Garden the City 2012: Painting with Edibles

By Jami Scholl | July 7, 2011 | 7:23 pm | Comments (5) |

Art or Garden?

I am a bit nervous posting this out into the world on my birthday. But I am excited to share with you a project, a dream, that I have taken the beginning steps into creating. Perhaps you will share this dream, or perhaps not. But none-the-less, when sharing a dream it opens up a person (in this case, me!) to the harsh reality of nay-sayers, and worse. But here it is, unveiled. Be kind. Be generous. Be supportive.

What follows is the organization necessary for taking a dream and making it reality,  portion of the Proposal (I didn’t want to bore you with the entire document!):

Garden the City 2012: Painting with Edibles

Purpose

The purpose of the Garden the City 2012 project is to create a walking tour of edible gardens in and around the Bloomington Entertainment and Arts District (BEAD). By considering the city as a canvas to be painted upon, the creation of aesthetically pleasing, culturally and historically diverse edible gardens will serve as inspiration and instruction to the general public. Through community support Garden the City 2012: Painting with Edibles, residents, resident businesses and local organizations will be following the recommendations made by the Bloomington Peak Oil Task Force. (Bloomington Peak Oil Task Force Report pages 173-177) The report can be accessed: http://bloomington.in.gov/media/media/application/pdf/6239.pdf

The Problem

By using the oft quoted Permaculture mantra of “the problem is the solution,” I will address the notion and assumptions that all edible gardens are of one type and are generally considered ugly and difficult to manage. Through the acknowledgment of aesthetics as a cultural imperative in the realm of food production I hope to stimulate public discourse and to assist in preparing, through example and education, an option for food security that the general public can utilize in the face of a rapidly changing future.

American and European history has shown us that during difficult times, such as that during WWII, Victory Gardens played a significant role in keeping the nation fed. Through my work I have found that a strong motivating factor to not have an edible garden is because of aesthetics, even going so far as some neighbourhoods in our community having covenants restricting this use. I wish to address this reluctance through numerous public examples, to illustrate how to work within all sorts of constraints, whether it is from the land itself or legal restrictions.

Aesthetics is a cultural imperative that is frequently unseen, and I would like to give another perspective of what it can look like to grow food to the grower/farmer perspective, opening up a dialogue for us to discuss the nature of beauty.

Potager in the Tuilleries

The Solution

Through the creation of ten Themed Food Gardens in and near BEAD, organized as walking tours to be an active showcase, provides live examples of design options which include aesthetics as an integral part of the plant selection process. Each garden design will be site specific, using the limitations of each location as a frame for which to discover opportunity and create direction. Sites will be as small as 4’x10’ and as diverse as including native wild edibles.

This project will last for one year, with organic/natural soil preparation to begin late fall 2011 and until last harvest, unless the business/organization/homeowner would like for the garden to continue. In the event that this would occur, a maintenance plan will be created.  Should gardening end after 2012, white clover will be planted to allow for a no mow situation, which will enrich the soil should the decision be made to plant another garden at a future date. Walking tours can coincide with Gallery Walk as well as a mid-month edible garden tour. It is desired that this tour will assist in generating interest inside and outside the Bloomington community to not only further interest in gardening, but support the local economy with this attraction.

I will provide two types of educational offerings: classes and workshops. The class offerings will be to create the structure and select appropriate plants for the particular garden area, the students will be designing the garden with my oversight, as hands-on learning has the deepest impact. Workshops will be structured to foster cooperation between existing local organizations whose members will install the garden and will be cared for by the organization members and trained volunteers. Each class participant will be given the opportunity and encouraged to be docent and caregiver to the particular garden for which they have taken a class.

Businesses, homeowners, and local organizations in the Bloomington Entertainment and Arts District (BEAD) will be encouraged to participate, especially if their location is along one of the main corridors of the garden tour. A map will be made available online and displayed at local businesses for garden location information, as well as information about each specific garden theme or technique demonstrated.

Do you want to take a class? Be a docent? Be a sponsor? Donate funds to support this endeavor?

If you did any or all of those things I would have a great big smile on my face! Contact me through the contact page or via email: jami@MyEdibleEden.com

Comments (5) | | Categories: Community Food Security,Food Traditions,Gardens,Plants,Urban Agriculture,Wild Edibles