How do community gardens grow?

How do community gardens grow?
Local gardeners unearth change in Eugenes patchwork of plots.
By Elizabeth Blodget

Two small children, a girl and a boy, chase each other along one of two wide, grassy paths cutting through a vast stretch of patchwork gardens. A man gently stops them as he packs up his gardening tools. After he leaves, the children continue to play more quietly at the center of the path. Nearby, large brown snails slowly eat away at a patch of iris, the snails slime trail catching the bright rays of the mid-evening sun.

The scene is set in one of Eugenes many community gardens. Each has its own unique character reflecting the gardeners that tend it. Some plots are traditional; some are more experimental. Some change year by year. So, too has the city of Eugenes Community Garden program changed, with transferring of stewardship and location of some gardens currently in transition.

In fact, change seems to be the most common crop growing at Eugenes Community Gardens. As of July 1, the city of Eugene is relocating Community Gardens Program management from the Outdoor Program at the River House to Public Works Parks and Open Spaces (POS).

River House staff say they hope POS will have more resources available to support the community gardens. In the past, according to River House Outdoor Program Manager Marilyn Kalstad, budget cuts have reduced the amount of resources available to oversee management.

Parks and Open Spaces sent out notices of the change to gardeners in June. POS will not make any changes to the Community Garden Program during this growing season. Instead, the agency plans to gather input from community gardeners to help direct the programs future.

Shuffling the gardens to another department will allow the River House to focus on education programs that teach the community safety, environmental awareness, and life skills through the Outdoor Program and Library Arts Cultural Services.

More change is occurring elsewhere in town, and for Alton Baker Parks community garden, the change is more than just administrative. The City of Eugenes long-term master plan for expanding Alton Baker Park designates the creation of a natural meadow to be used as a gathering place for summer events that currently do not fit in the parks large grassy area, according to a spokesperson for the City of Eugenes Department of Public Works. The existing community garden and dog park will be moved farther down the road toward the Cuthbert Amphitheater.

But even amidst change, the River House Outdoor Program reported the community gardens popularity has grown. Ninety-nine to 100 percent of the garden plots have been rented during the past five years. All garden plots are rented for this season, and names are no longer being taken for the garden waiting lists.

øThe gardens have been around for a long time, and I think people in the community would like to see them grow,Ó says Chris Girard, Volunteer Parks Coordinator at Parks and Open Spaces.

A sense of community
øThe gardens have a sense of community that people dont get other places in their lives,Ó says Merry Bradley, Garden Manager at Amazon. øGardeners look after one another and help each other out. A man named Evan Jones used to garden at Amazon five years ago until it became too much for him.Ó Jones fell ill. Other gardeners helped him garden as long as he could and tended his plot while he was in the hospital, says Bradley.

Gardeners learn from each other. Evan Jones taught everyone how to make zucchini whistles out of the plants leaf stocks, which the Amazon community gardeners played during an award parade.

At River House garden, first-time community gardener Jennifer Nagy says she asks the more experienced gardeners for help. Jessie Campbell and Ben Hunter, who are gardening here for the first time, received some potatoes and sunflowers from a more experienced gardener.

Planting the seeds
The gardens have gone through several homes and changes during their history. When the Community Garden Program began in 1978, it was a large program with nine garden sites owned by the county. Within a few years, the sites were whittled down to the current five. A City Garden Coordinator position was eliminated during the recession of the early 1980s. In the 90s, the garden program became partially self-supporting; raising almost all of its revenue for maintenance, water and tools through fees. Administration was funded through the citys General Fund.

In the mid-1990s, the Volunteer Garden Manager Program started. One or two experienced gardeners volunteer to oversee a specific community garden and act as liaisons between its gardeners and the city.

