Rachel here: In the name of all things spring, today we are delighted to share with you the Stanton St. Farms blog. Unlike any other blog or book that we've featured in our BTMUH posts before, the Stanton St. Farms blog is devoted to a community garden in Portland, Oregon. In the name of full disclosure, I should reveal that I discovered this blog because it is run by one of John's friends, Ian. Regardless of the John connection, though, this is definitely a blog I would be excited to be sharing with you all today.
What Ian and the folks in his community have done is cleared an abandoned lot on their block and rejuvenated it to serve their neighborhood. With a hearty combination of elbow grease, camaraderie, resourcefulness and know-how, they have transformed a lot filled with tons and tons (literally!) of debris into a flourishing plot of land to feed their bellies and their spirits.
Community gardens make me happy and Stanton St. Farms is no exception. Their garden and their blog are both pretty new, so click on over to read the rest of their story and lend them some support (or a hand if you're in the area!).
Hey, Thanks! Tommy here... I'm one of Ian's neighbors two doors down, in the big green apt building behind which all of this is taking place. Ian and his housemates have been going full bore on this project for a couple months now, and they're already eating out of the garden! I have to give them a ton of credit, they really spearheaded all of this, and lit a fire under the rest of us. We now have a total of ten raised beds at or near completion (and a coop with five chickens), and we're getting more plants in, almost by the day. And yeah, we moved a *lot* of garbage in the process of getting this thing rolling!
ReplyDeleteNow here's where it might get even more interesting: there's a group here in Portland called The Urban Farm Collective that gardens in vacant lots in the area. They got in touch with the owner of the vacant lot next door, and he's apparently given them the go-ahead to plant it. So Stanton Street Farms could well have a significant expansion in the near future! Exciting stuff... And thanks for spreading the word!