UpperWHO’s Community Garden is just one of our neighborhood’s wonderful assets. It is located at 2407 Upton Ave N. Here you will find committed neighbors working the land together and sharing in the harvest. All are welcome to stop by the garden and pick whatever vegi they desire.
A great resource for gardeners!
The following photos were taken in the community garden on August 16th, 2010.
News:
I stopped by the garden Friday (8/13) evening and picked a plastic bag FULL of TOMATOES and PEPPERS and LEMON CUCUMBERS. I stopped after that bag because I didn’t have time to figure out what to do with all of them this weekend. But, perhaps you do! Drop by and pick some for a great salsa or marinara sauce.
Don’t let these beauties to go to waste!
Maria B.
Several tasty dishes at this year’s NNO gathering were made with fresh herbs and vegetables harvested from the U-WHO garden (2407 Upton Ave N).
Feel free to drop by the garden sometime – or on a Tuesday night from 6-8pm (gardeners will be present and would love your presence and assistance) – to pick some fresh produce!
Gardening at Night: Tuesdays at the U-WHO Garden
People from the neighborhood gather at the U-WHO Community Garden on Tuesday evenings to roll up their sleeves work on the garden. If you have not joined in on a Tuesday work night, please consider it. Working in the garden is a great opportunity to learn about gardening, collaborate with your neighbors and enjoy the night air.
U-WHO residents begin to arrive around 6 pm and wrap up by 8:30. (Warning: Chatting, planning and sharing often go on well past that!)
If Tuesday nights are not possible for you, know that you are always welcome to drop by and do whatever you see that needs doing, including weeding – senseless acts of weeding are welcome at any time!
June/July Work Nights
We are looking for additional folks to tackle a variety of projects with us in June and July:
o Planting. A couple new beds were tilled up earlier this week, so additional planting may be on the agenda for this coming Tuesday, June 15.
o Weeding. This is an ongoing summer project. Bring your gloves, a hoe/trowel, etc. and lend a hand. Extra tools are often available, so if you do not have tools of your own, come on over anyway and we will find a way to put you to good use!
o Staking/Caging tomatoes.
· We have some donated stakes and cages, but if you have any spare ones lying around, we could use them.
o Watering. The recent rains have meant that not much watering has been needed so far this season, but if the weather changes, we may need to water on Tuesday evenings.
o Sprucing up the back of the lot and keeping it clean.
· Collect and organize items that have accumulated at the back of the lot.
· Plan and execute steps that discourage dumping at this location.
o Working on the berm/hill at the front of the property.
· Planning what to plant (annuals and/or perennials).
· Digging up the rest of the berm /hill at the front of the lot.
· Procuring plants – donations of plants you may have too many of at home would be great!
· Planting the hill.
o Spreading Compost. An order for an additional 10 cubic yards of compost has been placed. Delivery will be late June or early July. We will need wheel borrows, shovels and folks with strong backs.
If any of these projects is of particular interest to you, or if you have questions about/ideas for Tuesday work nights, please email me at mbernardy(at)usfamily(dot)net and I will be happy to follow up.
Submitted by Maria Bernardy, 2300 block of Vincent Ave. N.
The short essay below was sent by the woman whose work was the inspiration for the garden in our neighborhood. I hope you enjoy it.
Jim L.
Since the non-profit organization Urban Farming (that I work for) is based in Detroit and since many of the gardens in Detroit are Urban Farming Community Gardens, I can speak to the thought process behind communal gardening of those and the nearly 1000 gardens we have established in 30 cities across the US and in 4 other countries.
Urban Farming Community Gardens were established with the intention of feeding people. Anyone can take the food they need, which immediately eliminates the concept of stealing-the food is for everyone (in Green Science Gardens at schools the school community decides how the produce is distributed in order to allow for student study of plants).
Our gardens are tended by volunteers and organizations who enjoy gardening and want to give back to the community. In the spirit of our mission, volunteers can take what they need. In this system everyone benefits-another trademark of Urban Farming, win-win scenarios. Less experienced gardeners learn from more experienced gardeners, youth learn to build raised beds and rainbarrels, people organize community events, and we all benefit from gathering the community-the community is safer, the people in the community are connected, and there is access to healthy food options.
We are applying this philosophy to Community Gardens all over the Twin Cities, and the world. We are engaging youth organizations, religious organizations, schools, seniors, neighbors, and groups of corporate volunteers.
What I believe makes it work is the seed of generosity that is planted when Urban Farming gives whatever we can toward starting a garden. It seems to allow those who participate to feel generous in turn-both in their willingness to contribute their own time and resources, and in their willingness to share much of what is grown.
I feel very fortunate to be involved in this movement. We are making a difference in the fabric of our culture-one garden at a time.
To the garden!
Cherry Flowers
Urban Farming
www.urbanfarming.org
Minneapolis-Owned Vacant Lots Available for Community Gardens
The City of Minneapolis is making 21 “non-buildable” City-owned vacant lots available for community gardeners to lease, in a pilot program to help make Minneapolis more beautiful, provide healthy food and build community. Minneapolis already has more than 100 community gardens throughout the city.
This pilot will make leases available for community gardens on 21 City-owned lots. These lots were selected because they are not appropriate for development. This means that they will remain available for years of gardening even as the economy changes and redevelopment picks up. Lots are available first-come, first-served to qualifying groups. Experienced community garden groups may be eligible for three- to five-year leases, while groups gardening for the first time will start with one-year leases.
A qualifying group is a not-for-profit or a group with a not-for-profit sponsor. The garden will need to have liability insurance; usually this is liability insurance with the City as an additional insured party. Applicants should be ready to discuss the layout of the community garden, how it will be managed and how it will engage and benefit the community.
The Community Garden Pilot Program is part of Homegrown Minneapolis. Homegrown Minneapolis is an initiative of the City of Minneapolis to improve the growth, sales, distribution and consumption of healthy, locally grown foods within the city and the surrounding region. A community garden program is one of nine Homegrown Minneapolis recommendations adopted by the City Council.
For more information on the Homegrown Minneapolis Community Gardens Pilot Program, visit the City’s website.
Please contact Jim Lovestar with any comments or questions regarding the community garden. Email him here or call him at 612-588-8984.
Over the Summer we hope to feature beautiful neighborhood yard gardens on this page.
Check out this video:
Summer 2009 gathering in the community garden:
