Shared plots bring communities closer

Imagine three vacant lots languishing untended for many years. Picture 100-year-old oak trees towering forlornly among the weeds. Some might see these overgrown lots in Coeur d’Alene and envision homes or maybe an apartment building. Not Kim Normand. Her vision was rows of carrots, tomatoes and herbs, and food for the hungry. Normand contacted Realtor Marshall Mend, who owned the property at 10th and Foster, and asked if he’d be willing to let her use the lots as a community garden. He was delighted with the idea. From there a unique collaboration grew that included the Community Roots Program, the city of Coeur d’Alene, local schools and others. “We stared out with nothing,” says Normand. “But it snowballed and got better and better.” Originally, organizers planned 29 plots, but this goal soon proved too small for the amount of interest the project generated. “We ended up with 52 plots, plus five for Sorensen Elementary,” Normand says. “It costs $25 to rent a plot for the season but you must give 10 hours of work per season and donate half of your bounty to Community Roots.” The Community Roots program distributes the produce to area food banks. Normand hopes this garden will be a template for other community gardens. “The 52 plot members involved really feel like they’re giving back.” The Shared Harvest Community Garden is located at 10th and Foster in Coeur d’Alene’s Garden District. For more information about the garden or for details about “Dinner Under the Stars,” an upcoming benefit, contact Kim Normand, 208-664-0608 or e-mail cda2garden@roadrunner.com Shared Harvest is just one example of many community gardens in the Inland Northwest. Here’s a sampling of a few in the Spokane area. East Central Community Garden: This year-old garden incorporates property around a City Water Department pump house. Organizer Angela Foltz Dirscherl said the idea of community garden here came via the Water Department: “They’re watering grass right now, so why not food?” The planning committee created space for the gardeners to relax and enjoy the camaraderie that working in the soil side by side often generates. Picnic tables beneath lofty maple trees provide a shady place to relax. Plans for a gazebo for harvest celebrations are under way. Area businesses have been supportive. Dirscherl says. “We received a large donation from Plantland— pots of tomatoes and peppers.” Dessert Jewels Nursery donated eggplant and squash. Like most community gardens the project involves many neighborhood organizations and individuals. Dirscherl says Master Gardener Pat Munts has been especially helpful. “(Pat) has been a huge asset to this project. She’s the guru!” she said. Currently, 20 beds are planned and eventually four beds will be created for those with disabilities. On July 21, Mayor Mary Verner and others attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony to officially open the garden. The East Central Community Garden is at Ralph and Hartson in southeast Spokane. For more information call 509-625-6699 or visit www.ecccspokane.org/community%20garden/community_garden.htm Pump House Garden: This plot on Crestline and Hoffman, south of Wellesley, is the second garden located at a city pump house. Contact Donna Fagan 509-475-2180 or donnaf34@gmail.com Riverfront Farm: According to Connie Copeland Malone, Riverfront Farm is actually a “scattered site urban farming effort.” The hub is located on west Boone Avenue, and there are four other sites nearby. These gardens are part of Project HOPE, a community-based at-risk youth and gang prevention/intervention program. Malone, a Project HOPE board member says gardens offer young people enrolled in the organization’s Jobs Not Jails program “green-collar” summer jobs. This year volunteers raised enough funds to train 17 youths ages 11-15. And thanks to federal stimulus money, six more young people ages 16-24 are currently enrolled. “We split them into three teams; lawn care, gardening and marketing,” said Malone. The youths maintain the gardens and sell the produce at a mini Farmer’s Market in front of the Book Parlor on west Broadway. Currently, the group is renting out a couple of beds, but hope to expand their reach. Malone says, “We plan to add one lot per year— we want to include more community beds.” Riverfront Farm is at 2605 W. Boone Ave. Contact: Connie Copeland Malone, 509-434-8160 or www.projecthopespokane.org/ St. Margaret’s Vinegar Flats Community Garden:One World Garden: At One World Community Garden you can step across the alley and enjoy a taste of the harvest at the affiliated One World Spokane Organic Community Kitchen. The garden raises food for the non-profit restaurant as well as other rows for low-income residents. Volunteer gardeners are always needed to help care for the raised bed garden. You can find the garden on the corner of First Avenue and Pittsburg Street. For more information visit www.oneworldspokane.com/one_world_garden or call 509-270-1608. Hemlock and Fairview Garden Volunteer garden manager Robert Sloma credits the emergence and popularity of community gardens to the economic downturn. He also says the example Michelle Obama set in planting a vegetable garden at the White House might spark additional interest. The garden at Hemlock and Fairview, just off Northwest Blvd. features both raised and flat beds. For more information contact Robert Sloma 509-328-2523. Northeast Community Center Garden: Established in 1994, this garden is one of the oldest community gardens in the Spokane area. For many years the garden was located at the community center, but in 2007 moved to its current location at Rypien Field. The expansion offered even more room for neighbors to garden together. You can find the garden at the corner of Lacey Avenue and Liberty Street in northeast Spokane. For more information call the NECC at 509-487-1603 or visit necca.myspokane.net/ Community gardens offer a welcome old-world connection in our fast-paced society. “I see the main benefits of a community garden being the fact it brings neighbors together,” said Master Gardener Pat Munts. “While they are growing food they are talking about what is going on in their lives and in their neighborhood. When they talk, things begin to happen and the whole community becomes stronger.”