Some recent news, some resource links.
Starkville Community Garden
Starkville, Mississippi
Jan 13
One way to bring the freshest, healthiest food to the table is to grow a garden.
And garden plots are now available for 2010 for Starkville residents without a garden spot.
Starkville Park Commissioner Pete Melby said plots in the Josey Park Community Garden are currently available by contacting the Starkville Parks and Recreation Director.
Melby said those participating in the first year of the community garden have had a lot of vegetable production throughout the growing season.
"Besides traditional summer crops, Starkville’s community garden is a good place to grow fall, early winter, and spring salad greens, spinach, and mustard and turnip greens," Melby said.
Community Garden has ‘growing pains’
Jan 10
Fenton, Michigan
Fenton — Ideas and issues for a community the garden and "going green" sprouted at Monday’s council worksession.
The project began last year, at Oak Park in Fenton. John Dolza, who spearheaded garden project, said gardeners hope it continues for years to come. He asked that city officials remove the 1-acre park — at 714 Oak Park Dr. — from the market for sale. Gardeners would like to make permanent improvements.
It is a challenged neighborhood, Dolza said, and residents there have thanked the gardeners for their work. In addition, the American Community Gardens Association states property values within a 500-foot radius of a community garden increase in value by 10 to 20 percent.
Housing development granted land to create community garden
Jan 7
Somerville, MA
The Clarendon Hill Garden Committee (CHGC), comprised of a group of residents at the Clarendon Hill Public Housing Development, is proud to announce a big step forward in their efforts to create a resident community garden. Last month Joe Macaluso, the Executive Director of the Somerville Housing Authority (SHA), granted the committee 1575 square feet of land at the development to use for a resident community garden, as well as access to water, and annual help with maintaining the garden. The location of the garden will be at the corner of Powderhouse Boulevard and North Street.
The CHGC formed last year as an off-shoot of the Community Action Agency of Somerville’s (CAAS) successful efforts to organize a tenant association. After several community meetings about forming a community garden, one of the CHGC members, Jocelyn Scott, took the initiative to ask permission from the SHA to adopt a section of land near her apartment, which she turned into a lovely flower garden. "Jocelyn’s garden beautified the development and helped build community as she enlisted the help of children to collect rocks for the edging of her flower beds and chatted with neighbors who complimented the garden," said Melissa McWhinney, Director of Advocacy at CAAS. In the fall the CHGC wrote up a Document of Support for a Community Garden and collected over 120 signatures from fellow residents who also wanted to have a resident community garden.
Tehama County Community Action Agency to fund public garden
Jan 12
Tehama County, CA
The Tehama County Community Action Agency, a division of the Tehama County Department of Social Services, has awarded funding to the Cottonwood Creek Watershed Group to start a community garden.
Starting a community garden has been one of the group's top goals for more than a year. Without this grant, it may not have been possible.
We appreciate the approach that Tehama County is taking on community involvement and ending hunger, said Brynn Nolan, executive director of the group. The garden will not only help feed the hungry and be a wonderful addition to our area, but will help teach folks how to grow their own fresh, nutritious produce.
Community garden meeting planned
Jan 8
Lawrence County, Missouri
The Ozarks Area Community Action Corporation Neighborhood Center in Lawrence County will host a community garden planning meeting at 3 p.m. Monday at 101 E. Olive in Aurora, according to a news release.
The planning session is to learn more about the vision and projected results of the Community Garden project.
The goal is for low-income families to have an opportunity to participate in a community garden project to plant and harvest crops, use the crops grown to feed themselves and their families, and if they choose, supplement their income by selling produce in a local farmers market.
Garden organizers look ahead to new year
Jan 13
Marietta, Ohio
You may have heard the expression that "it takes a whole village to raise a child," well that applies to a Community Garden. It literally takes a tremendous number of volunteers and organizations to "build" gardens.
Washington County Harvest of Hope (HOH) would like to thank the following individuals, groups, and organizations for the wonderful success of the HOH Community Garden Program this last spring and summer: Marietta College, Marietta schools, Frontier schools, Christ United Methodist and Sand Hill United Methodist churches for the donation of use of land; Dave Archer and Ronnie Tornes with Pioneer Pipe, Clyde Huddleston, and The Children's Toy and Doll Museum for making it possible to have water; Al Lang and Greenleaf, Eric Barrett and The Ohio State Extension Office staff for their expertise and services; Washington County Health Department for funding; Marietta College students for their help in preparing the gardens for the start up and close of the season; Tim Simpson and students at the Career Center, and Ann Trembly for the donation of vegetable plants; the youth of First United Methodist Church, Williamstown, for seed packets; Brian Welch and Marietta High School students and Erwin Berry and Frontier High School students for the preparation of seed potatoes; Open Door Baptist, Marietta South Seventh St. Church of Christ, New Matamoras Senior Center and New Matamoras United Methodist Church, for providing meeting space; Master Gardeners Ardith McDougal, John Sims, Diane Mitchell, Debbie Misel, Janet Whitney, and Harriet Collins for their instructional assistance; the first grade students of Harmar and New Matamoras elementaries for raising and planting tomato plants; Larry and Sandy Danford, Roger Early, James Lower, Gerald Swartz, Mark Duckworth, Gary Dennis, and Ken Sandstrom for hours of preparation and maintenance of the gardens; Black's Tree Service and Kidder's Tree Service for the donation of mulch; Sign Source for the donation of a garden sign; and the more than 50 gardeners who attended classes, shared from their abundance, and maintained their garden plots. My apologies if I have omitted someone.
