Community Gardens of Tucson is a nonprofit group devoted to promoting health, knowledge and a sense of community by helping neighborhoods develop local vegetable and flower gardens. The land for gardening is usually lent by a church, school or private landowner and the gardens worked by volunteers, experts, novices and homeowners.
Community Gardens of Tucson is a nonprofit group devoted to promoting health, knowledge and a sense of community by helping neighborhoods develop local vegetable and flower gardens. The land for gardening is usually lent by a church, school or private landowner and the gardens worked by volunteers, experts, novices and homeowners.Community Gardens was started in 1989 by George Brookbank, a UA Cooperative Extension agent, who wanted to teach productive gardening by a hands-on experience.
Gene Zonge is the current site coordinator and has kept Brookbanks idea going strong> In the past 18 months four gardens have blossomed into 14.
The gardens not only allow for exercise and socializing but they benefit people who do not have much of a yard in which to garden.
“Community Gardens are terrific at building neighborhood communities, getting neighbors together to know each other,” Zonge said, “and people seem to like to grow their own food and are just naturally attracted to gardening.”
“I love to garden and it is a great experience to be able to do it as a community rather than at home,” said Sharon Youngblood, one of those “naturally attracted to gardening.” She has been a member of the Community Garden at the Benedictine Monastery for more than a year. She likes the garden because it is close to her home and the Monastery serves as a beautiful background while working the soil and watering.
Membership is open to people of all economic levels. Everyone benefits from learning about growing healthy food, Zonge said.
To become a member of the Community Gardens without renting a plot to garden costs $20 per year. Membership and plot of land to garden, cost is $15 per month per plot.
Monthly meetings on the third Saturday give gardeners an opportunity to learn more about their plants by working directly with local gardening experts. Members also receive a monthly newsletter with gardening tips and information about the other gardens in the city.
Members harvests from their own plots. Some popular crops are tomatoes, potatoes, herbs, strawberries, corn and carrots. A green thumb is not necessary for membership. According to Zonge, most gardeners are beginners.
Youngblood says that sometimes the crops yield too much and the gardeners share with other members.
“Gardening here is a lot of fun because it’s with friends and you get good vegetables,” she said. Some of her fellow gardeners are friends she recruited.
Zonge’s goal is to get more people involved in knowing about their food and how to grow it so they will be more likely to support better agriculture policies, including organics.
The oldest Community Garden is more than15-years-old and the newest opened just a few months ago. Three gardens are currently under construction.
CGT formed a partnership with Native Seeds/SEARCH so that Community Garden members can get up to five packets of seeds per planting season for free. Native Seeds/SEARCH is a nonprofit conservation organization that distributes diverse varieties of agricultural seeds and documents the role they play in the cultures of the Southwest.
With opportunities for gardening, expanding agricultural knowledge and chances to make new friends, Community Gardens continue to attract new members, but “We need help from Tucsonans to keep making this happen,” Zonge said. ?
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For more information: www.communitygardensoftucson.org Or call 795-8823.
Some locations
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Benedictine Monastery Garden – Near Speedway and Country Club
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Mountain Vista UU Garden – Near Ina and Thornydale
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New Spirit Garden – Near Camino Seco and Old Spanish Trial
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S.A.R.G. Garden – Near Speedway and Stone
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Wilson Test Garden – Near Fort Lowell and Campbell
