Community garden takes root By BRIAN BUILTA SPECIAL TO THE STAR-TELEGRAM Like a seed pressed gently into the earth, Arlington's first community garden has been quietly planted outside the cafeteria of St. Matthew Catholic Church on New York Avenue. Driving past the church, you would hardly notice the garden. You might even have a hard time finding it if you go to the church to see it. The garden is tucked in the cafeteria's courtyard, and only the northern edges of six of the 11 beds can be seen from the road. It is a small garden - each bed is 10 feet by 4 feet - but big plans rest on what might grow there. "This was just to get our feet wet," said Stephen Smith, president of Community Gardens of Arlington, who worked with the church to create the garden. "If we could add just one garden per year, we would be ecstatic." The idea for the garden sprouted when Smith and his wife, Jean-Marie, visited a community garden in Grapevine. The idea blossomed after they visited Coppell, a city with two community gardens, 101 plots and more than 1,200 volunteer gardeners. "In Coppell, we saw everybody working together," Jean-Marie Smith said. "They were having a great time, learning something and producing things." In September 2004, the Smiths formed Community Gardens of Arlington and approached the Parks and Recreation Department with the intention of starting a garden on city property. "The parks board unanimously agreed it was a good idea," said Gordon Robertson, parks planning manager. The board approved a location at Bob Cooke Park in east Arlington. But meeting the city's standards for what can be built on park property proved too expensive. After its grant proposal to National Semiconductor failed, Community Gardens decided to go a different direction. One member of the group was a congregant at St. Matthew, which was open to the idea of a garden. "They wanted a small demonstration garden, and we provide the land and the water," said Linda Lawler, officer manager at St. Matthew. "I think it's going to be a good start to their program." The plan is to harvest the vegetables each Saturday and give them to the St. Vincent de Paul Society food pantry at the church. This is the same principle upon which the Coppell Community Garden works. Amanda Vanhoozier, the community programs supervisor in Coppell, says fresh produce takes a food pantry to a higher level of service. She has seen the Coppell garden transform the people who dig in its soil. "The garden has brought people together who normally would not come together," Vanhoozier said. "And it is a great asset for kids, a way to bring them into a supportive environment. The garden is the vehicle - community development is what's going on." Two questions people might have about the project are: Why is a community garden on private property? And in a city of more than 350,000 people, is this really the first community garden? "It's typical for community gardens to be on private property," said John Darling, acting secretary for Community Gardens of Arlington. "Community gardens are rooted in social activism - citizens taking matters into their own hands." Robertson said he believes that this is the first community garden in Arlington, and Smith, who spent 18 months making the garden a reality, understands why. "You can't imagine how hard it was to set up an organization for gardening," Smith said. "All we wanted to do was dig." The garden at St. Matthew was dedicated March 11. And like the garden itself, the crowd was small: 15 people attended. But the success of the garden isn't about the number of people who participate or even the vegetables, Darling said. "Growing vegetables is important," he said, "but the sense of community, in an act that is constructive, has to be just as important."
IN THE KNOW Digging in Community Gardens of Arlington still had four beds available for planting as of Thursday. Contact: Stephen Smith, (817) 275-7469 or [EMAIL PROTECTED] The annual fee is $30. Gardeners must comply with organic-gardening principles. For more information about community gardens: American Community Gardening Association, www.communitygarden.org/links.php Texas Garden Clubs, www.texasgardenclubs.org email this print this ______________________________________________________ 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
