So in the first couple of weeks since this idea has popped into my head, progress has been expectedly 'moderate' -- it takes time for some people to get back to you.
One of the local gardeners definitely welcomed the interest, and I will be going Saturday morning to see what they have been able to do so far - it sounds like a fairly well-run garden!
Also, I was talking with a friend of mine who is majoring in Urban-Planning, and he suggested that the first group you go to at the city level would be the "Planning Commission" -- they are the ones who are the best to take new ideas to. Just find someone on that board who is into gardening, and would be most amenable to the idea, and run it by them - ask for feedback!
More when I get back from the visit to the community garden -- hoping to have some pictures, maybe even a video to post?
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Neighborly Visit and a newspaper article
This morning I picked up the town newspaper - the "Keller Citizen" - front page article was entitled "Community Garden Plants Seeds of Friendship". Ha! ... is this a 'sign'? No idea - but definitely encouraging! Wrote to the author (Susan McFarland of the Star-Telegram) to thank her for writing about it , and asked if she might have run into some useful resources about community gardens.
Also, I finally found the Petersons home! Great people - they were outside gardening even! The weather was perfect, and so we had a nice little chat about what they thought of the idea.
They liked it, in principle, but they also brought up some important challenges:
1) You will either have to plant indigenous plants that don't require lots of auxilliary watering (by hose, sprinkler system, etc.) -- or you will have to find a way to get water to the site. Definitely important. Maybe we could put in a Well? Wells can cost thousands of dollars... Hmmm. Have to find another solution.
2) The people in our neighborhood are only moderately interested in growing things to eat... it's just too easy to buy your produce at the grocery store. You might face an uphill battle trying to get them to tend a garden during the summer heat.
3) The property is owned by the city - whatever you would like to do, you should probably get the city's approval on it, and work with them, rather than against and/or behind them.
They suggested I might also stop by the neighorhood HOA President's home to see what she thought could be done. Nice lady - pleasant home. Paid her a short visit. She's a reluctant neighborhood president -- did it because no-one else would. She's just beginning to get this gardening thing down. Would rather not over-subscribe herself by taking a leadership role. Definitely all reasonable/understandable reservations.
She seems to think that the sense of 'community' in this neighborhood has suffered - there's very little neighborly association that occurs here. Hmmm - that would definitely be a challenge. Maybe a community garden could be a focal point for turning a page? Her assessment was that most people in the neighborhood wouldn't be interested -- they'd rather pay to have the land-scaping at the neighborhood entrance done rather than get a coalition of neighbors involved and save money. They are pretty dis-engaged when it comes to gardening/yard-work. Alright... some work needs to be done there. A community garden could definitely help there, but it's not a panacea, and some 'prep-work' might need to be done before people really buy into the idea.
More work/research/preparation!
Get the word out going door to door? Fliers? Hold an informational meeting? All of the above? That is going to take some time -- not sure whether or not it will pay off... Still the idea is persistent.
Well - roads are for journeys, not just destinations -- so I'll try to learn from the process, regardless of the end result!
Also, I finally found the Petersons home! Great people - they were outside gardening even! The weather was perfect, and so we had a nice little chat about what they thought of the idea.
They liked it, in principle, but they also brought up some important challenges:
1) You will either have to plant indigenous plants that don't require lots of auxilliary watering (by hose, sprinkler system, etc.) -- or you will have to find a way to get water to the site. Definitely important. Maybe we could put in a Well? Wells can cost thousands of dollars... Hmmm. Have to find another solution.
2) The people in our neighborhood are only moderately interested in growing things to eat... it's just too easy to buy your produce at the grocery store. You might face an uphill battle trying to get them to tend a garden during the summer heat.
3) The property is owned by the city - whatever you would like to do, you should probably get the city's approval on it, and work with them, rather than against and/or behind them.
