Commitment grows in community garden The Palmetto Park garden began four years ago with a grant. Now the project is being expanded and refurbished. PAUL SWIDER Published January 29, 2006
>From a simple garden, Palmetto Park is working to grow - and feed - its community. "We're having some revival in the area because a lot of people are involved in it," Lurlis Simmons, Palmetto Park Neighborhood Association president, said of the group's community garden at 2519 Third Ave. S. The neighborhood started the garden four years ago with a grant from Front Porch. The project's popularity brought growing pains, so the group applied for and received expansion funding from the city's Neighborhood Partnership Matching Grant program. "We're in the process of rebuilding the garden and refurbishing everything in it," Simmons said. He added that produce from the garden is given to neighborhood residents who need it. The group received $8,000 from the city and is matching it with $42,000 worth of volunteer labor. The grant will pay for a new shed to store equipment, as well as gardening tools and equipment and some lights for security. The city requires applicants to at least match whatever money the city puts into a project, but Palmetto Park's award represented the greatest percentage contribution of the 12 neighborhood projects splitting $211,000 in grants this year for nearly half a million dollars in project work. "This is our first grant for a community garden," said Susie Ajoc with the city's Neighborhood Partnership program. She said the fact that this project is more about community involvement than hardware makes it ideal for the city's 13-year-old grant program. "One of the reasons we have grants is to encourage participation." Over the next few months, the Palmetto Park association will roughly double the amount of land under cultivation at its garden. The enhancements will also allow the garden to produce crops all year long. "We get quite a bit out of there now," Simmons said. The harvest - okra, cabbage, lettuce, turnips, collard greens, tomatoes, beans, peas and more - feeds about 200 people in the neighborhood who are elderly, on fixed incomes or otherwise unable to afford fresh vegetables, Simmons said. The association has begun work on garden improvements now while the land is fallow, but will discuss more about the project at its next meeting Feb. 21 at the Regeneration Building, 2301 Third Ave. S. Simmons said the group gets volunteers of all ages from within the community, but also has a relationship with Youth Build and Eckerd College to supply even more help. He said the more people get involved, the more the neighborhood benefits from the garden's rewards. "We have a very unique thing going on down there," he said. After a few weeks' renovation, Simmons said the group will replant in April. The group rents the lot from the city, but also enjoys help from Home Depot, Lowe's and Cox Lumber. He said there is much anticipation for the new season. "It's going to be a whole new process down there," Simmons said. "It will be a great change." Meetings JUNGLE TERRACE CIVIC ASSOCIATION: There will be a neighborhood cleanup Feb. 6 starting at 7 a.m. on the northeast side of Tyrone Boulevard N, from 26th Avenue N to 40th Avenue N. City crews will pick up large household items. No hazardous materials will be accepted. For information, call 343-2041. LAKEWOOD ESTATES NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH: A meeting will be at 7 p.m. Feb. 21 at the St. Petersburg Country Club. Police Chief Chuck Harmon will be the speaker. Readers wishing to submit information for the Neighborhood Notebook can contact Times staff writer Paul Swider either by e-mail at [EMAIL PROTECTED] or by phone at 892-2271. Neighborhood association presidents who would like to publish their organization's information directly to the Web on their own itsyourtimes.com blog should also contact Paul Swider at [EMAIL PROTECTED] ) Copyright, St. Petersburg Times. All rights reserved. ______________________________________________________ The American Community Gardening Association listserve is only one of ACGA's services to community gardeners. To learn more about the ACGA and to find out how to join, please go to http://www.communitygarden.org To post an e-mail to the list: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your subscription: https://secure.mallorn.com/mailman/listinfo/community_garden
