Community CROPS Gardens provide more than food
Skills. Self-satisfaction. Relaxation. Friendships. Joy. These are things that thrive in the Community CROPS Gardens. And then there’s the food — lots of food.
Like the vegetables that are grown there, each garden has its own flavor.
The Women’s Community Garden at 28th and U streets is a small but important garden for women who live at Fresh Start, a shelter for homeless women.
“The garden is a big thing for us,” said Nicole Willis, a Fresh Start resident and garden volunteer. “Without it, we would do without a lot of things.”
In addition to providing vegetables and herbs for the group’s evening meals, the garden is a place where Fresh Start residents can spend time getting to know each other better.
“We even have water fights. That ought to tell you that we have a lot of fun,” Willis said.
Community CROPS coordinates six community gardens throughout the city. Two additional gardens at First and M streets and 30th and Dudley streets, which have been sponsored by Lincoln Action Program, will be coordinated by Community CROPS beginning later this year.
The P Street Community Garden was the first in 2003, but five others have since sprouted.
The gardens give immigrants, refugees and other city residents who don’t have access to garden space a chance to grow food, said Ingrid Kirst, Community CROPS director.
“We could use a lot more garden space. We’re overwhelmed with the number of people who want to sign up. People are very excited about the gardens.”
The P Street Community Garden is on an empty city-owned lot, which was cleaned up by volunteers. Land for the rest of the gardens is donated for use. Each site has water and tools. Seeds and plants are provided at the beginning of the season, although some gardeners buy their own.
The gardens flourish with the help of many good volunteers and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension Master Gardeners program, Kirst said.
In some cases, the gardens are as diverse as the gardeners.
* The Goodwill Community Garden, which is new this year, has both experienced longtime gardeners and college students tending plots. It includes lots of flowers as well as produce.
* The Indian Center Community Garden, 1100 Military Road, provides food for meals served at the center as well as for individual families. This garden includes varieties of native corn.
* The 46th Street Community Garden at 46th Street and Pioneers Boulevard is tended by Sudanese and Bosnian families and includes chickens.
* The P Street Garden at 23rd and P streets has Middle Eastern vegetables and herbs grown by Kurdish and Iraqi gardeners as well as other vegetables grown by native-born Americans.
* The Antelope Community Garden at Sumner Street and Normal Boulevard is in back of the Antelope Park Church of the Brethren. The garden, which receives a lot of volunteer help from church members, is managed by John Doran, a retired USDA soil scientist and adjunct professor in the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Agronomy and Horticulture department.
“The gardeners get the satisfaction of having a piece of land that they can work and feel part of,” Doran said.
This garden has more experimental projects than some of the other gardens, including test beds for permaculture, bio-intensive and vermiculture gardening methods.
The 50- by 100-foot garden is farmed by 26 people representing nine families from Bosnia, Poland, Greece, Nicaragua, Mexico, Britain, Nigeria and the U.S.
“There is an incredible amount of indigenous knowledge that people bring to the garden and I learn from them as well,” Doran said. “We have a lot of people working together. It’s just simply amazing.”
Community Farm to hold open house Sept. 7
Community CROPS collaborates on managing the Sunset Community Farm at Southwest 40th and West F streets.
The five acres of farmable land are divided into ¼-acre plots. This farm training program’s goal is to help refugees and immigrants get started in farming and provide a way for them to sell the produce they grow at farmers markets and other outlets.
The Community Farm will have an open house and tour from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sept. 7.
Like the vegetables that are grown there, each garden has its own flavor.
The Women’s Community Garden at 28th and U streets is a small but important garden for women who live at Fresh Start, a shelter for homeless women.
“The garden is a big thing for us,” said Nicole Willis, a Fresh Start resident and garden volunteer. “Without it, we would do without a lot of things.”
In addition to providing vegetables and herbs for the group’s evening meals, the garden is a place where Fresh Start residents can spend time getting to know each other better.
“We even have water fights. That ought to tell you that we have a lot of fun,” Willis said.
Community CROPS coordinates six community gardens throughout the city. Two additional gardens at First and M streets and 30th and Dudley streets, which have been sponsored by Lincoln Action Program, will be coordinated by Community CROPS beginning later this year.
The P Street Community Garden was the first in 2003, but five others have since sprouted.
The gardens give immigrants, refugees and other city residents who don’t have access to garden space a chance to grow food, said Ingrid Kirst, Community CROPS director.
“We could use a lot more garden space. We’re overwhelmed with the number of people who want to sign up. People are very excited about the gardens.”
The P Street Community Garden is on an empty city-owned lot, which was cleaned up by volunteers. Land for the rest of the gardens is donated for use. Each site has water and tools. Seeds and plants are provided at the beginning of the season, although some gardeners buy their own.
The gardens flourish with the help of many good volunteers and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension Master Gardeners program, Kirst said.
In some cases, the gardens are as diverse as the gardeners.
* The Goodwill Community Garden, which is new this year, has both experienced longtime gardeners and college students tending plots. It includes lots of flowers as well as produce.
* The Indian Center Community Garden, 1100 Military Road, provides food for meals served at the center as well as for individual families. This garden includes varieties of native corn.
* The 46th Street Community Garden at 46th Street and Pioneers Boulevard is tended by Sudanese and Bosnian families and includes chickens.
* The P Street Garden at 23rd and P streets has Middle Eastern vegetables and herbs grown by Kurdish and Iraqi gardeners as well as other vegetables grown by native-born Americans.
* The Antelope Community Garden at Sumner Street and Normal Boulevard is in back of the Antelope Park Church of the Brethren. The garden, which receives a lot of volunteer help from church members, is managed by John Doran, a retired USDA soil scientist and adjunct professor in the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Agronomy and Horticulture department.
“The gardeners get the satisfaction of having a piece of land that they can work and feel part of,” Doran said.
This garden has more experimental projects than some of the other gardens, including test beds for permaculture, bio-intensive and vermiculture gardening methods.
The 50- by 100-foot garden is farmed by 26 people representing nine families from Bosnia, Poland, Greece, Nicaragua, Mexico, Britain, Nigeria and the U.S.
“There is an incredible amount of indigenous knowledge that people bring to the garden and I learn from them as well,” Doran said. “We have a lot of people working together. It’s just simply amazing.”
Community Farm to hold open house Sept. 7
Community CROPS collaborates on managing the Sunset Community Farm at Southwest 40th and West F streets.
The five acres of farmable land are divided into ¼-acre plots. This farm training program’s goal is to help refugees and immigrants get started in farming and provide a way for them to sell the produce they grow at farmers markets and other outlets.
The Community Farm will have an open house and tour from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sept. 7.
Copyright © 2002-2008 Lincoln Journal Star. All rights reserved.