STORY AND PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK

Capitalizing on rising interest in gardening during the pandemic, a number of groups have formulated  the 5B Resilience Gardens initiative.

The initiative seeks to cultivate a vibrant gardening community through the sharing of resources, collaborative events and education opportunities.

Organizers are inviting interested gardeners to learn more by joining one of two information sessions via Zoom on Monday, Aug. 10, and Wednesday, Aug. 12. Presenters will discuss resilience gardening’s guiding principles, share visuals of the principles in action and highlight ways for gardeners to get involved.

Organizers will also offer a 5B Resilience Gardens tour at The Hope Garden and the Upper Big Wood River Grange at 1 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 13.

“Across the globe, interest in backyard food production is soaring,” said Amy Mattias of Sun Valley Institute. “Google searches for ‘growing vegetables’ are higher than ever before, seed companies are selling out and consumers are concerned with empty supermarket shelves. As we work to enhance our local food security, gardening plays a key role in personal and community resilience.”

The Zoom sessions will be offered at 5:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 10 and at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 12 at  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89461294613.

The Thursday tour will introduce attendees to the Grange Garden, which broke ground this past spring, and the Hope Garden, which has been around for years.

Those wishing to attend should contact Amy Mattias at amy@sunvalleyinstitute.org. Masks are recommended and physical distancing will be maintained. Attendees will meet at The Hope Garden next to the Courthouse on First Avenue and make their way to the Grange at 609 S. Third Ave.

Afterwards, they will make a trip to the Hailey Farmer’s Market at Roberta McKercher Park.

Those who wish to be involved in the initiative but are unable to join one of the Zoom sessions may complete a membership survey at https://forms.gle/Emaj21m2tXhxQt5E6. A 5B Resilience Gardens representative will provide additional information to each prospective member based on survey responses.

The 5B Resilience Gardens initiative defines resilience gardening as any level of edible and medicinal plant production that is not sold commercially. This may include potted plants, edible landscape, backyard gardens and shared plots.

Guiding principles involved include providing plants to feed pollinators and birds, plants to feed predators of garden pests, planting a diversity and zero use of insecticide or pesticide.

The organizations backing the initiative include Hailey Climate Action Coalition, Local Food Alliance, Sawtooth Botanical Garden, University of Idaho Extension and 4H, Upper Big Wood River Grange, Wood River Community YMCA, Wood River Land Trust and Wood River Seed Library.

To learn more, visit https://www.localfoodalliance.org/post/5b-resilience-gardens. Or, email Amy Mattias at amy@sunvalleyinstitute.org.