned gardeners, schools, churches, community gardens, and park-goers to learn about and source affordable native plants and feel the satisfaction that comes from creating biodiverse sanctuaries in their own spaces.” Details and link to seminar here.
Paid Workshop: Beginner’s Guide to Growing Your Own Vegetable Garden with The Garden Chick
“Have you ever wanted to grow your own fresh vegetables but thought you didn’t have the time, space, or knowledge? This beginner-friendly class will show you how to set up a vegetable garden for success—no matter your experience level or the size of your yard!” $30 Details here.
Public Program: Edible Native Plants and Making a More Abundant Landscape
“We can cultivate the land towards mercy and delight. In this presentation, we will meet some of the plant characters native to this area that have long sustained human life, and consider how they can help us create a more abundant landscape in our neighborhoods and in Chattanooga. We will discuss the idea of food forests and how food forests can heal the land, feed us, and build up the social fabric of our communities. By growing edible native plants, we can take care of the land as it cares for us, and encourage a social economy with enough to go around. “ Details here.
Volunteer Opportunity: Citico Creek Clean Up
“This in-person event will bring together volunteers to help keep our local creek clean and beautiful at Carver Community Center. Come ready to get your hands dirty and have some fun while helping the environment.” Details here.
Paid Workshop: DIY Stream Bank Repair by WaterWays
“Join us for this hands-on workshop to learn how to implement nature based solutions that combat streambank erosion. Our experts will teach you about several DIY methods for streambank protection including live-staking and invasive species removal.” Cost: $12 Details here.
Volunteer Opportunity: National Weed Wrangle
“Weed Wrangle® is a one-day, area-wide, volunteer effort to help rescue our public parks and green spaces from non-native invasive species through hands-on removal of especially harmful trees, vines, and flowering plants.”
Many locations to get involved! Details here.
Become A Volunteer
At the heart of community food forests are volunteers, from the work of land sculpting and plantings, or the work of pruning and harvesting and tending, as well as things like leading workshops, giving guided tours, or just helping us get the word out to our neighbors. Please consider participating in some capacity—everyone can play a role, and everyone is welcome!