Access denied
Produce theft has been something of a problem in recent years at the gardens. Bob Sanders, volunteer garden manager for Alton Baker Community Garden, says one day øI was walking into the garden, and this guy followed me in and started picking my tomatoes right behind me.Ó When Sanders confronted him and asked what he was doing, the man replied, øIsnt this for the community?Ó

For the most part, the problem of theft has improved this past growing season with the garden communities pulling together and putting up locked fences. Mathews Garden, which used to have homeless people camping in it and eating produce from the gardens, reports no theft this year. Bob Sanders says Alton Baker Garden has not had a problem with stealing since a locked gate was installed.

Whiteaker and River House gardens continue to have problems with theft. Whiteaker has had the most theft of any of the gardens, says Whiteaker Garden Manager Lou Swing. He says he has a tough time keeping locks on the garden gate because they also get stolen.

River House has not installed a new fence yet because its money is being saved to expand the garden, says River House gardener Rick Bickford.

Harvest time
Two of the gardens donate part of their produce to charity. Last year Mathews started dedicating its excess food and the food from one and a half plots to Food for Lane County (FFLC).

Amazon Community Garden also donates its surplus food to FFLC. Amazon has donated produce to FFLC since 1993 when they donated 250 pounds of food. Each year they have tried to donate more and more of their surplus. In the year 2000, Amazons gardeners donated 2,516 pounds of food, says Amazon Garden Manager, Alice Aikens. Alice Aikens and her gardener friend, Bunny Lawson, share one plot that is grown specifically for donation to FFLC.

A group of four plots at Amazon is growing food for donation to the Twelve Carmelites, a group of 12 Catholic nuns in Eugene.

Plotting your move
Before deciding to rent a plot, people should consider whether they are willing to take care of the land year-round. Next year, garden plots can be rented during the spring for household growing of vegetables and ornamental plants. Returning gardeners register for a garden plot before Feb. 28, while new gardeners may rent an unreserved plot starting March 15. At this point, it is unknown where renters will register for a plot. Amazon and River House sites fill up quickly.

Garden rules state the garden season runs from March through February and a gardener must begin gardening by May 15 or the nearest dry day. Planting permanent vegetation such as trees, berry bushes and shrubs is prohibited. The Community Garden Program strongly encourages using organic gardening methods. A gardener may not use herbicides or pesticides.

Each gardener has the opportunity to pay an extra $10 to use a garden tool shed between March and February. Tool sheds give gardeners access to a complete selection of basic garden tools including shovels, rakes, hoes and wheelbarrows. The tool shed at Alton Baker is not stocked with tools, but it is free for gardeners to use for housing their own equipment. All gardens are fenced and have a supply of water for the plants. Some scholarship funds are available to those who cannot afford to rent a plot.

For many apartment dwellers, community gardens are the only place to grow things. øHaving this much land is a good excuse to get outside in the evening,Ó says Ben Hunter, a gardener at the River House.

How the gardens grow
Each garden has its own advantages, disadvantages, and community.

Mathews Garden (15th and Hayes)
In the center of the large garden one plot is left fallow. There are signs that kids have played with their toys on this plot. Mathews Community Garden is located near Westmoreland Student Housing, meaning many gardeners are students with families. This central plot allows parents to bring their children with them while they garden.

Mathews Garden has 66 sites with plenty of sun. The garden expanded two years ago adding one row of five full plots. Mathews has a waiting list every year for gardeners hoping someone will decide not to keep their plot year-round.

For two seasons, Mathews has had a popular community composting site. Community gardeners and people in the neighborhood can drop off leaves in the leaf drop-off area and use them for composting. Compost workshops are presented by OSU Master Gardeners at Mathews for the whole community, as well.

Amazon Garden (28th and High)
Amazon Community Garden is one of the most popular gardens and has a low turnover of gardeners. Garden plots at Amazon sell out within five or 10 minutes, faster than most concert tickets. In the past, people have camped out at the River House the night before to acquire a plot.

Despite the popularity of Amazon and a demand for more plots, the garden will not be expanding from its current 45 full plots. A federally protected endangered flower species lives next to the community garden, which prohibits the garden from acquiring any more land for expansion.

