Potential solution for garden waiting list?

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Permalink Reply by Sandy on April 11, 2010 at 9:36am

Thank-you for your kind words, Dawn. I think you will find the community garden community as a whole is very caring and passionate. Yes we may get political at times, but that is usually true of any group that is passionate about something they care about. :)

sagemom said:

I want to recognize Sandy for being an integral link in our garden community. I'm inspired. I get inspired when people say, " ... to share gardening ideas and ways to strengthen the community gardens as a whole." I've read this sentence more than a dozen times. I see a person who can lead. I see a person who cares that the families who need a garden plot get one this year.

I get inspired when people like Emily offer their garden tiller for others to use. I get inspired when Drew points the way to an organization like the Des Moines Izaak Walton League who can help till the Edmund's Community Garden. With no budget or resources to draw on at the eleventh hour of being ushered into coordinating a community garden.

The families this garden serves speaks four different languages. Sandy's husband helped solve that one right away. I could not be more grateful.

All of these people came through, they offered advice and suggestion. They made it possible for fifty families in our community to have a garden plot. To grow food that is organic, whole and nutritious. Low income families, refuges from other countries, and senior citizens have all benefited from the inspirations and answers here.

It's people like Sandy and each of you who have a vision, who care ... it's people like you who make a difference in the world.

Thank you for being.

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Permalink Reply by Donna on April 14, 2010 at 7:49am

Hi Peter,

"We should look to the city and ask the ? what are you the city and Mayor doing to rectify the fact that the city has all this unused land, that could be used to help those in need of food, and those who want to garden."

I completely agree!

"The other thing that you people may not be aware of is the fact that there are over 2,000 empty lots in the city of Des Moines. I wonder how many of those lots the parks dept could set up for gardening?"

How would a resident gain access to information regarding the 2,000 empty lots?

I have wondered how many Community Gardens the City's resources could support.

Thank you.
Donna

Peter Michael Sherinian said:

To respond to some of the ? and problems brought up. We still do not have an answere to the ? of how many plots are available this year. We wont know that untill everyone who wants to sign up again this year does so. Once we know that then we can figure out how many plots we have available and how many we can provide those on a waiting list if there are people waiting.I am sure there are but we still need to know how many. If there are not any, then this ? is mute. As for the use of the park for the function as a garden I believe the city parks dept. has the final say as to how much we can use as a garden not the gardners. We submitted a plan and they approved it if we want to change it I assume we have to submit a new plan that they would approve or not. As for the garden labyrinth it is ready to be planted for any one who wants to plant small flowers and herbs. That was its original intent I would also like to see some miniture vegatable plants in there as well. I think that would add nicely to the labyrinth. I think we also have come to the conclusion that we should not grow mint in the Labyrinth because of the problems with it. I also would recommend not growing any cilantro. We did that last year and it made everything else we grew taste like cilantro. The original reason we decided to have the Labyrinth was for the purpose of growing herbs and flowers that anyone could come and pick and take home even if they did not have a plot at the garden. It was to be open to the puplic. I still think that is a good and generous idea. The other idea behind it was to create an interesting place with the layout of the bricks and to maintain a sense of what was originally there IE the wading pool.
I also think we need to remember that this is not just a garden its also a park. I am as interested as anyone in providing space for the growing of vegatables. But I am also interested in maintaining a sense to the park as a park and a place were people can come and enjoy it for that reason as well, and not be selfish and only see it as a place for the gardens.
There has also been a point made that this is the only place were some people can come and garden because of the lack of space at other gardens IE the Franklin garden and others. I have heard some bad things in regards to the management of the Franklin garden. I dont know if these facts are true, but if so then they need to do something themselves to solve those problems or the city should do something.
The other thing that you people may not be aware of is the fact that there are over 2,000 empty lots in the city of Des Moines. I wonder how many of those lots the parks dept could set up for gardening?
The other intersting fact is that the city of Des Moines owns 25% of the land that makes up the area of Des Moines. That is a huge amount of land and I am sure that enough of that land could be set up to provide an acre or more for every person who wanted to have there own acre of land to grow food on in this city.
Instead of "COMPLAINING" that we don't have enough space for eveyone. We should look to the city and ask the ? what are you the city and Mayor doing to rectify the fact that the city has all this unused land, that could be used to help those in need of food, and those who want to garden.

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Permalink Reply by Kyla Cox on April 16, 2010 at 8:34am

The great thing about all of this is that people want to garden! And we are finding ways to do it as small communities. It seems to add to our resiliency as a community when we are able to negotiate thru the questions part to the solutions. I am just glad to see the increased passion for community gardening! Two words-Community & Garden-two very important words. Now when I am traveling around the city, I see it so differently. I see so many spaces where we can grow food. My 3 year old granddaughter is sitting across from me right now. I think in her life there will be gardens where there are now huge expanses of lawn...Here's to more gardens!

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Permalink Reply by Peter Michael Sherinian on April 18, 2010 at 1:57am

You hit the nail on the head Kyla. When I travel between WDSM and DSM I am amaized at how much waisted land there is. All that boring grass that could be turned into gardens and I am not just talking about the cities wasted land. The big corporations south of the city and the Park ave. corridor east of 63rd Street. Just think if the people that worked in those buildings could leave work at the end of the day and step out of there office door to a garden that they helped build right there on the property of that office building. Or in the morning before work, they arrived to work an hour early to work on there office garden. Think how much more productive they might be if for lunch they got an extra half hour to work on there office garden. The other thing that it would provide is a beautiful sight for those people traveling back and forth. The other thing those corporations would be able to do is save on the cost of lawn services. The one other thing I see when I take that drive is the west south west end of water works park off of George Flag Parkway. That space is empty. It would be very easy for the city to plant 10,000 apple trees there. At $100.00 per tree it would only cost 1 million dollars. All those apples could feed a lot of hungery children, and the trees could be paid for with a gift from one of our multi million / billion dollar corporations in downtown Des Moines and a tax write off for one of them as well. The ? of money to do these things is mute. Its out there and available whether from the feds or corporations, make no mistake its available. The city IE the Mayor just needs to ask for it. There is a saying in sales "If you dont ask for the sale you dont make the money"

Kyla Cox said:

The great thing about all of this is that people want to garden! And we are finding ways to do it as small communities. It seems to add to our resiliency as a community when we are able to negotiate thru the questions part to the solutions. I am just glad to see the increased passion for community gardening! Two words-Community & Garden-two very important words. Now when I am traveling around the city, I see it so differently. I see so many spaces where we can grow food. My 3 year old granddaughter is sitting across from me right now. I think in her life there will be gardens where there are now huge expanses of lawn...Here's to more gardens!

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