by Lauren Bailey, Director of Garden Programs
In the community garden program, we're always looking for ways to evolve and learn from our work. And this year, we are already reflecting and learning from the adaptations we've had to make due to COVID-19. We’ve been focused on adapting the program with these priorities in mind: keeping everyone safe and ensuring that everyone has access to fresh produce.
I've been reflecting a lot lately on the bounty of harvest being shared and on the community of gardeners who were willing to try out a new garden model with us. Right now, we are all facing circumstances that the world has never seen. And more than ever, it feels like the right time to build community in the ways that we can, safely, at a distance. For the time being, instead of tending individual plots, we’re all working together to grow for the nourishment of everyone. Gardeners have been joining us in the garden to tend to our communal plots, and they've shared some of what they've been trying out at home.
Our gardens have always flourished from the wisdom, experiences and curiosities that gardeners bring to the space; this year is no different. The gardens are still a place of respite and inspiration. They still provide for us in these uncertain times. We've just had to be creative in how that has happened. Our staff has learned how to grow some crops that we've never grown before, like bitter gourd, bottle gourd and taro root. Gardeners have tried new vegetables like kohlrabi, fennel and kale. And though this year looks so different than past years, we're still a community of people who love the act of growing food, sharing recipes and eating good food.
