The group formerly known as the Bartlett Park Community Garden group met with Shari this Saturday to discuss the proposal. It was my first time down to the garden, I admired the obvious differences in gardening styles and all the plants thriving in their own little rectangles. I expected the neighborhood to be much worse, but it was nice, with people on the porches and very little going on. We met Joe, a member of the grounds committee and Tom, a gardener. Drew, Amanda and I grabbed a shovel and a pitchfork to turn the pile of compost while a few of the members worked on changing the filters in in the drip irrigation system.
When the new compost and all of its inhabitants were cozily tucked away under the older, more "digested" stuff, we talked with Joe about his expectations of our project. Joe wasn't much a fan of making a volunteer handbook, but for very good reasons. This is a community garden, people should be coming out to be in a happy place with their neighbors, family and friends. Garden members should get to know each other, teach and learn, and take care of the community.
We also talked shop with Tom, a week old member of the garden, who was in the process of amending his soil. He taught us that lady bugs eat aphids (a very common garden pest, often called plant lice, that will eat almost anything you plant) and earthworms are your best friend.
We left the garden and met Shari at her house where we talked over the proposal.
I was given an entirely new outlook on this project- more then likely because I had not yet met with Shari or Angela about what they needed. Our project shifted from a volunteer handbook to a guide for the drip irrigation system and an information pamphlet for Green Florida.
I feel a lot more confident in my understanding of the project after being able to talk everything out.
Shari also mentioned referring to the neighborhood the garden sits in as "underprivileged" should be avoided. After visiting the neighborhood, I understand why. We want this community to be proud of where they live, and not ashamed or belittled. We want to let the public know that Green Florida isn't around to help a lesser neighborhood out, but to show them that they can help themselves.
Hey guys,
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you had an opportunity to get elbow deep in the compost pile! It's one of the most fun parts of the garden, in my opinion.
I wanted to clarify something: The garden is named the Bartlett Park Community Garden. The non-profit organization that runs the garden is called Green Florida.
Also, as you figure out the language you're going to use in describing the work we do at the garden, keep our mission statement in mind: "Green Florida is a non-profit organization that creates community gardens and helps neighborhoods organize for the transition to a green economy."
The neighborhood is organizing for local food, a more beautiful space in the community, workshops and trainings on new green economy job skills. Green Florida helps folks get it done, rather than the other way around.
Thanks for the writing work you're doing! It's a huge help.
Andrea Hildebran