UTICA N.Y., April 22, 2009 -- The world is "going green," organic products are all the rage and healthy living is in. Utica is in pace with the new environmentally friendly changes as For The Good, Inc. collaborates with the city of Utica, Walmart and Cornell University to launch two new urban gardens.
The Urban Garden Initiative is a community-driven project that provides inner-city residents with fresh fruit and vegetables in exchange for work done in gardens set up by FTG. Last year the first urban garden, located on Linwood Place, helped to feed more than 100 Utica residents.
“What we are focusing on is feeding people in the inner city who don’t have the financial resources to feed themselves,” said Community Organizer Abby Getman of FTG. “If you grow your own food you will never go hungry.”
The initiative came to fruition after Cassandra Harris-Lockwood, CEO of FTG, and attorney Richard Pertz discussed a mutual passion to make people less dependent on foreign resources.
“It’s more dignified for people to grow their food rather than going to a soup kitchen, and it creates skills and strengthens their self-esteem,” Harris-Lockwood said.
Residents were skeptical of the first garden, started last year, until they began to see signs of transformation. The lot was quickly cleaned, weeded, and ready for planting. Soon the once vacant lot became a source of food and exercise for local residents.
Once people saw how substantial the urban farming was, their skepticism was abated, Harris-Lockwood said.
Children, too, are encouraged to take part in the initiative. “Kids are really welcome; it’s a safe and productive environment for them,” Getman said.
The Linwood Garden was host to many children last year, many of them playing games, dancing and “doing their thing.”
“They get to have a childhood here,” she said.
FTG will be bringing its initiatives to Utica Monday Nite this summer. There will be garden tours and a monthly event, Getman said. The events will be held at the gardens, starting with Linwood, and will be focused around themes of growing, planting, caring for, and harvesting.
Beginning in May, schedules will be available for the gardens.
Harris-Lockwood said that the gardens help to bring beauty, order, and structure to the city.
Garden Locations:
Utica mayor, David Roefaro, and Commissioner of Urban and Economic Development Robert Sullivan recognized the good created through the Urban Garden Initiative and, through the City of Utica, supported the initiative by providing two sites to serve as the newest gardens.
Three vacant lots on Jay Street, between Mohawk and Hubbel streets, and five lots between Schuyler Street and Lenox Avenue soon will be transformed into sustainable gardens. The gardens can feed hundreds of people.
“For The Good has done an unbelievable job,” Commissioner Sullivan said. “This administration is fully engaged in the development of this gardening system as it will be a catalyst for positive change and stabilization for our neighborhoods.”
The lots provided by the city of Utica will hold a combination of 110 beds, all 4-feet by 16 feet by 16 inches. The beds will be raised so senior citizens can work in the garden without worrying about the bending and kneeling associated with gardening. In addition, there will be a 4-foot walkway between beds, making them handicap accessible.
Activities and Community Building:
Programs directed at developing children’s gardening abilities are in the works. A 4-H Junior Master Gardeners and Garden Mosaic Program are in development. The Garden Mosaic Program was developed by Cornell University and serves as an education tool that includes all cultures and generations.
Collaborations between GroWest, the Resource Center for Independent Living, and the Mohawk Valley Resource Center for Refugees have been established as well. The gardens are open to all residents of the area, and have been designed to accommodate physical disabilities. Multi-lingual recipes and instructions also are available for gardeners in need of language assistance.
Who’s Involved:
The initiative is encouraged by the WalMart Distribution Center, who made the Urban Garden Initiative their Earth Day project. Volunteer hours and money donated will develop the gardens.
Steve Reiners, Associate Professor in Cornell University’s Horticultural Science department, has jumped in to lend a helping hand, too. Reiners agreed to provide more than 4,000 seeds for the gardens, and he will be available to give advice throughout the growing season.
For The Good team members brought together for the development of the urban gardens have a lot of experience with organic farming.
The new garden manager, Scott “Dae” Anderson, was transplanted here from California. He has seven years experience managing an organic farm. Getman, who will hold direct trainings at the site, grew up on an organic farm in Connecticut. Harris-Lockwood is a 30-year veteran of raised-bed organic farming.
Three formerly vacant and overgrown city lots are now home to the Linwood Place Community Garden (LPCG). The LPCG is a product of discussions between attorney Richard Pertz and Cassandra Harris-Lockwood, president and CEO of For The Good, Inc. Mr. Pertz approached Ms. Harris-Lockwood about starting the garden project, which would decrease dependency on foreign oil used to cultivate and transport vegetables. Growing vegetables within the city decreases the need to go out and buy vegetables which have traveled thousands of miles, when they can do it themselves for free in their own neighborhood.
A personal dream of garden designer Harris-Lockwood's, the three city lot community garden features modern garden technology, making it handicapped accessible, and highly efficient. Raised beds not only save gardener's backs, it also allows for high yield gardening where seeds are planted close together to weed out the weeds. Composted horse manure, complimentary of local farms, provide a fertile growing medium which takes something in excess in the country and gives it value within city limits. There is ample space for wheelchairs in between the 32 raised beds (4'x16'x16î from rough-cut hemlock lumber), in addition to a pull through driveway for tractor/truck access, raised water tank, and garden shed.
The LPCG was remarkably successful this season despite a late start, planting in mid-late June. It was able to feed over 100 people this season, and is looking forward to helping the local community in multiple ways. In the garden, people of all ages and abilities are able to learn how to grow and preserve different varieties of vegetables. In conjunction with GroWest, a fellow not for profit, FTG provided canning demonstrations to community members. Additionally, dietary diversity, community development, community leadership and youth development has been introduced due to this initiative.
Attitudes on the block, around the neighborhood and throughout the city have drastically changed once seeing the success of the LPCG this season. Discussions are underway with the City of Utica and other other organizations for FTG to continue to be the leader in this new realm of high tech urban gardening. Urban gardens within Utica have the potential to create green jobs, as well as supply need produce for families and businesses alike.
The LPCG would not have been possible without Richard Pertz, and support from countless local businesses, farms, and supportive community members.
