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Community gardens come in all shapes and sizes. They each serve their own purpose and they each have their own personality. I want to show you a few of my favorites in this series.
The Goodwill Garden in Taylor, Michigan has to be one of my all time favorite community gardens. Located in a large city park, this garden has evolved into a huge success in just a few short years. Produce raised in the community garden is donated to area food pantries to help feed the disadvantaged. During the 2007 growing season just completed, the Goodwill Garden donated over 1100 pounds of high quality fresh vegetables to area food pantries.
This garden really has 2 parts.
Part One Conceived several years ago by District Court Judge Geno Salmone as a way to get non violent offenders to provide a useful service to the community.
Welcome to the Goodwill Garden
. Persons convicted of non violent offences are sentenced to provide a certain number of community service hours to this community garden. Under the guidance of Master Gardener and other volunteers the offenders prepare beds, maintain walkways and plant seeds and plants in the vegetable garden. They weed, water and generally tend to the garden during the growing season. Many of these offenders have no previous gardening experience; so this becomes a learning experience for them also.
You can tell the pride these folks take in their work, the well tended beds and the immaculate walkways are examples for all to strive for.
Many of the offenders who have completed their sentences have continued to volunteer at the garden and have acquired a real love of growing things and helping other people.
Part Two
After the first couple years of existence Judge Salome and the other volunteers decided to utilize the excess space and developed garden plots to rent to area residents. Many who live in condos, apartments or have home with small yards need someplace to grow things and the Goodwill Garden gives them a place to do this.
Beans on a Trellis
For a small fee residents can rent a plot for their own personal gardens. They can grow whatever they wish be it flowers, vegetables or both. At the beginning of the growing season the plots are roto-tilled and turned over to the residents. From that point on it’s the resident’s responsibility to maintain their plots throughout the summer. They erect various type of fencing to keep the “critters” out and install different types of garden art in their plots.
Water is provided by the city from faucets and hoses located throughout the garden.
This garden is not just strictly for working, a nice sitting area in the shade has been established to take a break or just to do some socializing. Community barbeques are not an uncommon event in the garden.
Let's take a Break Gardening is hard Work
By the way the Goodwill Garden is organic, Integrated Pest Management is practiced.
About Paul Rodman
Paul Rodman has been gardening for over 40 years. He is an Advanced Master Gardener, and American Rose Society Consulting Rosarian. He is currently president of the Western Wayne County Master Gardener Association in Wayne County, Michigan.
Rodman is the garden columnist for The News Herald newspaper, in Southgate, Michigan. He has also written for the OrganicGardening.com web site.
He has lectured on various gardening topics throughout southeastern Michigan.
His favorite pastime is teaching children about gardening. For the past several years he has conducted classes for second grade students teaching them about subjects ranging from vermi-composting to propagation.
Posted by momof2d (from Des Moines, IA) on November 26, 2007 at 6:26 AM:
I'm going to mention this to my local gardening group(club) , I would love to start a Community garden in my city- we are large enough that many peole would benefit from it! Thanks, Jill
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Posted by podster (from Deep East Texas, TX) on November 26, 2007 at 9:20 AM:
What an innovative means of contributing to the community as well as providing a valuable education to the non violent offenders. This service would benefit both the offender and the master gardener. Hats of to the District Judge! Thanks for sharing.
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Posted by grampapa (from Wheatfield, NY) on November 26, 2007 at 9:55 AM:
This is an excellent idea with so many benefits. I hope it gets read by a lot of folks and it helps spread to more communities. Thanks, Paul.
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Posted by cathy4 (from St. Louis County, MO) on November 26, 2007 at 11:12 AM:
Paul, I'm going to forward this link to our local judge. What a great idea! C4
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Posted by McGlory (from Southeast, NE) on November 26, 2007 at 1:26 PM:
There are several community gardens around here, but I don't think they are included as a part of community service like this one is.
Thank you for an inspiring article, Paul. This is a great idea. We should all forward Paul's article to our local judges.
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Posted by Dea (from Frederick, MD) on November 26, 2007 at 7:10 PM:
Excellent article and great idea on sending to our local judges Lori. Thanks for the inspiration :)
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Posted by roybird (from Santa Fe, NM) on November 26, 2007 at 10:14 PM:
What a wonderful garden. Thank you.
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Posted by Islandshari (from Kwajalein
(Marshall Islands)) on December 13, 2007 at 5:49 PM:
Paul, this is one of the few articles I read while I was on vacation...I just didn't get a chance to comment. Now I have the opportunity to tell you that I am so glad you told the story of this garden! It is a wonderful idea that needs lots of exposure to spread and grow... Thank you for getting the word out, now more folks will talk about it and maybe more judges will institute a similar practise in their areas...
