Building Community

Friday I had an interesting meeting with the founder of the E J Autism Foundation, an organization that strives to create autism awareness on Long Island and raises money to support programs that work with children on the autism spectrum.

One of the goals of the organization is to plan and create a community garden for the purpose of bringing together members of the community and welcoming children with disabilities and their families. Although still in the very early planning stages, the project already has the support of the Town of Islip and East Islip schools.

Digging out a garden seems simple enough, however, there are many questions to consider when planning a community garden including:
Where should it be located?
How big should it be?
Is it protected?
Is there access to water?
Should it be set up as a CSA or would individual plots be more appropriate?
Who will work at the garden?
Who will manage it?
What should be grown and who will receive the produce?
What will the start up costs be?

It is important to lay a solid foundation before planting the first seeds. After my initial meeting, it is my belief that this community garden will have the support needed to succeed. The founder has a sensible approach and has established a realistic time frame. It will be exciting to see how this garden develops and I am looking forward to providing some insight. More to come...

Just Do It

While I was busy looking out the windows and weighing different options, I felt compelled to do something to keep me physically engaged. "Larry," I asked my husband, "how would you feel about growing some things in the back yard?" "Sure, Jen," he said with a hint of trepidation in his voice. Because he knew what was coming. "Do you think you can help me out this weekend? I've rented a sod cutter." "Oh boy."

So we rented the machine and just did it. We cut out a large patch of the yard and began rolling up the sod. Sod is heavy stuff to move so we invited some professionals to our sod busting party to help roll it up and cart it away.

As it turns out, I've got a pretty great site for a garden. I plan to grow vegetables, herbs, and flowers so I needed a large, open area that was going to receive at least 6 hours of continuous sunlight. I had originally considered placing the garden closer to hedge so that the entrance was in line with the family room doors, but after observing the site for a few weeks, I realized that the area I had in mind was getting only afternoon sun. Moving the site just a few feet would ensure that the entire area received plenty of direct sunlight for most of the day.

The garden is visible to everyone in the neighborhood and has become a curiosity and a destination route for walkers, but it is nestled comfortably between my house and 2 tall hedges where it is enclosed on three sides and fairly well protected.

As far as size goes, well, I just couldn't help myself. For the past nine years I've been growing on a full acre so this 60 x 60 plot does not seem big enough to my eyes. But, I think it is a good place to start and if all goes well, I can always expand. Carefully planned, I should be able to grow most everything that I love and then some.

The site is almost perfect,but not quite. Since carting away the sod I have noticed some puddling in certain areas, mainly on the west side. This area seems slower to drain after a soaking rain. I know that the water table is high in my yard and there are underground springs running throughout people's properties. We do live in the village of BrightWATERS, after all. One thing that plants do not like is wet feet so I will plan to build up these wet areas with compost and wait to plant this section until later in the season when it tends to be drier.

Now when I look out the family room windows, even on cold wintry days, I am imagining a basket of early spring snap peas, tender lettuce greens, tangy arugula and fresh picked spinach and I am filled with the anticipation of spring.

Costs:
Sod cutter rental, pick up and delivery 140.00
Dump fee 125.00
Labor to remove sod 500.00

Out Back

Sometimes, the most obvious solutions are right in front of your eyes, but it takes a certain state of mind, an openess, to see them. For the past twelve years, I've gazed out the family room windows at my back yard, but somehow could only see it as a suitable place for a nice sized party, a game of badminton, and a landing area for flocks of geese. I've spent a good deal of time keeping the yard manicured, the grass green and cut short.

Is it possible that my next opportunity is just steps from my back door? Can I build a community around an organic garden right here in my own back yard? Maybe I've been looking at my next vision all along.

Do What You Love

So, what do I do now? Because I am a planner, not knowing exactly what I will be doing is unsettling. One day I am thinking about creating a farmer's market, the next a lecture series. Should I help a friend restore her back yard garden or grow dahlias on a vacant lot? Should I get involved in setting up CSA's in underserved areas or help the Autism Foundation see their vision of an organic garden come to fruition? Should I stay local or commute to New York City? Should I remain in the horticulture field or try something entirely different? I am amazed at how many interesting opportunities are out there. I was always so busy running the CSA that I never allowed myself time to consider anything else. I read recently that you should do what you love and do it well. So, with that in mind, I wait and think and try to consider every option with an open mind.

Time for a change

Change is good. I believe it with all of my heart, yet this particular change has not come quickly or easily. I have been procrasinating, waiting for inspiration, an aha! moment, a clean house, a stocked pantry, an organized desk. Today, however, I've decided to finally get on with it and write something, anything, because writing will help me to organize the real clutter, the memos and to- do lists that are taking up space in my head.

I have recently resigned as manager of a small CSA (community supported agriculture) project that I created nine years ago on the South Shore of Long Island, in New York. My CSA was made up of member volunteers who helped me to grow and maintain a beautiful acre of organic vegetables, herbs, and flowers that we divided amongst ourselves and donated to the local food pantry. I taught school children, hosted tours, wrote a newsletter, posted to a blog, gave lectures, mentored high school students and community volunteers, and in short, created a community of amazing people who grew to love the garden and each other.

I developed a passion for growing the food that I eat and I enjoyed knowing that it was free of toxic chemicals and pesticides. I became a better cook. I became an active participant in the food choices that I made. I became interested in the politics of food and began reading books on agriculture and food policy. I had become connected to the land, the programs, and the people. The garden was a place of healing and friendship as well as a spiritual place, where I could witness the miracle of growing things and blossoming relationships. I had grown to love my cultivated acre. It had become part of my identity, how I saw myself.

Disconnecting from the place that I have practically called home for so long has taken some time, but I have said my good byes and left the garden in very capable hands. And, what I have realized is that I am leaving behind only my legacy. Most of what was good about the garden ; the friends, the knowledge, the connections, and the trust, is in my heart and is coming with me on my next adventure. The community can easily be rebuilt, in another way, in another location. Sometimes all it takes is for one grain of sand to shift for a sea change to occur and I am ready for that change. It is time to begin another chapter and I must remind myself that it is not the destination that is important, but the journey itself. In time, the universe will provide and the path will become clear.