Community Gardens: A Growing Conversation (15. April 2007, 22:12 by Derek Young) ~ What Can You Grow?
Join us for a conversation about the future of community gardening in Tacoma at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 19, at Commencement Bay Coffee Co., located at 2354 Jefferson Ave. in downtown Tacoma.
Why would you be interested? Because community gardens are more than just places to grow food or flowers. Community gardens can supply fresh veggies for food banks, host amazing parties at harvest time, provide a location for neighborhood classes and workshops, provide opportunities for outdoor art, be beautiful places to play with kids and take a walk, and, in general, serve as a tangible way for neighborhoods to create something positive.
The April 19 conversation will include a panel of representatives from the Seattle P-Patch, Metro Parks Tacoma, the City of Tacoma and many other folks who are passionate about enhancing and revitalizing the local community gardens movement.
The plan is to have panel members share about the past, present and potential of community gardens in Tacoma. Then there will be time for questions, brainstorming … and even dreaming.
Some of the panelists and experienced gardeners who will be hand include:
- Carrie Little, organic farmer, longtime activist and manager of Mother Earth Farms, which supplies 125,000 pounds of organic food to the Emergency Food Network food banks
- Becky Mares, PLU student, organizer and founder of the PLU community garden
- Kristen McIvor, Seattle P-Patch Trust board member and UW PhD student working with and researching TAGRO, the City of Tacoma’s biosolids soil amendment product
- Joyce Moty, Seattle P-Patch Trust board member, and longtime activist who was involved with the creation and founding of Bradner Gardens
- Megan Syverson, Guadalupe Land Trust board member
- A representative from Metro Parks, the managers of the existing community gardening program in Tacoma.
Let’s start talking.
For the most up-to-date information, keep checking Exit133 or e-mail me using the contact page.
For directions, call Commencement Bay Coffee at (253) 274-1173.
Update: This event is Thursday night and it’s shaping up to be a good conversation. If you have any interest in community gardening in Tacoma, please be sure to join us. We need you to help assess where we need to go next. This is a collaborative effort to harness what our city already has and the energy of some new faces to develop our gardens for the future
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I wouldn’t count out a farmers market stand as a possibility, but I imagine that would be up to the organizers and participants of the community garden. If it is just a bunch of individuals with plots of their own, it may not be conducive logistically to farmers market sales. (However, food banks can benefit greatly from getting any “extras”.)
As for the co-op, the wheels are still turning and there is a lot of momentum. In fact, one of the panelists for this event (Megan Syverson) is on the food co-op steering committee. As far as location, my impression is that the MLK/Hilltop area is actually the current favored location for a food co-op, but location is far from set in stone. I’m still holding out hope for Sixth Ave, but that’s just me being selfish…
2 | Posted by jamie from thriceallamerican | Apr 7, 08:13 AM
I am curious what will happen if the gardens are allowed on private or public land, say maybe in the downtown area and they are there for a few years then the developer or city is ready to build, will there be a protest? Will there be some sort of agreement saying that when the developer or city is ready to build there can be no protest from the public?
3 | Posted by Jake | Apr 7, 08:26 AM
If one is really interested in some community gardening I’d highly recommend contacting the Guadalupe House at G Street and 15th. I am sure they’d be happy to have the interest and your participation.
I have to wonder and think about the relationship between hilltop and downtown. Indeed, the two districts are adjacent to each other and the lines that define them seem to be blurring as gentrification makes its way up the hill. I suspect, in time, that up to MLK will be considered downtown. For crying out loud, the Marcato is considered (by the developers) to be at the western part of the theater district, LOL. Anyway, I digress, the point is that we should consider hill top as an extension of downtown to the extent that it can be the low rent part of downtown. Those looking to work in downtown but can not afford the steep rents or condo prices should be able to find suitable housing on hill top. I’m not calling for a gentrification of hill top, I’m suggesting that the hill top be seriously considered as part of downtown. Hill top does provide an interesting and mostly undeveloped business district. Think about the Seattle downtown, it is actually a number of neighborhoods that have different flavors. With downtown in Tacoma we have the core, the Stadium District, the St. Helens District, the Wright’s Park District. A natural district would be hill top. Life is not all cigar bars and martini lounges. Sometimes you just have to get down and get funky. Hill top could offer this along with cheaper digs for the artists amongst us who no longer can handle the costs of downtown. So get digging at the Guadalupe House and embrace Hill Top. For any neighborhood to really work you need to have diversity.
4 | Posted by Crenshaw Sepulveda | Apr 8, 07:26 AM
Crenshaw,
Your wishes have already been granted… The city changed Downtowns borders I believe late last year. I think Downtown’s western edge is now L Street or MLK.
5 | Posted by Jake | Apr 8, 09:55 AM
Today, David Seago from the the TNT weighs in on Community Gardens via his blog:
A band of Tacomans who hope to revitalize community gardens in the city will host an all-comers meeting Thursday evening to gauge public interest. The session will start at 7 p.m. at Commencement Bay Coffee Co., 2354 Jefferson Ave., just up the hill from the Spaghetti Factory.
Derek Young, best-known as keeper of the city-centric Exit133.com blog, is one of the ringleaders, joined by Alicia Lawver of the City of Tacoma and Kristen McIvor. McIvor, believe it or not, is doing Ph.D research on Tagro, the fertilizer made out of what we flush. She works with Seattle’s P-Patch community gardening program. Here’s Derek’s pitch:
(He quotes parts of Derek’s post)
Also, note above that the Guadalupe garden folk are involved in this conversation. As is Metro Parks. This is about bringing people interested in and passionate about community gardening together. About getting them talking. About making Tacoma community gardens stronger and more sustainable. And the conversation is just beginning …
7 | Posted by alicia | Apr 16, 05:30 AM
I like the idea of community gardens. How about community greenhouses?
8 | Posted by morgan | Apr 16, 09:33 AM
There is a community garden located between 10th and 11th on South M street. It has been neglected for two or three years but the winds of change are blowing on top of the hill. This space is privately owned but has been given over for the exclusive use of a garden/greenhouse. There are currently 2 greenhouses on the lot (which have been ransacked by those who do not appreciate them.) and plenty of space for the possibility of others.
There is TONS of work to be done and it will take many hours and dirty hands.
We will be present at the meeting Thursday I am sure.
Are you interested in being a part? Send me and email!
9 | Posted by Julie Rex | Apr 16, 10:43 PM
The 1oth and S. M Street garden looks to be a fine garden in need of a little love. I don’t know why it is not being actively gardened but it is like an undiscovered jewel on the hilltop. Do a little gardening and then enjoy a fine bowl of pho a block or two away at the Pho Bac.
10 | Posted by Crenshaw Sepulveda | Apr 17, 05:21 AM
I look forward to the meeting, gardens are important ways to shock ourselves into realizing how disconnected we are from food production. On the theme of “grounding”, I also believe strongly in the importance in local vibrant green spaces. Having subconsciously missing productive outdoor work or relaxing outdoor spots since I’ve lived in Tacoma, I’m excited about this meeting.
Cheers!
11 | Posted by Chris | Apr 17, 03:04 PM
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