The weather felt more like a late fall evening. Chilly, seemingly premature snow clouds had formed blotting out and opportunity for the sun's rays to warm the concrete and raise the temperature a few degrees. As I entered the playground sized fenced in area conveniently located adjacent to the school and the actual play ground (I found out later that convenience is key to a successful urban garden) I found the garden club finishing their daily modifications to the garden.
The aggy I was meeting was Chrissa Carlson. She is the master gardener, proprietor, nutritionist and educator for the garden. All the students at Hampstead Hill school take Chrissa's class. The students learn to explore, sense and eat the garden. The garden is being upgraded with a rain harvesting roof and a sitting area. Chrissa provided a lot of insight but two points really stuck out:
- Think ahead and create a garden that matches the proposed purpose (i.e. Community space, sustainable food, learning center. etc.)
- To get the most use out of it and make it a success make it as convenient as possible
Chrissa also pointed me CGRN
a new annual membership program assisting individuals, community gardens and green spaces throughout the City of Baltimore. http://www.parksandpeople.org/greening/resource-network/ they have a great network of volunteers and resources for urban gardening.
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