TALMAR, (Therapeutic Alternatives of Maryland), in collaboration with Baltimore County Recreation and Parks, Office of Therapeutic Recreation provides horticultural programming using therapy, recreation, community work experiences and vocational training targeting individuals with disabilities. This collaboration is an innovative and creative way to share resources (staffing, equipment and supplies in exchage for community services) to provide a quality, efficient and effective program that otherwise would not be possible.

Programs and services take place in the beautiful 367 acre Cromwell Valley Park in Baltimore County MD on 10 tillable acres. Activities provide a year round program of indoor and seasonal outdoor gardening opportunities, open weekdays and also Saturday morning in the spring, summer and fall of the year. Services are intergenerational, family oriented, all-inclusive, and representing true community involvement. Programs are provided to individuals, schools, summer camps,Recreation and Parks programs and serve community daycare centers, gardening clubs, and senior centers.

Grants were secured to provide the purchase and installation of a 40 x 60 foot accessible greenhouse and infrastructure. Once in place, two acres of land was plowed and prepared by staff and students with disabilities. This land is used for cutting gardens with annual / perennial flowers and herbs. On the property is an old barn that was converted for storage.

The greenhouse provides the foreground for many activities. There, vocational training and horticultural therapy programs are provided. All activities are directly related to the cut flower business. Participants, trained in vocational skills learn greenhouse operation and management. Activities primarily involve the transplanting of seedlings to the fields, maintenance, harvesting flowers, bunching for sales and direct sales to the general public or contracted floral customers.

The farm is opened to the general public two days a week, where they cut their own flowers. Participants cut and bunch flowers on those mornings to sell to anyone wishing to purchase them prearranged. Two days a week, participants sell directly to area farmers markets.

During the off season, Christmas trees and greens are sold to the general public as well as wreaths, garland and table decorations that are made by the participants. Workshops are also taught throughout the year and geared to all people of all ages, teaching various aspects of the field of horticultural and floricultural practices. Classes are taught weekly and are fee based.

Since the inception of providing quality programs and services to the community there have been established many additional partnerships created. These include: Baltimore County Department of Recreation and Parks, Baltimore County Public Schools, Baltimore City Public Schools, MANSEF schools, and local colleges, service provider agencies, the Downtown Towson Rotary Club, the Jacksonville Optimist Club, various corporations, professionals and individuals in the community at large.

2007 WEEKLY CUT FLOWER SUBSCRIPTION PROGRAM Run much like a cooperative Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, the subscription program provides a mutually beneficial arrangement between farmer/growers and community. In exchange for financial support in the spring from the 'members,' the growers commit to provide organically grown specialty cut flowers throughout the growing season.

Applications are now being accepted until April 15,2007.

There is a fee for membership which not only entitles the member to weekly allocations of flowers that were grown free of harmful chemicals, it also offsets farming costs and enables us to provide vocational training and horticultural therapy to individuals with disabilities.

To review the program and become a supporter see our membership application as a web page or as an Adobe pdf file. From either source you may print the application directly to your printer, fill it out and mail it in to Talmar.