Spring Garden Parties

After 16 weeks, Spring Garden Clubs came to an end last week and we made sure to celebrate. As my loyal readers certainly know, the Garden Clubs were after school programs for kids at 3 of the apartment complexes in the neighborhood. At each property, we spent one afternoon a week over the last 4 months planting seeds and tending the seedlings as we learned about dirt, worms, vitamins, healthy food, and many additional random subjects the kids would bring up. To celebrate all their hard work, we had a party in the gardens at each property with food, games, garden activities, and a sign-making station. It was also an attempt to encourage some of the adult residents to come out, see how much the kids have accomplished in the gardens, and maybe, just maybe, take a greater interest themselves. Unsurprisingly, turnout was best at Centerwood and One Community Commons.

Centerwood's party had an additional activity, and 5 residents came out to help build their second container garden. Creating an L-shaped container to match the first one we built just a few weeks ago, we filled it to the brim with soil and transplanted flowers and two jalapeno plants. We then moved on to the first garden and transplanted two more tomato starts the kids had started from seed during one of their first Garden Clubs. The tomato and bell pepper plants we transplanted weeks ago have luckily survived the few cold spells we've had this June, and the carrot, spinach, chive, basil, and cilantro seeds have all begun to sprout.

At One Community Commons, the kids came with tons of energy and enthusiastically colored their sign asking the landscapers to respect their food garden. A couple adults came out to inquire about the garden, and walked away with some brochures on container gardening as well as a map outlining what the kids planted this season. They picked and ate some fresh lettuce, which made them excited at the prospect of eventually harvesting fresh tomatoes, carrots, peas, and peppers. One resident in particular decided she will contribute to the garden and plant some culinary herbs such as thyme and oregano.

Overall, the parties were a great capstone to the season. It has been a learning process for me, personally, to understand that even the smallest steps have merit. I find that I want and somehow expect monumental changes to occur, for residents to take a sudden impassioned interest in growing their own food and come together as a community overnight. While that hasn't occurred, the communities have all taken some action, however small or large, in the direction of greater food resources. And that is a success.