Real Food Share will be hosting “Grow Your Own” workshops to bring the local gardening community together. The monthly series will kick off on Saturday, March 19, from 11 am to noon, at Sticks and Stones Farm, 197 Huntingtown Road.

The program is spearheaded by CT Master Gardener Nancy Zychek and home gardener/board member Lisa Rioni.

Real Food Share is a nonprofit organization, based in Newtown, that is dedicated to growing and distributing nutritious fruits and vegetables to people in need.

According to Real Food Share founder and CT Master Gardener Sean Fitzpatrick, “Our mission is to enhance our local food infrastructure so that everyone will always have access to healthy food. When we started in 2019, we donated 800 pounds of food to one food pantry. Last year, in 2021, we donated 31,000 pounds of food to 11 different food pantries ranging from Danbury to Bridgeport.”

The Grow Your Own workshop in March is titled “Planning Your Garden.” It will focus on the planning aspect of preparing for the growing season.

Fitzpatrick explained, “You’re thinking about when you’re going to start planting, what you want to plant, where you want to plant, what’s your setup at home, how you may want to improve upon last year, or if you are just getting started, what is your strategy and get an idea of what supplies you might need.”

Attendees do not need to bring any tools and are just encouraged to come to the program with a desire to learn.

“Bring questions,” Fitzpatrick said. “If you want to come and share, we’re hoping to build this gardening community where people want to talk about their own garden, share success stories, brainstorm on how to make things better, ask questions in a safe environment that you might not feel comfortable asking someplace else. Bringing a notepad or something to jot things down would be helpful. Otherwise, just come looking to learn and looking to share.”

The workshops are open to residents and out-of-towners. Registration is strongly encouraged and can be done by visiting realfoodshare.org/growing-food-at-home/real-food-shares-grow-your-own-workshop-series.

Each Grow Your Own session will also have a field trip component included, and the March session’s is currently to-be-determined.

“Field trips are to-be-determined as we get into the growing season. We’re hoping to plan visits to farms or other greenhouses or spaces that sell plants or local food ... once you register and come to a class you’ll get notices for those things,” Fitzpatrick said.

Workshops are free to attend, but donations are always appreciated and go towards Real Share Food’s programs.

For those unable to attend the event in person, Fitzpatrick said, “We’re going to end up recording a good chunk of it, edit it, then put it up for people online.”

It will be available on Real Food Share’s website and YouTube channel.

Next month’s session is titled “Preparing Your Garden Space” and will take place Saturday, April 9, from 11 am to noon, at Sticks and Stones Farm.

For more information about Real Food Share and to learn about volunteering or donating, visit realfoodshare.org.

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Reporter Alissa Silber can be reached at alissa@thebee.com.