Co-founder of the Lowlands Community Garden, Elaine Christopher, recently joined Zen and La-Vaune on their chat show, Let’s Talk, on TV Carib. Watch the recording of their discussion, about healthy eating and why growing chemical free food on our island is so important, right here via our blog.
We recently spent some time in the studios of Island 92, the home of Rock, Blues and Good Time Radio in the Caribbean. While we were there, we recorded a short Public Service Announcement. You can listen to it on your computer using the player below. We hope you like it.
Please share with your friends and listen in to Island 92 on air or online.
The Lowlands Community Garden is the first non-profit organization on SXM to accept payments in Bitcoin.
Bitcoin is a peer-to-peer, digital currency which was introduced as an Open Source software in 2009. It is completely digital, which means it is stored and exchanged online. However, it does not mean you can’t get it exchanged into paper currency of your choice. It is called peer-to-peer currency because there is no regulatory authority or bank involved in the currency exchange. This short video explains what Bitcoins are and gives a little insight as to why we’re accepting them as payment for CSA memberships and for donations.
Contact Us to arrange to pay for your CSA membership in Bitcoin. We’ll email you with a QR code for you to use.
Use the QR code below to make a Bitcoin donation to the Lowlands Community Garden.
Bitcoin Address: 1W13k5BjjBkrE976aHhXXwZeWWpWNMQPC
We used the random number generator at http://random.org to select the winning number in our Summer Raffle and the winning number is 240.
Congratulations to Giselle York, who purchased the winning ticket at our Open Day on June 14th. Giselle will receive a full CSA share. That’s 12 weeks of locally grown, non-GMO, chemical-free produce beginning in July!
Thank you to all our supporters who entered the Summer Raffle and to our volunteers and CSA members who sold the tickets.
It’s easy to enter our Summer Raffle for a chance to WIN 12 weeks of locally grown, non-GMO, chemical-FREE fruits, vegetables and herbs. Choose from the following:
Visit us on our Open Day on June 14th.
Ask one of our CSA members who all have tickets to sell.
Click on the link on this page, enter the amount you wish ($5 per entry) and contact us confirming your email and entry details. We’ll email you with your entry numbers.
Use the “DONATE” App on our Facebook Page.
The winner will be selected using a random number generator on June 15th. We will notify the winner by telephone. By entering our Summer Raffle you agree to us publishing your name on our website and Facebook page should you win. The prize cannot be exchanged for cash.
Visitors will have the opportunity to take a tour of our custom designed aquaponics systems that enable us to grow without chemical fertilizers or pesticides in more than 5,000 planting spaces and to raise tilapia in our 9,000 gallons of fish tank capacity. There will be non-GMO, chemical-FREE seeds, plants and produce for sale. You can also find out about CSA membership and enter our Summer Raffle for a chance to win 12 weeks of locally grown, non-GMO, chemical-FREE produce delivered to a collection point near you.
Contact us for directions or ask us on our Facebook Page.
Come to our Open Day on June 14th between 10am and 4pm.
Organic bananas are regular items in our CSA members’ shares. Here’s a great little article that explains why we love bananas:
After reading this, you’ll never look at a banana in the same way again – Underground Health.
Our Q1 members have each received 6 boxes of non-GMO, chemical-free produce with a variety of contents including tomatoes, tri-coloured romaine, mixed salad, pak choi, amaranth, spinach, basil, mint, oregano, chives, fennel tops, broad-leaf thyme, microgreens, celery and cucumbers from the Lowlands Community Garden and grapefruit, oranges, bananas, plantain, pumpkin, papaya, tannia, dasheen, breadnuts and cocoa from our partner grower in Dominica. We’ve experienced a few hiccups and some of the early shares were smaller and less varied than we’re aiming for but we continue to work towards meeting our members’ expectations. We appreciate the continued support of our CSA members and dedicated volunteers, without which none of this would be possible.
During Q1 we trialled a small crop of strawberries and now have 600 strawberry plants growing in purpose build frames. Our next crop of strawberries is expected in early June.
We also have endive, arugula, aubergine, fennel, cherry tomatoes, onions, dill, more cucumbers, three varieties of Chinese cabbage (pak choi, tat soi, matsui), kale, peas, rainbow chard, avocados, mangoes, pineapples and much, much more to come in the next few months. Remember that ALL our produce is guaranteed non-GMO and chemical-free.
There are 3 aquaponics systems at the Lowlands Community Garden, each with 3 x 1000 gallon fish tanks and with growing spaces for 5000 plants in total. System 1 was stocked with red tilapia in March and we began planting in system 2 in April. The final system will be coming online within the next few weeks and then our production area at the Lowlands Community Garden will be complete.
In April, one of our founders, Elaine, travelled to St Croix to participate in a 3 day aquaponics workshop at the UVI, where they’ve been studying and perfecting aquaponics since 1980. We’re already applying what Elaine learned about biological pest control and will be incorporating some design modifications to the aquaponics systems to make them even more productive than they are now.
The Lowlands Community Garden is the first local producer to offer CSA shares and the first of the planned network of community gardens on St. Maarten that will produce only non-GMO, chemical-free produce as part of the SXM Community Gardens Network. Our primary aim is to free the people of St. Maarten from dependence on imports of food from unknown origins produced using chemically intensive and environmentally destructive methods. With every community garden we strengthen our ability to sustain ourselves and achieve the ultimate goal of food security for every community on our island. The SXM Community Gardens Network is a joint non-profit project of the Light Workers SXM and the Sint Maarten Community Gardens Foundation.
Cucumbers hang above our heads in our multi-layered growing system.
Earlier this year we began a trial of a variety of organic strawberries in the first aquaponics system at the Lowlands Community Garden. The trial was successful with the plants all settling well into their new environment and flowering within 10 days of arrival. There then followed a small crop of wonderfully sweet fruits. As a result of this success, we then ordered a further shipment of strawberry plants of the same variety and we now have them growing in the second aquaponics system in the new strawberry frames.
Each of the 6 strawberry frames holds 96 plants and we expect our next crop in June. The first plants are flowering for a 2nd time and the new plants should begin to flower within the next week.
You can ONLY enjoy your share of our fresh, non-GMO, chemical-free strawberries by becoming a CSA member.
We’re half way through the very first CSA membership period at the Lowlands Community Garden and we’ve chosen this time to launch several new classes of CSA membership as many of our existing members will now be considering renewing for the 2nd share period. We hope that you’ll appreciate the opportunity of securing your weekly share of fresh, non-GMO, chemical-free produce so we’re offering discounts for members who reserve CSA shares for 6 months or a year.
Instalments will be arranged individually and will be dependent on time and ability to pay. All instalments must be paid in full prior to deliveries commencing. Read our CSA Policy HERE and complete the declaration when you reserve your CSA membership. If you’re an existing member or have already paid for Q2, you may credit the membership fee you’ve already paid against any of the other membership options. We still have some Q2 memberships available so don’t delay, reserve yours today by using the link below or by emailing us at csa@lowlandscommunitygarden.com. We estimate that CSA share period Q2 will commence in late June to run consecutively with the end of Q1.
Your contribution to this project helps to localize the economy of St. Maarten and supports organic food production. In addition you will be guaranteed an equal share of all of the non-GMO, chemical-free produce grown at the Lowlands Community Garden and by our organic partner in Dominica. As a CSA member, you will also be the first to have the option to purchase and enjoy the sustainably raised tilapia and crayfish from the aquaponics systems when they become available.
Lowlands Community Garden 
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