[b]Italian Village Community Garden @ Summit & 2nd[/b]
Aaron Carmack is one of the residents gardening here
Frank Elmer and Ruth Glass have the property for sale for a price of about $130,000. Carmack said “everybody knows that the day this lot sells, the days are numbered then for the garden.”
But for the past 3 years neighbors here have been growing flowers and vegetables. There are 16 raised beds, each about 4 ft x 16ft.
The garden gets plenty of sun all day. And this year Carmack and his friend Jason Slaygle installed an irrigation system that operates automatically, watering the garden in sections between 3 and 5 am each day. Residents here say this makes watering more efficient and less time-consuming.
What they do use comes from Carmack’s home a couple hundred feet away, They all pay for a portion of the water bill.
And there is some involuntary sharing going on as well.
“Some people come by and steal stuff from us. The first year we were kind of ticked off but then we were like ‘well, it’s ok; that’s just what happens.’ I actually have one guy that comes to visit me–he’ll come next month (as the tomatoes get ripe)–and he’ll ask to take some of the tomatoes. So, I’ll say ‘well, yeah, sure; take what you want.’”
Three years ago when they started the garden, Carmack and other residents chose raised beds instead of tilling.
“Well, underneath this, it’s just good ole Central Ohio clay. So, to have tilled this lot and then make amendments to it we thought was going to be too difficult. Plus, none of us have any tools that could do that.”
So, they had cinder blocks and topsoil delivered. Carmack said he and fellow gardeners try to be as organic as possible, but have resorted to using a pesticide in at least one case.
“We were getting the Mexican Bean Beetle that was kind of tough to battle. We were having a hard time growing beans last year and again this year.”
Carmack said people who want to start a community garden might want to try approaching the private owners of unimproved lots. In some cases, for financial or other reasons, the owners may be willing to allow people to garden on the property until it’s sold.
This approach might not be acceptable to some community gardeners who’d prefer to have access to the site of their garden in perpetuity, so as to build the soil and establish a long-standing tie to the surrounding community.
But many, if not most, community gardeners in Columbus have yet to realize that ideal. Many of the community garden sites are rented from the city, and subject to being sold sooner or later. So what Carmack and his neighbors have done might work for some of us.
He said it’s been worth the effort for him.
“Is it a cost-effective thing for us—-whatever I put into my garden versus going to the North Market or Giant Eagle , or Kroger to buy the same yield of vegetables, or to get a CSA ? It’s probably 50/50….But there’s the learning (to grow food) side of it and the social side of it. It’s fun. Actually, really for us (he and his wife Gwyn) the best part of it is the neighbors that we’ve come to really get to know.”
Carmac pointed out a few surrounding lots that are for sale in his neighborhood near 2nd and Summit.
” It’s not my call, but if we could, we’d fill all of these with gardens. I have a waiting list of people that would like a plot here. ” [url=http://wcrsfm.org/content/aaron-carmack-italian-village]WCRS Columbus Community Radio[/url]
Another Italian Village Community gardener who seemed to be enjoying the festivities that Sunday evening was Megan Schmidt.
“We’ve been doing it for 3 years. Every year I add something new. I’ve really learned a lot over those 3 years.…This year we decided to do okra, watermelon, raspberries, red onions…”
Schmidt also is growing Brussels sprouts, lettuce, green beans, cherry tomatoes, “mystery peppers” and Beefsteak tomatoes. Schmidt said the garden is a nice gathering place.
“It’s really fun. It (gardening) is more fun with your neighbors and friends.”
Living only a little ways down the street, she can go and grab while preparing her dinner.
“The best thing is eating what you grew out of your garden. It’s a good feeling.”
Schmidt planted some non-veggies such as Black Eyed Susans and Arizona Blanket Flowers.
“It adds color…and attracts butterflies and bees which is good for the garden.”
[url=http://wcrsfm.org/content/megan-schmidt-italian-village]WCRS Columbus Community Radio[/url]
Using a soft material to tie tomato plants to their stakes (so they don’t get cut as they grow) is also good for the garden. That’s what Jeanie and Drew Simmons were doing by cutting old t-shirts into strips.
Jeanie Simmons doesn’t worry about losing the garden when the property is sold.
” I definitely think we’ll look for some alternative since it’s been such a good experience, but until then, we’ll just enjoy what we have.”
Simmons said getting to know your neighbors is important for having a community garden near your home.
Her husband Drew suggests that people simply jump into gardening.
“Just do it. I’m not much of a green thumb. Some stuff comes up every year. Some stuff doesn’t, but it’s great to see what you can do.”
The city leases properties to community gardeners for a low yearly fee. But Drew Simmons said it might be worthwhile to approach private owners about using lots they have for sale.
Using someone else’s property for the site of a community garden while they try to sell it seems more of an option than buying the property just to garden on it.
According to Carmack, a lot for sale near this garden is listed at about $70,000. The property where neighbors here currently garden is listed at $130,000.
Simmons said letting people have a community garden on properties for sale might appeal to at least some of the current owners trying to sell them as well as at least some prospective buyers.
“About the pros and cons , there might be some people who look at the property and say ‘wow, I wouldn’t want to buy that property and then have neighbors who are upset because I’m the one who bought the garden property.’
“But the other way (of looking at it), we think it’s a great advertisement for the community. Anybody who’s looking to buy the property and build on it would know that there’s a group of neighbors here that are active and social with each other and that there’s something going on that could be easily moved to another property. It’d be a great selling point.” [url=http://wcrsfm.org/content/jeanie-and-drew-simmons-italian-village]WCRS Columbus Community Radio[/url]
As the Sunday evening went on, about a dozen or so people converged at the garden. I didn’t talk with all of them, but I did get to talk with two more people: Amy Gariff-Adams and Colin Adams.
Gariff-Adams said their plot has been a success. “We’ve tried shallots for the first time and they look great. Swiss chard took a little while to take off. Lettuce was awesome–pulled out, but will be replanted in the fall. The mint is taking over. The tomatoes look lovely. We’re very pleased.”
“We had some trouble a couple years ago with Blossom End Rot. This year we don’t seem to have that…We’re hoping for the first time ever to can tomatoes this year.”
Her husband Collin explained the garden’s beginnings. “This all happened by sheer accident. Aaron (Carmack) asked the landowners here if we could throw in a few tomatoes and they ( Frank Elmer and Ruth Glass ) said ‘why don’t you just start a community garden?’”
Adams said many of his fellow gardeners strive to be organic in their methods, but that he doesn’t. Pointing to his tomatoes, he said, “I Miracle-Gro the hell out of these things. And look at the bumper crop I’m getting this year. Thank you, Miracle-Gro.”
Earlier that evening I had marveled at the prolific clusters of tomatoes. As someone who considers himself an advocate of organic gardening and farming, hearing Adams attribute his bounty to Miracle-Gro surprised me. And for some mysterious reason, it also amused me.
Adams was modest about his gardening success, so it took some prodding to get him to offer advice to others wanting to do this, “It just takes some people with some land, a water source, a generous spirit, and people coming together to make it happen.”
audio from [url=http://wcrsfm.org/content/amy-colin-adams-italian-village]WCRS Columbus Community Radio[/url]
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