They suggested I might also stop by the neighorhood HOA President's home to see what she thought could be done. Nice lady - pleasant home. Paid her a short visit. She's a reluctant neighborhood president -- did it because no-one else would. She's just beginning to get this gardening thing down. Would rather not over-subscribe herself by taking a leadership role. Definitely all reasonable/understandable reservations.
She seems to think that the sense of 'community' in this neighborhood has suffered - there's very little neighborly association that occurs here. Hmmm - that would definitely be a challenge. Maybe a community garden could be a focal point for turning a page? Her assessment was that most people in the neighborhood wouldn't be interested -- they'd rather pay to have the land-scaping at the neighborhood entrance done rather than get a coalition of neighbors involved and save money. They are pretty dis-engaged when it comes to gardening/yard-work. Alright... some work needs to be done there. A community garden could definitely help there, but it's not a panacea, and some 'prep-work' might need to be done before people really buy into the idea.
More work/research/preparation!
Get the word out going door to door? Fliers? Hold an informational meeting? All of the above? That is going to take some time -- not sure whether or not it will pay off... Still the idea is persistent.
Well - roads are for journeys, not just destinations -- so I'll try to learn from the process, regardless of the end result!
Monday, March 21, 2011
This is how it began...
Day one? I woke up on a Sunday morning, March 20th, and had this idea pop into my head: "Hey... that green space right by your house that is owned by the city and is teaming with weeds? You should see about making that into a community garden."
Just like that. That little thought wouldn't leave my head the entire morning. Came back from Church - still wouldn't leave my head.
So I gave in, and started doing some research about what other community gardens in the area might be like...
This blog is the story (hopefully) of how an idea that just popped into my head became something a little better than just an idea. I'm writing this so that hopefully someone else who had the same little idea pop into their head can learn from my experiences, and hopefully make it a little easier for them to do the same thing, only better, faster, and more lastingly.
After all - in this life we are supposed to learn... and when we learn, we grow.
Just like that. That little thought wouldn't leave my head the entire morning. Came back from Church - still wouldn't leave my head.
So I gave in, and started doing some research about what other community gardens in the area might be like...
This blog is the story (hopefully) of how an idea that just popped into my head became something a little better than just an idea. I'm writing this so that hopefully someone else who had the same little idea pop into their head can learn from my experiences, and hopefully make it a little easier for them to do the same thing, only better, faster, and more lastingly.
After all - in this life we are supposed to learn... and when we learn, we grow.
Talking to the neighbors
After looking around a bit on a website (American Community Garden Association) that is focused on helping people get community gardens up and going - I decided to talk to some of my neighbors about what they thought of the idea.
... How would I explain this to them? "Uhm, I woke up one morning with this crazy idea of starting a community garden... what do you think?"
Went and knocked on the Peterson's door (they have been in this neighborhood forever, and I always see them out in their garden, and walking around the neighborhood -- they seem to love gardens, and are very much community oriented - perfect). Not home. Hmmm - I'll try back another day.
Went back home and started looking deeper into the idea of what it takes to make a garden.
The ACGA (website above) has a spot where you can find local member-gardens -- and they have one in Fort Worth -- Fairmont Community Gardens -- looks like a big operation - looks pretty well run too! Worth checking out. Sent out emails to ask a few people running other local gardens for advice/counsel/helpful hints.
Thinking about planning a visit to one or two of the gardens in the future.
... How would I explain this to them? "Uhm, I woke up one morning with this crazy idea of starting a community garden... what do you think?"
Went and knocked on the Peterson's door (they have been in this neighborhood forever, and I always see them out in their garden, and walking around the neighborhood -- they seem to love gardens, and are very much community oriented - perfect). Not home. Hmmm - I'll try back another day.
Went back home and started looking deeper into the idea of what it takes to make a garden.
The ACGA (website above) has a spot where you can find local member-gardens -- and they have one in Fort Worth -- Fairmont Community Gardens -- looks like a big operation - looks pretty well run too! Worth checking out. Sent out emails to ask a few people running other local gardens for advice/counsel/helpful hints.
Thinking about planning a visit to one or two of the gardens in the future.
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