Urban Agriculture Challenges and Solutions: Part 3

This is the third in a series of articles about the challenges gardeners and farmers have faced while working in an urban area, as well as the solutions they have come up with in the face of these issues. Read the previous posts from the series here and here

House of Living Stone community garden.

A Skeptical Gardener

Allison Reed was skeptical about joining a community garden. Mostly because she hates bugs. Especially mosquitoes.

But when Florida Cargill, garden leader of House of Living Stone community garden, asked her if she wanted a garden bed two years ago, Allison decided to give it a try.

She still hates bugs, but has found an enjoyable hobby in community gardening. She even calls it one of the most relaxing hobbies that one can have. Planting citronella plants in her garden beds has also helped keep the bugs off of her when she comes to tend to her plants during summer evenings.

House of Living Stone 

Garden on a hill.

House of Living Stone community garden was founded in 2011 and is part of the First Baptist Church of Webster Groves. The name, which often draws interest, is based on the bible verse 1 Peter 2:5. According to Florida, the verse is about Christ talking to Peter about how believers are the living stones of a church.

The garden’s relationship with the First Baptist Church of Webster Groves means that it is used quite often for bible studies and events. It functions as a community space where members of the church can meet while enjoying the striking beauty of the garden.

And striking it is. When I first visited the garden on a September evening, the sun was just beginning to cast light through the trees. The garden, which is set atop a steep hill, features a variety of flowers and a small orchard and seems to welcome visitors in with its many benches and picnic tables.

 

Colorful pavestones.

Children in the Garden

One of the unique components of the House of Living Stone community garden is the emphasis on making the space a welcoming place for children.

At one edge of the garden, there is a patio area made of many painted concrete pavestones. The pavestones were painted by children of First Baptist Church of Webster Groves and feature bright designs, names, and references to biblical stories. The paintings were designed to celebrate the church’s 150th anniversary and several of the pavestones have images of large birthday cakes as a result.

The garden also has a bed for children to plant various vegetables and flowers. This past summer, it held sweet potatoes and marigolds.

Florida and other garden members work hard to ensure that the garden is a place where children can come to play and enjoy its many wonders.

 

Problems and Solutions 

Fence around a garden bed.

The garden is undoubtedly a haven, which is made obvious as soon as you climb to the top of the hill where it sits and take in the view around it. But, like many community gardens, it experiences both environmental and involvement challenges.

This past summer, the garden’s biggest problem has been moles and groundhogs. The gardeners tried building fences made of chicken wire around their garden beds. The makeshift fences worked at first but half-chewed sweet potato leaves made it obvious that the problem required more action. Some of the gardeners eventually built a cage made of chicken wire around their garden bed. This prevented any critters from climbing in and making a meal out of growing vegetables.

House of Living Stone Community Garden, like many others, has also experienced periods of low membership and engagement.

Florida said that she keeps an eye on the garden beds and reaches out to members to ask them if they need anything if it seems like they are having trouble making it to the garden.

She also credits continued membership to the enthusiasm of the pastor of First Baptist Church of Webster Groves.

Cage around a garden bed.

“He always tells people about the garden and how to get involved and makes sure to announce events there at church meetings,” Florida said.

The garden’s strong connection to the church has meant that excess produce has a convenient place to be donated. The church has a food outreach ministry that provides supplemental meals to those in need.

 

Something New

The garden is a unique entity. A place of calm in a city that teems with life. It provides both respite and a place to challenge oneself.

“Planting something new every year is fun. I just like to see if I can grow something different,” Allison said.

I entered the garden stressed from traffic and honking horns. But as I walk down the hill the garden sits on, the light slanting low, I feel a sense of calm that was not there before.

Written by Mallory Brown, Communications & Fundraising AmeriCorps VISTA

Field Trips & Tours

Gateway Greening Demonstration Garden, Spring of 2016.

 

Explore the Demonstration Garden!

The Gateway Greening Demonstration Garden is open to the public every Saturday from 9 AM – Noon throughout the growing season. However, free guided tours that explore the garden’s history, existing infrastructure, and current garden experiments are only available to the general public three times a year:

Demonstration Garden Tour: Spring
March 17th, 2018
10 – 11 AM

 

Demonstration Garden Tour: Summer
July 21st, 2018
10 – 11 AM

 

Demonstration Garden Tour: Fall
September 22nd, 2018
10 – 11 AM

 

There is no registration or RSVP required to participate in the above mentioned tours, however, it is recommended that attendees arrive 10 minutes early as the tour will begin at 10 AM sharp.

 
 

Schedule a Tour

Groups may schedule a guided tour of the Gateway Greening Demonstration Garden or other requested location by contacting us at [email protected]. There is a fee of $5 per participant for scheduled tours.

 

 For youth field trip and tour information, please visit our Youth Education page here.