WHAT:
The Sustainable Communities Network
volunteer opportunities
Community Gardens
WHEN:
Spring
WHERE:
Urban gardens all over Lexington
DETAILS:
The daffodils, crocuses, the forsythia, and dandelions are blooming .......so it must be SPRING TIME!!!...and if it is Spring time..then it is time to work and play in the Community Gardens!
Listed below are summaries of ten community gardens in Lexington. In the next few days there are work opportunities at five of these gardens. These include: Winburn Community Art Garden, Dunbar Memorial Garden, London Ferrill Community Garden, Southland Community Garden, and Nelson Avenue Art Garden. If you have not joined a church home...or rather a Community garden home...then come join the fun ..get your hands dirty,...meet new friends...help create Gardens of Eating.
We welcome better descriptions/contact info for future web posting. If you know of other community gardens please let us know location/contact persons so we can post on our website Sustainlex.org . As you can see there is an urban gardening movement emerging in Lexington!!!
SPRING GARDEN PARTIES!
1) Winburn Community Art Garden
Location: Community Action Council at 1169 Winburn Drive.
The Winburn Garden begun fall 2007 is a collaborative effort between the Community Action Council, the Winburn Neighborhood Association, Russell Cave Elementary, Sustainable Communities Network, Northeast Lexington Initiative, and other individuals and businesses in the community. Children and adults are working side-by-side to create a beautiful and communal space. Our beautiful mural is the product of the UNESCO Art Miles Project coordinated locally by Jarah Jones and our native plants were furnished by Shooting Star Nursery . All art work and structures were completed using found objects as we stress the need to recycle and reuse to our youth (and ourselves!). We received pavers from kindred friends of the Dunbar Memorial Garden and placed these around trees to use as raised beds. Last fall we planted bulbs and they are peeping their cute heads out of the ground! Peas and lettuce were planted the last few weeks.
Join us! Several volunteers from UK, County Court and others will be present to help. Bring tools...donations of trees...veggie plants..flowers....seeds. The work will continue each Saturday in April and May 1pm -3pm.
For more information, contact: Catrena Lewis CLewis@commaction.org, Carloyn Benford, 221-9901,or jim embry jgembr0@cs.com . Click here to view pictures of Winburn Community Garden.
2) Paul Laurence Dunbar High School Memorial Garden
Reason and purpose: In the Fall of 2006 our students mourned the loss of a fellow student and friend named Josh Shipman. Realizing that they needed to find a way to not only express their sorrow but to celebrate this young mans life, the Gay-Straight Alliance requested a location at the school in which to plant a garden. While still in the planning stages, one of the GSA's own members, Jesse Higginbotham, was involved in an auto accident on the way to school on April 18, 2007 that took his young life. Together with members of the school including several clubs and organizations as well as with the help of many members of the Lexington community, the garden design has been crafted and on June 25th received approval by the Fayette County School Board.
The aim of the garden is to provide a place of sanctuary and beauty to the students of Dunbar as well as to the many family members and friends of the young ones who are no longer among us. It will be an ongoing project that will grow and take shape in other directions-providing a place to not only honor these people but also affording a creative outlet and an educational experience. Students and adults will work together learning proper planting techniques and discovering the ecological benefits of using native plants. Click here to see photos of the Dunbar Memorial Garden.
For more information, contact: Rebecca Woloch rwolochxxx@gmail.com.
3) London Ferrill Community Garden *
Location: between the Fire Station and Cemetery on East Third St. Named for London Ferrill who is buried in the Cemetery.
At this time the plots will be tilled, participant application/contracts will be given out, and assign individual garden plots. As of this Saturday, individuals can begin planting. Click here to view photos of the London Ferrill Community Garden.
For more information, contact: Sherry or Geoff Maddock: geoffandsherry@yahoo.com or 559.3837
*New in 08
4) Southland Community Garden *
Location: The garden sits in Hill N Dale Park (LFUCG) off of Southview and Fairview Drs. near Southland Dr.
Garden plots will be assigned, compost will be delivered and placed in raised beds, seeds exchanged, and fun!. This past Monday 10 raised beds were constructed with support from LFUCG City Council and Parks Dept., Neighborhood Association and community residents. Click here to view photos of the Southland Community Garden.
For more information, contact: Mason Colby mason.colby@gmail.com .
*New in 08
5) The Rock / La Roca (United Methodist Church)
Location: 1015 N Limestone; In 2007 La Roca had gardens behind Arlington Elementary, on Price Ave and Todds Rd.
