Ready to get your hands into the soil and bring back the green? On Saturday, April 24 (rain date: Sunday, April 25), celebrate Earth Day by participating in one or two gardening events at  Strawbery Banke!

In the morning, bring new life to the historic gardens at Strawbery Banke Museum in preparation for the museum’s May 1 opening by joining the Volunteer Garden Cleanup,  which will wrap up with a Potluck Lunch at noon (bring a dish to share if you can!).

The afternoon event is an Heirloom Seed Plant-In organized by Slow Food Seacoast in partnership with Strawbery Banke and the Chefs Collaborative. Gardening workshops will feature unique and “at risk” seeds from the Renewing America’s Food Traditions (RAFT) Alliance, and participants will take home seeds or plants for their own gardens to keep these varieties alive.

8:30 am–1:30 pm: Garden Cleanup & Potluck Lunch

Volunteers should arrive at the Strawbery Banke Visitors Center between 8:30 and 9:00 am for work assignments and refreshments. Please feel free to bring your favorite gardening tools, wheelbarrows, rakes, and gloves. All other tools will be provided by the Museum. Park in the lot by the Visitors Center at 14 Hancock Street, Portsmouth.

An optional Potluck Lunch will follow the Garden Cleanup at 12:30 pm at Stoodley’s Tavern—17 Hancock St., diagonally across from the Visitors Parking Lot. To minimize mess and waste, please bring your own dining kit (plate, cutlery, napkin, glass, and serving utensils), if possible. Note: Due to space limitations, the potluck lunch will be open only to garden cleanup volunteers.
Note: Other work opportunities will be available throughout the site for those not inclined toward gardening.

1:30–4:30 pm: RAFT Heirloom Seed Plant-In

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day and to further the day’s theme, join us for an Heirloom Seed Plant-In from 1:30 to 4 pm! Slow Food Seacoast is partnering with Strawbery Banke and the Chefs Collaborative to teach how to grow and eat food from your own backyard. Participants will enjoy free workshops and receive free heirloom seeds and plants to take home. Workshops will present information about the Renewing America’s Food Traditions (RAFT) Alliance, general gardening tips, and how to plant heirloom seeds, offering plenty of opportunities to get dirt under your fingernails.

Note: No preregistration is required for the afternoon events. Just show up!

Program and Locations

8:30–9 am: Volunteers arrive at Strawbery Banke for work assignments and refreshments. (Visitors Center)

12:30 pm: Cleanup volunteers gather for a Potluck Lunch. To minimize mess and waste, please bring your own dining kit (plate, cutlery, napkin, glass, and serving utensils), if possible.  (Stoodley’s Tavern—17 Hancock St., diagonally across from the Visitors Parking Lot)

1:30 pm: RAFT Heirloom Seed Plant-In and seed giveaway (Visitors Center)

1:30–4 pm: “Planting for Kids and Families” (ongoing) with UNH Cooperative Extension Service Master Gardeners (Victorian Children’s Garden)

1:45 pm: “Slow Food in the Garden” with David Buchanon of Slow Food Portland—the Ark of Taste and RAFT programs (Visitors Center)

2:15 pm: “Planting and Saving Heirloom Seeds”—Return to the gardens for a hands-on program planting early crops at the 1695 Sherburne, 1919 Shapiro, and 1944 Victory Gardens (meet in front of the Visitors Center)

3:00 pm: “Community Gardening” with Suzanne MacDonald—Community gardens are springing up all around the Seacoast. Find out more about the newly formed Seacoast Community Garden Network (website poised to launch May 1) and how to get involved in a garden project near you. (Community Gardens)

3:30 pm: “Slow Food—Sustainable Gardens” with John Forti, Slow Food Seacoast (Visitors Center)