Friends,
This piece appeared in Kansas' "The Wichita Eagle" today. Would that the NY
Times, Washington Post, or other newspaper of record put this on their
editorial page. Must be some pretty smart people out there in Wichita!
Everbest,
Adam Honigman
Posted on Wed, May. 05, 2004
Growing
EDITORIAL: GROWING
Community gardens grow more than tomatoes and carrots -- they grow citizens
and neighbors. That's why it's great to see several community gardens thriving
in Wichita.
The community gardening movement started in America in the 1960s, and today
there are 6,000 community gardens nationwide, including at least four in
Wichita.
Organizing a garden with other folks, and sustaining it, is not an easy task.
Several key factors have to come together, including available land, access
to water, and especially the right group of gardeners who have the
determination and patience to overcome the many hurdles.
But the hard work can pay off, because these gardens offer a host of benefits
beyond broccoli: They often rehabilitate unused, vacant lots that are magnets
for dumping and crime. They provide additional green space in cities (such as
Wichita) that have a shortage of parks. And they bring people together and
grow community.
The site of the Hilltop Community Garden in southeast Wichita used to be an
illegal dumping area. Then a small group of visionary gardeners, with help from
Sedgwick County Extension and other sponsors, cleaned it up, brought in new
soil, and designed a garden space.
Before long, it was growing more than fresh vegetables -- it was producing
citizens, nurturing friendships and inspiring the neighborhood to pursue
further
improvements.
Wichita has three other established community gardens: the Good Harvest
Community Garden near 13th and West streets, the beautiful public vegetable
garden
at the Adorers of the Blood of Christ convent on Southwest Boulevard, and the
Garden of Eat'n at Garvey Park in south Wichita.
Gardens are remarkably flexible community-building tools. There is untapped
potential for school learning gardens, rehabilitative gardens for mental and
disabled patients, and gardens for seniors, among others.
Individuals or groups interested in starting a community garden or just
learning more about effective neighborhood organizing should attend a training
session by national experts Friday and Saturday at Inter-Faith Ministries, 829
N.
Market; call Justin Russell at (316) 264-9303, ext. 113. Or check out the
resources at the American Community Gardening Association's Web site,
www.communitygarden.org.
For the board, Randy Scholfield
