Gardens in the 'hood - neighborhood gardens

Vegetarian Times, Sept, 1995 by Sharon Bloyd-Peshkin

AMID THE CONCRETE AND CHAOS of America's cities, an unlikely urban endeavor has taken root: farming. Small plots of land are yielding bountiful organic produce at the hands of people who have never planted a backyard tomato plant--or even had a backyard to plant one in. And along with the plants, they're cultivating pride and hope.

In San Francisco, Ruth Brinker hires homeless parents to work her quarter-acre farm, growing 26 varieties of exotic salad greens. They sell their harvest to six of the area's finest restaurants, getting twice the going rate because their greens are so fresh and unusual. "People are willing to pay so much for organic produce," says Brinker," so I thought I'd teach the homeless to grow it." The money they earn enables the workers to rent apartments, provide for their children and stabilize their lives.

Outside Washington, D.C., From the Ground Up has three farms where people from local shelters grow what director Leigh Hauter calls "middle-American vegetables": collard greens, cabbages, kale, tomatoes, string beans, beets, garlic and herbs. They sell this organic produce at inner-city farm stands to lowincome people, for prices no higher than those supermarkets charge for conventional produce. "We hope, through the farm stands, to instill in people an awareness about the nature of the food and how it's produced," Hauter says. "We want to educate people as well as feed them."

In South Central Los Angeles, a neighborhood ravaged by riots in 1992, the students of Crenshaw High School began Food from the 'Hood. "Many of these kids come from neighborhoods that are so violent, the garden is a safe place for them to be," says adviser Aleyne Larner. They donate 25 percent of their harvest to shelters for the homeless and people with AIDS; the rest they sell, earning money they'll use after graduation to pay to attend colleges or vocational schools.

How do the neighbors feel? "Absolutely delighted," says Brinker. "They go by constantly and tell us how much they like it." Larner reports the same enthusiasm. "People in the neighborhood take pride that the children are doing it," she says. "Watching the garden is a rejuvenating experience for people in the neighborhood."