Community garden effort started in Framingham
Jan 7
Framingham, Massachusetts
FRAMINGHAM —
A new Framingham community garden group will hold its next meeting on Feb. 1 from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Costin Room of the downtown Framingham Public Library.
The meeting will discuss possible locations and plans for a 2010 community garden in Framingham with cultivation hopefully starting this summer. The meeting will also discuss a community garden project begun by the Agricultural Committee of Framingham working with the Department of Community and Economic Development. That garden project may not begin until 2011.
This meeting will be a potluck and all Framingham and surrounding area residents and their children are welcome. People who are interested can contact Marion deLaubenfels at:
mtenderland@gmail.com.
Green thumb group wants more community gardens for Ridgefield
Ridgefield, Connecticut
Jan 13
"Salads all summer long, cutting flowers all summer long," said Christopher Moomaw. "...Fine herbs and spices. Lots of tomatoes."
Mr. Moomaw was describing the summer bounty he and his wife, Ghislaine, enjoy thanks to his 10 by 20 foot plot at Ridgefield’s Community Gardens off Halpin Lane.
Mr. Moomaw is part of a group of volunteers trying to establish a second community gardens for town residents, at a site beside the old dairy barn next to Farmingville School.
American Community Gardening Association
The Mission of the American Community Gardening Association is to build community by increasing and enhancing community gardening and greening across the United States and Canada.
The American Community Gardening Association (ACGA) is a bi-national nonprofit membership organization of professionals, volunteers and supporters of community greening in urban and rural communities. The Association recognizes that community gardening improves people’s quality of life by providing a catalyst for neighborhood and community development, stimulating social interaction, encouraging self-reliance, beautifying neighborhoods, producing nutritious food, reducing family food budgets, conserving resources and creating opportunities for recreation, exercise, therapy and education.
Portland Online; Community Gardens
The Community Garden program has provided gardening opportunities for the physical and social benefit of the people and neighborhoods of Portland since 1975. There are 32 community gardens located throughout the city, developed and operated by volunteers and PP&R staff, offering a variety of activities.
Community Gardens Office • 6437 SE Division • Portland, OR 97206 • 503-823-1612
If you are interested in becoming a Community Gardener, please email us or call the Community Gardens office with the following information: your full name, complete mailing address, current phone number(s), and which one or two gardens you are interested in. We will notify you if a plot is available; if no plots are available, we will add you to the waiting list
Community Gardens (Washington State site)
About Community Gardens
Community gardens promote healthy communities and provide food security for many low income persons. In an urban setting, community gardens are part of the open space network. The gardens and those who participate in community gardening contribute to the preservation of open space, provide access to it, and create sustainable uses of the space. Community gardens strengthen community bonds, provide food, and create recreational and therapeutic opportunities for a community. They can also promote environmental awareness and provide community education.
One of the goals to create healthy communities is to improve nutrition in the community as a whole. These strategies are described in the Washington State Nutrition and Physical Activity Plan (NPASP) developed by DOH and its partners. Washington's strategic plan has among its objectives increasing access to health promoting foods. An example is increasing the availability of and access to local community gardens. Healthy Communities Pilot Projects are testing the effectiveness of the plan strategies in local communities. Moses Lake's Healthy Communities Project includes a community garden.
Wikipedia
Community gardens provide access to fresh produce and plants as well as access to satisfying labor, neighborhood improvement, sense of community and connection to the environment.[2] They are publicly functioning in terms of ownership, access, and management,[3] as well as typically owned in trust by local governments or nonprofits. A community garden brings your community closer.[citation needed]
A city’s community gardens can be as diverse as its communities of gardeners. Some choose to solely grow flowers, others are nurtured communally and their bounty shared, some have individual plots for personal use, while others are equipped with raised beds for disabled gardeners.[4]
Community gardens encourage an urban community's food security, allowing citizens to grow their own food or for others to donate what they have grown.[5] The gardens also combat two forms of alienation that plague modern urban life, by bringing urban gardeners closer in touch with the source of their food, and by breaking down isolation by creating a social community. It has also been found that active communities experience less crime and vandalism.[6]
Capital District Community Gardens
Upstate New York
Welcome to Capital District Community Gardens (CDCG) of upstate New York. Established in 1975, CDCG is a private non-profit community service organization that has been helping residents of Albany, Rensselaer, and Schenectady Counties improve their neighborhoods through community gardening, healthy food access and urban greening programs for more than 30 years.
We’re dedicated to working with people to foster self-sufficiency through the rewards of gardening. We help families cut their living costs by growing food locally and improving access to fresh fruits and vegetables in underserved areas. We transform vacant lots into productive neighborhood garden spaces and beautify urban areas through landscaping and street tree programs.
Community Action Coalition for South Central Wisconsin
The volunteers who lead Madison's community gardens have been very busy! There are now nearly 50 community gardens in the Madison area, which has almost doubled the number of area community gardens since 2002, and many gardens have doubled and tripled in size over the past several years. We have 30 acres of garden plots, up from about 17 acres in 2002. This means fresh vegetables for so many people: nearly 2000 households now have plots in the community gardens, up 87% from around 1000 households with plots in 2002.
Wasatch Community Gardens
Wasatch County, Utah
Wasatch Community Gardens is a community-based nonprofit that has served the Salt Lake County community for 20 years. Since our founding in 1989, we have provided opportunities for individuals to grow their own food in urban gardens. We also provide educational opportunities to youth and adults.