Finding local, healthy and affordable food is but one of many problems facing the inner city. So to address this challenge, community gardens have sprung up so residents can use a dedicated plot of land to grow their own food.
But are urban gardens always the answer?
In order for community gardens to be a success, the “community element” must be firmly in place, said Denise Ellsworth, educator for The Ohio State University Extension in Summit County.
A community garden is as much about the community as it is the garden, said Ellsworth, who educates potential gardeners and food groups about this topic.
“Are neighbors involved, even if they’re not gardening? Is it a gathering place? Is it a friendly place to be?” she asked.
Without buy-in from neighborhood leaders, neighborhoods may end up with a plot overgrown with weeds and trash, which can be as much of a public eyesore as a vacant lot.
Neighborhoods looking to implement a community garden must research the condition of the soil first, advised Ellsworth. “Safety is the place to start. What was the prior use? Was it ever an industrial use?”
Those unfamiliar with gardening may look at the soil as a “black box” whose contents are inconsequential, but it’s much more than that, she added. “We’re eating a lot of the potential contaminants that are in the soil, so you have to know what the site held before you even look at whether it’s fertile.”
But even if soil quality is questionable, there are options available for neighborhoods. Ellsworth pointed to some areas in Cleveland that practice above-pavement planting where the soil contents are dubious, harvesting a garden on a raised bed rather than in the ground itself.
Additionally, organizers should make sure there’s a reliable water source to the gardening area. In spring, when rain is typically abundant, this may not be a priority, but in August, residents will find out quickly the impact of a fickle irrigation system.
Some Akron-area community gardens have flowered into healthy food for residents.
Let’s Grow Akron is a nonprofit that provides low-income children and adults the tools to experience community gardening.
“We believe that the process of planting, hoeing and weeding will instill in individuals of all ages necessary life skills such as sharing, responsibility and how to maintain a long-term commitment,” said Elaine Evans, the program’s director. “Through the act of gardening, residents become community partisans.”
Evans said she hopes that through this program, residents will share their harvests, beautify their communities and realize that community involvement can be productive and rewarding.
The city-run Akron Grows Community Garden Program uses lots owned by the city of Akron as gardening sites for residents. For $20, community members can plant crops in a 20-foot by 20-foot plot, and the city provides gardening education, vouchers for vegetables and seeds, help with soil preparation, and access to water at each garden location.
Ellsworth and other gardening experts will present at a Community Gardening Summit March 19, from 8:30 to 3:30 p.m. at the Westminster Presbyterian Church, 1250 West Exchange St., in Akron. For more information, visit http://summit.osu.edu/events/community-gardening-summit.
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