"We're looking at this garden as something to nurture a healthy community," said Hope Finkelstein, Alaska director of Growing Power and, with Jane Dunn and Carrie May, one of the garden organizers.
Barb Seaman, KHLT director, said, "We're delighted to be working with such a cross-section of the community."
Community gardens are often thought of as plots of land that people can lease to grow their own vegetable gardens. Homer Community Garden is more than that, Finkelstein said. She sees it as an inclusive place for individuals, families and groups, "a garden for all the community," she said.
Located next to the Poopdeck Trail above Hazel Avenue and below Pioneer Avenue, the community garden is near the Cook Inlet Region Inc. land, Petro Marine property and the new library site on Hazel Avenue a general area some see as part of a city town square. Finkelstein said the garden could tie into green space or other uses on neighboring properties.
The garden serves many functions, Finkelstein said. Organizations like the Homer Food Pantry could grow vegetables for its clients, but homeless and low-income people could also learn to grow their own food. Teaching people about gardens and the importance of gardens is a key part, she said.
The community garden includes some vegetable plots, but also perennials. Finkelstein suggests planting a "grazing area," with perennial berry plants open to anyone wanting to pick a few berries. The garden could also serve as a resource for helping people plant small food gardens elsewhere, and providing training in urban or semi-rural agriculture.
Other organizations involved in the garden have suggested how the garden could work. Ransom Arthur, 14, a trainee with the Job Training Program at Choices for Teens, worked on the Community Garden in June, said Carrie May, assistant director of the job training program. A new worker, Arthur helped clean out the greenhouse, plant perennials, clear the garden site, build a new gate and clear a path down to the Poopdeck Trail.
"Ransom was a great fit," May said. Working in the garden gave him "a safe place for a first job."
Also working on the garden were people involved in the children's program at the Community Mental Health Center, Vessels of Hope and the Family Literacy Center. Finkelstein and the Homer Public Library had planned a summer reading series in the garden, she said, but that didn't work out. She hopes events like that can take place next year.
"The Community Garden didn't fall through," Finkelstein said. "It's really happening. A community takes a long time to grow."
Over the fall and winter, Finkelstein said the Community Garden organizers will develop a site plan, set a budget, start fund-raising and develop collaborations with more groups. Organizational and informational meetings will be held, too. Finkelstein said a kiosk at the garden has a list of chores and information on contacts. They have a Web page at www.homergarden.20megsfree.com through which they announce meetings and other events. Finkelstein said the Homer Community Garden will offer memberships for people who want to join as contributing or supporting members.
Before the ground freezes up, volunteers will plant a cover crop of alfalfa to improve the soil. Finkelstein said Homer Community Garden wants to take the time to develop relationships among people interested in the garden.
"We want to work together to make the garden an exciting project for the community," she said.
Michael Armstrong can be reached at michaela@homernews.com.
"It's gardening as recreation," Finkelstein said, "as healing, as education thinking very broadly."
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