River House Garden (301 N. Adams)
The tool shed at River House is well stocked with large garden tools, wheelbarrows and a variety of small hand tools. The tool shed also doubles as a green house for the gardeners. Seedlings in a cardboard plant box hang from a shelf. Other plants waiting to be planted are packed together under the hanging seedlings. A bad mouse hides behind some of the tools in the corner; he has been eating some of the gardeners seeds.

Located behind the River House, this is the smallest community garden. There are four full plots and eight half plots. Gardener Rick Bickford says the small size of the garden allows for a tight community. The River House Compost Education Garden is right next door. OSU Lane County Extension Service Compost Specialists offer community workshops there.

Alton Baker Garden (East end of parking lot at Alton Baker Park)
Alton Baker is a small garden with 20 full plots. Each plot has its own character. One plot has several sculptures decorating it as well as a blue bathtub. Others just look like tall grass until you walk up to them and notice tiny places carved out to grow fruits and vegetables.

Unlike most of the community gardens Alton Bakers tool shed does not have tools supplied by the city. Instead, it acts as a storage place for the gardeners own tools. The new Alton Baker site is similar to the old gardens location. It will still to be next to the dog park. The edges of the whole area are lined with large trees, but the garden is far enough away that it will be in direct sun for most of the day.

Whiteaker Garden (End of N. Polk Street)
Whiteaker Garden has a pleasant and somewhat private atmosphere even though it is located along the river bike path. Entering the garden, people walk through a wooden arch with cutout fruits and vegetables. The garden is surrounded by tall trees and a pleasant fence. It has wide paths between the garden plots. At the far end of the garden there is a view of the park and Willamette River.

One of the largest community gardens, Whiteaker Community Garden has 69 full plots. Garden Manager Lou Swing says Whiteaker does not have group composting, but individuals do compost.

Whiteaker Community Garden has the smallest tool shed out of all the community gardens, and it is due to be replaced in the next couple of years.

øWhiteaker is a positive place to garden,Ó says Swing. People help each other out. One woman works with the local families on five of the garden plots, says Swing. Whiteakers community is more solitary than some of the other gardens and has a wide variety of people. People grow herbs and flowers as well as produce.

Getting Rid of Slugs and Snails
1) Partially bury plastic containers filled half-full with a combination of:
1 Tablespoon molasses
1 teaspoon yeast and water
2) Place several of these containers around garden.
3) Change them regularly.

øThe best method of snail control is to eat them,Ó says River House gardener Rick Bickford. He says that they taste similar to oysters and recommends trying them seasoned and breaded with cornmeal.

øThe snails in this area are in fact the snails used in gourmet restaurants,Ó says Pat Patterson, Master Gardener Volunteer Coordinator for OSU Lane County Extension Service. The California Brown Snail was actually imported for that reason. The main thing a person must do before eating the snails is to feed them cornmeal and lettuce to purge them of any toxins.

Precooking of Snails:
1 kg snails
2 liters water
1 glass white wine or white beer
1 tablet chicken or meat broth
nutmeg grated
thyme dehydrated
1 onion
1 clove of garlic
pepper
1 pinch of clove
2 leaves of spearmint
parsley sprigs to garnish
leaf of laurel
1/2 sp. ground mustard
a chip of celery
a chip of ginger

Throw everything into a pot and cook for about one hour (the snails must become soft). Now they are ready to prepare.

Escargots a la Bourguignonne:
Serving size: 6
One of the oldest and most traditional preparations of the French cuisine

48 big cooked snails
450 g unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp. sugar
finely chopped parsley
pepper and salt to taste
bread crumbs

Empty and clean snail shells (can be artificial - ceramic). In large container, work the melted butter, sugar, salt, parsley, pepper and other spices to a smooth batter. Place a small amount of this batter inside each snail shell, insert a snail into the shell, then complete filling the cavity with soft butter batter. Sprinkle with the bread crumbs and the remaining melted butter. Arrange the snails on baking pan and bake in a hot oven for about 8 minutes. Enjoy!

Recipe provided by Rita Redaelli. Find more recipes for snails at www.geocities.com/NapaValley/7404/recipes.html. --EB