15 novembre 2017 mercredi

The garden’s longest new bed frame prepared for placement earlier this year.

58 degrees, rain

11 mph, w wind

Mes Amis:

As we approach Thanksgiving, one reviews the many blessings received over the last year. One of our many garden blessings this year was the ability of garden volunteers to replace four of the garden beds in the Fort de Chartres jardin potager. These beds were created with lumber purchased from funds received from a crowdfund SeedMoney* Grant received in 2015 and much volunteer effort. With additional money from this grant, we were also able to purchase heirloom seeds used in the garden and in our sample seed packets offered to the general public throughout the year in our heirloom seed outreach program. I can’t tell you how much your continued support is appreciated and has been instrumental in helping this jardin continue on its path of interpretation of the area’s French colonial history through its historic foodways.

With the Fort site’s financial issues over the past several years, it is appreciated and recognized how so many have risen to the rallying call and given wonderful support to the site and its supporting organizations. So embarking on a crowdfund campaign at this time was given a lot of thought and not undertaken lightly and with great appreciation of all the site support that has been so generously given. But time waits for no gardener and the jardin potager needs to replace more of its decaying wooden beds and could certainly use some funds to help with its heirloom seed outreach project. It is time once again to ask for your support to accomplish these goals with this new SeedMoney crowdfunding grant opportunity. And thanks are given to Les Amis du Fort de Chartres for agreeing to be the sponsoring not-for-profit organization for this garden fundraising effort!

Fall jardin

At 11 AM CST today, the Fort de Chartres Heritage Garden Project crowdfund grant campaign goes live and we will have 30 days to collect online donations.  The first 50 campaigns to reach $600 in funds raised will receive an additional $400 challenge grant from the SeedMoney organization and the campaign can continue raising funds even after the $600 funding target has been reached. Again, the 4 week online campaign runs from November 15th to December 15th and you are asked for your support to help make history come alive through this heritage garden. Any and all donations are appreciated and they will allow our Fort de Chartres garden to continue to thrive, providing a window to the eighteenth century through its produce and the inherent beauty of a French colonial garden.

You can now view now our SeedMoney garden information online here and/or donate beginning at 11 AM today, December 15th.  Please DONATE now!

Update: The SeedMoney challenge grant website is now gone live online and you can donate through the link above now through December 15!

With heartfelt thanks, merci!

Carol, Volunteer Curator

Fort de Chartres Heritage Garden Project

*SeedMoney is a Maine-based nonprofit providing grants, crowdfunding opportunities and training to food garden projects across the country and around the world.

UPDATE: