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I am very excited about this solution for vacant urban land. We have often talked about what to do with land that both we and others in our area own and have turned down the idea of a community garden because there are so many stories of gardens that once put in are “permanent”. And I understand fully why that is. But this idea takes out the permanence of that concept and allows a space to be used while it awaits future development without having to worry about what is in the dirt that could possibly contaminate the soil.
I can not tell you how inspired I am to make this happen all over the place! I am going to be in touch with the people who did this in London and get more information on how it all went together. I really hope that somehow Sacramento can adopt this as a interim solution and these can pop up all over the place. The lots that now take away from the area would instead contribute to the community. And all for a very minimal investment. There is no doubt that gardens help build community and more than ever the cost of transportation mandates that we grow more of our own food as close to home as possible.
Who is with me?
Go here for more about the people who started it, and here for an article about its first trial run.
10 responses so far ↓
1 dustin // Jul 9, 2008 at 8:08 am
Levi,
I’d love to help you if I can. I totally agree with your comments, I can absolutely see this happening all over my Oak Park neighborhood and throughout the central city and West Sac. It makes so much sense. Let me know if I can be of assistance.
2 dan // Jul 9, 2008 at 12:18 pm
plants in bags at newton booth…..we gotta make this happen!
3 jessie // Jul 9, 2008 at 7:35 pm
I am so excited about this idea. I love it.
4 Ian M. // Jul 10, 2008 at 9:40 am
I beg to differ with this concept. This looks like the TV Dinner of community gardening! Anything that comes out of compartmentalized plastic containers can’t be called “good”. Taking this concept to city councils and developers will soften the effort to utilize vacant lots for food production.
Why I disagree:
1. This concept makes the planting all too temporary. Temporary is not good for plants, because establishing a well aged and nutrient rich soil profile makes bigger, healthier plants. Organic matter in the ground reduces the presence of chemicals and intensity of watering, healing the site from past contamination.
2. Common plants such as lettuce, squash and tomatoes have a microscopic root profile that goes much deeper than these bags could ever handle.
3. Most urban lots are not so contaminated as to poison your food. A simple soil test will prove if trace elements are present.
By the way- did you notice that these bags are selling for $24 each?
5 G // Jul 10, 2008 at 10:01 am
Ian,
I disagree with your take on this completely. If there were a reliable temporary solution in place we would have far more gardens than we do today.
6 Levi // Jul 10, 2008 at 10:34 am
Ian,
I have to stand with G on this one. The sheer number of vacant lots which stand underutilized is a direct result of property owners not wanting to cooperate out of fear that they will never be able to use their lot again. Just look at the battle over the Mandela Garden and what a fight it was to develop the property. I know that there are more than a few land owners who read of the battle and decided then and there never to allow a garden on their land. However if an alternate strategy that was clearly temporary in nature were proposed than I believe that both the city and land owners would be willing to agree….
7 Ian M. // Jul 10, 2008 at 11:11 am
I agree that there would probably be more gardens if they were temporary. Transitory gardens, though theoretically larger in number, must remain as constant a fixture as a permanent garden. I think that a few well established gardens compared to a bunch of trailer park gardens would be a wash when you consider the social and economic impact.
Temporary is not a solution because communities reap more benefits in the long term. The effects on property value and crime reduction are only present while the garden is in place.
My resource for community gardens comes from the American Community Gardening Association. Go to the ACGA website and click on “Research”.
The Mandela Garden managed to last 30 years and has arguably become the precedent for the future of urban gardening in our city, continuing to have a positive impact on the community with its various incarnations. Politics aside, developer and activists alike look back at that garden with pride. I know because I have friends that were on both sides of the table. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel here. Even the removal of a temporary garden will have some push back. The best relationships are the ones worth fighting for.
8 dustin // Jul 10, 2008 at 2:15 pm
We need results now not in five or even two years. Yes the best things are worth fighting far, but I feel that temporary results are far better than no results at all. These temporary gardens could have a tremendously positive impact on the communities they are supporting, so positive in fact that both the land owner and the city can come together to create a more permanent garden in its place. I can think of more than a handful of lots in my neighborhood that need immediate attention and just about anything will do. If it literally only cost the price of a few bags, some sees and water, I don’t see how these efforts could do any harm. Maybe there is even a donation program where members of the community pool there funds to establish THEIR garden. Just an (optimistic) thought. By the way, Hi Ian, How’s the family?
9 david dlp // Jul 11, 2008 at 8:40 am
I’d love to help with this or any other efforts to establish community gardens around town. I agree that more permanent solutions are far better, but I also think this has a certain ground-up|funk|guerrilla factor that is exciting and that will spark efforts to create more permanent gardens. I also know a group of ucd landscape students that do “service” projects around town….I bet they or other student groups would want to help. Also, there is a community garden plan being baked up now on MLK Jr. Blvd in Oak Park…a public-owned site has been proposed by agency staff…getting it installed could take years but something like this could go in now and wouldn’t suffer from the future “push back” issue.
10 Denise // Jan 10, 2009 at 3:33 pm
This is an excellent idea. I am a firm believer in people gardening and its much harder living in a city or renting an apartment… But it is doable.
Wonderful article! Denise
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