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.
Visitors and volunteers enjoyed our wonderful Open Day on June 14th 2015.
International Liquors and Tobacco provided organic wines and iced tea for Open Day visitors to sample and enjoy.
More than 100 people took tours of the 3 aquaponics systems, entered the Summer Raffle and purchased produce, seeds and plants.
All proceeds from the Open Day help to keep the Lowlands Community Garden growing.
All the produce, seeds and plants on sale were non-GMO and grown without chemicals.
The 3 aquaponics systems at the Lowlands Community Garden are now complete and will soon be fully stocked with more than 5,000 non-GMO plants ranging from tomatoes to strawberries.
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.
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.
What better way could there be to bring fresh, organic, non-GMO produce to your table than to grow it right here on our lovely island? This is our mission and the Lowlands Community Garden is just the first of the network of organic community gardens that are planned for St. Maarten.
The Lowlands Community Garden project funding goal of $160,000 may seem to be a big one for you but we know that with your help we will reach it. We recognise that not everyone can afford to contribute $10,000, $1,000 or even $100 but we know that most people can afford $10.
We want to help you along and to thank you for making your contribution now.
Just make your contribution by clicking on the button to qualify for your organic herbs in addition to receiving a signed certificate of appreciation and recognition on our website.
“There are no long-term feeding studies performed in these countries to demonstrate the claims that engineered corn and soya are safe. All we have are scientific studies out of Europe and Russia, showing that rats fed engineered food die prematurely.
These studies show that proteins produced by engineered plants are different than what they should be. Inserting a gene in a genome using this technology can and does result in damaged proteins. The scientific literature is full of studies showing that engineered corn and soya contain toxic or allergenic proteins.
Genetic engineering is 40 years old. It is based on the naive understanding of the genome based on the One Gene – one protein hypothesis of 70 years ago, that each gene codes for a single protein. The Human Genome project completed in 2002 showed that this hypothesis is wrong.
The whole paradigm of the genetic engineering technology is based on a misunderstanding. Every scientist now learns that any gene can give more than one protein and that inserting a gene anywhere in a plant eventually creates rogue proteins. Some of these proteins are obviously allergenic or toxic.” Read more HERE…………………
This is what a CSA share from the Lowlands Community Garden will provide for you. Even the pickiest eaters will dig into the colours, aromas and obvious nutritional value of our organic produce. Our regular newsletters will be filled with recipes and storage tips to help you capture the most flavour and freshness from your local harvest.
CSA or Community Supported Agriculture is a system first devised in France that has now spread worldwide. CSA shares are exactly that, shares of the produce from a specific grower. On SXM the grower is the Lowlands Community Garden and to bring you citrus and other slow growing produce, we’ve partnered with an organic grower in Dominica. Due to our wonderful climate we are able to grow all year round so we’re offering 4 x 12 week CSA share ‘seasons’ every year beginning in January 2014.
They are:
There will only be 50 CSA shares in each ‘season’ and we’re accepting deposits now for Q1, the first 12 weeks. Pay your deposit online by clicking the link below or email us at csa@lowlandscommunitygarden.com to arrange to make your payment in cash.
There are lots of reasons for joining a CSA, but the best ones boil down to this: Instead of paying for transporting chemically contaminated vegetables for thousands of miles, you can spend the same dollars and receive excellent fresh, tasty, locally grown organic food and support a local community project that provides employment and training in aquaponics, permaculture and organic production. You will also be helping to create opportunities for future generations of natural growers AND eaters, while encouraging a healthy local economy and environment. Plus, you belong to a community of like-minded people that has come together around similar values.
The Lowlands Community Garden is the first of a network of productive, organic gardens and farms we plan to establish in every community on the island. We will hold regular Open Days and training courses, and we welcome volunteers to participate in all aspects of the project from sharing our crowdfunding campaign (about to be launched) on social media to spending time in the garden working with the plants and fish. Volunteers will be invited to join our local time bank, TimeBankSXM, where they can bank time spent volunteering and exchange their time credits for produce or for services offered by other TimeBankSXM members. Send us an email to volunteer@lowlandscommunitygarden.com to find out more about our volunteer opportunities.
The Lowlands Community Garden.
We look forward to growing with you!
A project of LightWorkersSXM
The Lowlands Community Garden will grow only from genuine non-GMO heirloom seeds. We say NO to Monsanto!
Independent scientific studies continue to expose the harmful effects of Genetically Modified Organisms. We feel that it’s vitally important that we grow produce that is wholesome, nourishing and safe and so we choose only non-GMO seed.
“Scientists tested levels ranging from 27 mg to 270 mg over a seven day period, it was remarkably evident that the Cry toxins were hemotoxic, even at the lowest doses administered. Hemotoxins destroy red blood cells, disrupt blood clotting and cause organ degeneration and tissue damage.
The number of RBC’s, (red blood cells) as well as their size, were significantly reduced, and so were the levels of hemoglobin for oxygen to attach to. Every factor regarding RBC’s indicated some level of damage for all levels of toxin administered and across all cry proteins. The tests clearly demonstrated that Cry proteins resulting from the Bt toxin were cytotoxic (quality of being toxic to cells) to bone marrow cells. Studies contiually show that these proteins kill blood cells by targeting the cell membranes of RBC’s.” Read MORE HERE………………
It exposes how GMO food and vaccinations are the tools of a Eugenics program that is being employed NOW. The likes of Monsanto and the Gates Foundation plan to sterilize your children and reduce the world’s population but killing us prematurely!
Join the Organic Rebellion and conquer the dark side of food. Protect your family from the dangers of GMO, pesticide residue, irradiation and more.
Lowlands Community Garden 
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