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Community Gardens and Farmer's Markets


GRDadof3

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Applicable to this topic, from the Midtown Neighborhood Association website (http://www.midtowngr.com/).

The Annual Meeting scheduled for Oct 20 2008 has been rescheduled. Please be sure to attend the Annual Meeting on November 17th at 6pm. We ask residents to meet at the Salvation Army Fulton Heights Citadel, at Fulton and Fuller, on the upper level in the Library.

A presentation by Christine Helms-Maletic, Brikyaat Project Director, of the recently completed Projects for Public Spaces assessment of the Fulton Street Farmers Market will take place at 6:15pm. This presentation will be beneficial to anyone who lives or works near the market or is a patron of the market.

Board of DIrectors elections will take place following the presentation. There are a several open seats. If you have accounting skills and are interested in being the treasurer, please contact our community organizer, Kelly Otto, to find out more.

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I heard this guy being interviewed on NPR a few weeks ago: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/01/dining/0...amp;oref=slogin

Could dense, urban farms or greenhouses work in GR? I think it's a great idea that we'll see more and more. It's a great way to get fresh, local produce into our city--especially in the colder months. Was this ever discussed for Green GR?

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I heard this guy being interviewed on NPR a few weeks ago: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/01/dining/0...amp;oref=slogin

Could dense, urban farms or greenhouses work in GR? I think it's a great idea that we'll see more and more. It's a great way to get fresh, local produce into our city--especially in the colder months. Was this ever discussed for Green GR?

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It's sad that something like this get's relegated to page F6. But that is a pretty inspiring story. And nearby, in a climate very similar to ours. It's certainly possible. Would this be something that a neighborhood organization could tackle? Or perhaps a coalition of gov't and non-profit agencies? Mixed Greens to the next level?
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I think it would be pretty easy to get going. The neighborhood associations and business associations would definitely support it, in my opinion. It could be a co-op configuration. Better yet, there could be a partnership with GRPS to get troubled/bored youth to help. Somebody with non-profit and grant experience could undoubtedly find the capital to get it off the ground. The city owns parcels throughout the city that are vacant and would be perfect homes for these operations. These could be deeded to the urban farming entity for $1.

Just some thoughts...

I'd just be happy to get fresh, local produce in February that was grown in a greenhouse that I walk past on the way to work...

There are a ton of positive externalities that could come with something like this though.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Sounds like a great idea! calder plaza could use some green!

i am connected with the Heartside Peace Gardens and have not been able to find community gardening support since 2007. we have discussed this ( small discussion ) with the food council but were unable to patch things together.

i believe if you want community gardening to flourish and grow we must get organized as a group. we need to be able to exchange ideas, concepts, seeds, resources, etc.

someone earlier talked about re-inventing the wheel. we don't have to. let's organize. this should be a priority.

turn parks into gardens - grow, don't mow

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i am connected with the Heartside Peace Gardens and have not been able to find community gardening support since 2007. we have discussed this ( small discussion ) with the food council but were unable to patch things together.

i believe if you want community gardening to flourish and grow we must get organized as a group. we need to be able to exchange ideas, concepts, seeds, resources, etc.

someone earlier talked about re-inventing the wheel. we don't have to. let's organize. this should be a priority.

turn parks into gardens - grow, don't mow

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Veloise is right--you're not just going to go to city hall with a $5 and get $4 back with a piece of land. They aren't necessarily "For Sale" for $1, but $1 is the going rate for a piece of land to be deeded to another entity. The city owns parcels all over the place. I'm sure the right person/entity with the right idea could work with the city to put these parcels to good use. Right now, they're just a liability. They collect trash, need to be mowed, and make some neighborhoods look blighted. If there is a benefit to society, I don't think the city would have a problem "selling" the parcels to somebody (but I can't speak for City Hall, of course).

I'm excited about the idea of urban farming. I wish there were more hours in the day to take this on as a project myself. It makes so much sense--given a dwindling food supply, growing population, job creation, urban renewal, local food, environment, and so on. By discussing it here, I hope that maybe somebody else will give it a shot.

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how many community gardens exist in grand rapids? how many gardeners would be willing to share their "secrets" if they could? if i had a sunny backyard i would invite my neighbors from across the street to grow something. why should my city taxes be used to pay for lawn maintenance when i need a place to grow some squash. someone took old warehouses and turned them into fancy condos. let us take parks and grassy "nothings" and transform them into fertile grow-zones.

organize. grow - don"t mow

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how many community gardens exist in grand rapids? how many gardeners would be willing to share their "secrets" if they could? if i had a sunny backyard i would invite my neighbors from across the street to grow something. why should my city taxes be used to pay for lawn maintenance when i need a place to grow some squash. someone took old warehouses and turned them into fancy condos. let us take parks and grassy "nothings" and transform them into fertile grow-zones.

organize. grow - don"t mow

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That was an urban legend four years ago. We'd get calls, I'd ask the economic development department, they'd say nope, it's not true. And like a Nigerian Ponzie scheme, it keeps re-surfacing.

At the most recent Green GR charette, a high-ranking city official indicated that all the available open space is built up.

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is anyone from the food council contributing to this forum. i saw the warning on the foodshed site and did not attempt to access. however, i hear some new things are emerging from the food council regarding community gardens.

also, i understand lansing has a "urban gardener" program and does anyone know anything about that.

also, thanks for all your help and replies.

grow, don't mow

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is anyone from the food council contributing to this forum. i saw the warning on the foodshed site and did not attempt to access. however, i hear some new things are emerging from the food council regarding community gardens.

also, i understand lansing has a "urban gardener" program and does anyone know anything about that.

also, thanks for all your help and replies.

grow, don't mow

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Yesterday I had the opportunity to join a small group of people from all different organizations/institutions... at a meeting about Urban Farming/Agriculture. It was such an interesting topic- I love this idea for Grand Rapids. It is something to look into and possibly incorporate into our Green Grand Rapids planning!

MSU has a Student Organic farm that is doing great- they now have a one year program where you can earn your certificate in Organic Farming. Pretty Cool :)

The professor who runs the organic farming program at MSU was also there so we heard a little about what they are doing at the student organic farm in East Lansing. He was a great resource and had great things to say about Urban Farming.

How would community members feel about a pilot Urban Farm in Grand Rapids?

It seems like a really good fit for our city! Something to get excited about :)

There are a number of great things that go along with Urban Farming.... but here's one to think about...

Imagine being able to buy fresh, organic and LOCAL vegetables and fruits... all year long!

Look forward to upcoming events on Urban Agriculture- I will continue to post info about Urban Farming as things come along!

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