MSU Extension Tribal Extension

Aanii Boozhoo!

Miigwech for requesting your Gitigaan/Gtegan/Kitigaan (Garden) Kit! In this kit, you will find your requested kit seeds, plant starts, and some gardening and recipe information. We hope that you enjoy gardening with your family, friends, and community this season!

We recommend following the planting guidelines that are suggested on your seed kit information flyer. If you are unfamiliar with starting a garden, check out this helpful article, or visit the Gardening in Michigan MSU Extension site. There are also lots of video tutorials on YouTube. If you are interested in learning which plant hardiness zone you are gardening in, view a U.S. Department of Agriculture map here. 

For an incredible, collaborative collection of recipes, cooking videos and other materials for healthy cooking the Anishinaabek way, please visit the Inter-Tribal Council of Michigan's cooking resource website here.

MSU Extension is also committed to making its programs more inclusive and representative of Michigan’s Indigenous communities. Recently, MSU Extension educators worked with tribal health staff to adapt and implement Share Our Strength Cooking Matters® programs, including a collection of delicious, healthy recipes. 

All of the seeds and plant starts are non-GMO and/or organic, handpicked for our growing region. The plant starts have been lovingly grown by the Ziibimijwang Farm in collaboration with the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, Gordon’s Produce, a local farm in Sault Ste. Marie, and AquaTerra, an aquaponics greenhouse planted by high school students at Hannahville Indian School.

Good luck on your gardening endeavor, happy gardening!

Miigwech,

FRTEP @ MSU Extension

In 2023, 1,070 seed and/or plant start (gitigaan/gtegan/kitigaan) kits were distributed to: 

• Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians (Kitigaan)

• Hannahville Indian Community (Gtegan)

• Bay Mills Indian Community (Gitigaan)

• Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians (Gitigaan)

Home Lawn and Garden Soil Test Mailer

Lawn and garden plants require 18 nutrients for healthy growth and productivity. By having your soil tested, you can learn which nutrients are present and which ones may need to be added. 

How to Order MSU Extension Soil Tests

Learning to Garden

MSU Extension Resources: Gardening in Michigan

How and what to prepare

• Garden Planning Calendar
• How to Plan Your Garden (Size, Sun, Layout, Spacing, Crops, Supplies)
• Johnny's Seed Calculator and Planning Worksheets

Soil 101

• Healthy soil preparation: no-till and till methods
• Fertilizer

Planting basics

• When to plant? Frost-free date by MI location
• Planting decisions: Seeds, starters/transplants, cool vs. warm season plants, planting techniques and tips

Tips and tricks to make gardening accessible

• Planning ahead for multi-generational accessibility
• Indoor spaces

Caring and tending to your garden

• Watering
• Troubleshooting disease and pest control
  • Integrated pest management, a series of steps to understand pests and decide the best methods of control in order to make environmentally-friendly pest management choices
  • Identifying pests and disease in your garden
• Harvesting

End of Season

• Heritage gardening, seed saving
• Using and storing your veggies
• Preparing your garden for winter

Anishinaabe Culture and Language Gardening Resources

Design a Relationship Garden

Giizhenindan Inawemaagan-gitigaan

A guide developed by Ojibwe.net that connects the responsibilities we have as humans with our plant relatives within a garden.

• Cheboiganing Burt Lake Band's Healing Landscape and Garden
• Design a Relationship Garden Resource

Watering the Garden

Ikidowinan

Ojibwe gardening vocabulary list from Niigaanibines (Don Jones) and Ogimaawigwanebiik (Nancy Jones)

Miijim (Food) Cards

Students from several schools in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, joined together to research and create Miijim (Food) Cards as a classroom project. Each card features a hand-drawn miijim item available at the Brimley Bay Mills Farmer's Market, paired with the names of each food item in Anishinaabemowin. This project came about after the students visited their local market, which left them wondering if there was a way to incorporate their culture and language more fully into this important hub for the community. 

This project was created in partnership with the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, MSU Extension, and the Tribal Food Sovereignty Collaborative, with translation services generously provided by Aamookwe (Amy McCoy). 

View Miijim Cards

Anishinaabemowin@home

Plants and gardening Ojibwe language activity and resources blog by Anishinaabemowin@home.

Summer Medicine Harvest

Niibin Mashkiki Bway'ige

• Summer medicine harvest resource poster

First Nations Development Institute Knowledge Center

Center for publications on Indigenous food system reports, Native agriculture, traditional subsistence activities, Indigenous food sovereignty sources, guides, assessments, and more.

Food Preservation Resources

Interested in learning more about safely preserving your harvest? Visit Michigan State University Extension's Food Preservation web resources:

MSU Extension Food Preservation Information

Michigan Fresh: Translated Spanish Resources