Members of the church and surrounding community planted their garden together in April 2007. Since the original work days dedicated to planting, the garden was tended by neighbors from the community and in the spare time of those who work at and attend La Roca. The garden contained a variety of vegetables: tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and beans. Church leaders harvested vegetables and distributed them to neighbors. Community members were encouraged to harvest and use the vegetables themselves. Rev. Aaron and his congregation invited other houses of worship to find God in the garden and to create Gardens of Eating. You can see pictures of this garden in the at Community Garden Tour 2007. Click here to take the tour.
For more information, contact Rev. Aaron Mansfield; mansfieldclan@juno.com or (859) 255-0712.
6) Nelson Avenue Art Garden
Location: 318 Nelson Ave off of E Third St and Midland Ave.
The Nelson Avenue garden was begun in April as a project of the Youth GreenCorps (SCN,NELI) in collaboration with the Nelson Avenue community. In the spring of 07 the YGC worked together on the garden on Saturday mornings. Compost and mulch were donated by the Great Mulch Company on Midland Place and two pieces of art from recycled objects and bicycle parts were donated by local artists. Since the original planting and work days of the spring, the garden has been tended largely by youth of the community. Rakim Baker joyfully accepts the responsibility of cutting the grass every week. The garden contains a variety of different flowers, herbs, and vegetables in addition to various art projects and a horseshoe pit in the back. The Nelson Avenue Artgarden is connected in spirit to the Isaac Murphy Memorial Art Garden on Third St. and Midland, an idea that is still in the final design and capital funding stages but is intended to commemorate the contributions of Isaac Murphy and other African American jockeys to the history of Lexington and the horse racing industry, as well as be an active site for the community garden movement in Lexington. Click here to see photos of the Youth GreenCorps working on this garden.
For more information, contact Contact: BruceMundy BruceMundy46....@yahoo.com or (859) 494-4883.
7) Booker T. Washington Academy
Location: 475 Price Rd.
Booker T. Washington Academy school garden began spring 2007 and is used as part of school science curriculum. The school children have planted greens, lettuces, radishes and more...have eaten the produce in school and have taken some home. Last fall 07100's of flower bulbs purchased from a kind donation were planted and these flowers are also peeping their cute heads out of the ground! Spring planting will begin soon.
For more information, contact Alva Clark alvamc@gmail.com
8) Ballard Griffith Towers
Location: 300 West Second Street; part of Lexington Housing Authority.
The garden at Ballard Griffith Towers was established around 1998 in conjunction with the building's most recent renovation. It consists of several raised beds and a very beautiful pond full of water lilies and other aquatic plants, as well as many large koi fish. The garden and pond are cared for by several of the Towers' residents, and the vegetables harvested from the beds are shared among the people who live there. You can see pictures of this garden in the at Community Garden Tour 2007. Click here to take the tour.
For more information, Carolyn Smith, 859-281-5091
9) West End Community Empowerment Project (WECEP)
Location: Black and Williams Center 498 Georgetown St.
The Youth GreenCorps teamed up with the 70+ youth of WECEP's summer program the week of July 9th to re-establish a community garden and create art projects on the grounds of the Black and Williams Center. We planted flowers and tomatoes in existing beds and built raised beds for plants. Older students helped build a picnic table in the shape of a turtle using straw bale construction, and another group painted murals on pieces of plywood and a mailbox. The design of the turtle was selected in our desire to connect with the Native American tradition of referring to the North American continent as Turtle Island. You can see pictures of this garden in the at Community Garden Tour 2007. Click here to take the tour.
For more information contact: Melvin Cowan wecepvista2@yahoo.com or Dora Hudson (859) 255-0926.
10) Lexington Senior Center
Location: (Nicholasville Road/Alumni Drive)
The garden at the Senior Center has been in place for about 6 to 8 years. It is tended by the senior citizens who come to the center area. The produce that is harvested from the garden is shared among them. You can see pictures of this garden in the at Community Garden Tour 2007. Click here to take the tour.
For more information contact: Chris Strecker chrisstrecker@hotmail.com or Bruce Burris (latitudearts@yahoo.com).
Community Garden Tour 2008
Last year 2007 Sustainable Commuities Network in collaboration with other community groups organized the Lexington Community Garden Tour that involved 5 garden sites and more than 200 people including friends who attended from Bowling Green. This year the projected date for the tour is Thursday August 7....with a local foods meal to follow the Tour. Call Jim Embry if you want to participate or help organize for this event this year.
SPONSOR:
Sustainable Communities Network
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Jim Embry
859-312-7024
