Gardening: The Current State of the Dream

What if we turned this - 

Into this? 

 

Much better, yes?

How I got my hopes up! I couldn't walk outside the front door and look at the parking lot - right next door - without seeing boxes overflowing with food-bearing plants and pollinator-attracting flowers, rain barrels, compost bins, benches, tables, happy people gardening... Several good people were on board with the plan including a city commissioner, the city official in charge of parking lots, a couple non-profits who wanted to partner on the project AND even a local organization who wanted to fund it. But the Community Redevelopment Agency, for whom I have great respect and admiration for their numerous projects downtown, does not seem to like it much.  On the one hand, they are hoping that soon the lot will be full of 70 parked cars, once they remove the parking meters (.25/hour), even though  now it is usually empty – as is half the parking garage located four blocks closer to the center of downtown. When I pointed out that we would only use half the lot and that the raised beds would be moveable and that we understood that the garden would only be temporary, they raised another objection: They might someday want to locate buildings there – and that if the garden were successful (beautiful, abundant, community-building), it would make it more difficult to build there.

Oh, Gainesville. You are so “progressive” in so many ways – a real beacon in Florida, like Boulder to Colorado, Madison to Wisconsin… You are that good. So, why, when there arises the possibility of transforming a virtually empty, asphalt-covered acre of yourself into something vibrant, at no cost to the city, with a full contingent of people ready and willing to take care of it (including one living right next to the property), do you lean so heavily toward preserving this empty ugliness while you wait for seventy cars or new buildings to materialize?

Transforming a parking lot into a food-producing garden is not only a practical good, it is so beautiful.  It’s the reverse of the old Joni Mitchell song – “They paved paradise and put in a parking lot.” It’s the direction we need to be going in as cities in general – fewer paved surfaces, more food bearing land. People would love it - too much, it is feared... Dang.

So, we’re back to square one - at least for spring planting - which is to make the use of the little space we have in the front of the house. I am trying to get re-excited about window boxes, earth boxes, and pepper pillars.  The little garden has been producing salad greens and herbs since we lost our last big garden during the summer. It can produce a lot more.  And it can be beautiful.

But dang.

 

Comments

[Nancy and David O'Byrne]

What a wonderful idea, Kelli. We'll just pray the city leaders will experience a transformation of the heart -- sooner rather than later!! Stay in the struggle. Love and Blessings, Nancy and David

p.s. You have some CRS Fair Trade coffee coming your way for your Cafe!!

[Tom Tito]

We have the same problem in St. Pete. The city wants to give a one year lease on a lot in the Kenwood area and the gardeners want a 5 year lease. Each side has different goals while both want to serve the public.

Don't give up. Keep looking for underutilized open space while you negotiate with the city. Its out there. Any ground that is planted with hard to maintain landscaping is a prime candidate for a garden. The city may want to help you find another property close by.

Public budgets are being cut as tax revenue goes down. This is the time to question why so much public space is used for lawns that only produce grass clippings. These spaces could grow food.

When we finally develop mass transit in Florida a lot of wasted space will be freed up for better uses.

In Bartlett Park our solution was to form a nonprofit and lease the land with an option to buy.

You might want to join our garden and participate in our internet courses.

http://www.bartlettpark.net/2010/02/composting-workshop-learn-to-transform.html