Polliwog on Safari

A couple of weeks ago I served Federal Jury duty in Boston. Each afternoon, on my way back to the commuter rail, I'd walk through the new Rose F. Kennedy Greenway. It's a lovely patch of green running where an ugly, elevated highway used to be. At the end of the Greenway, nearest South Station, I was pleasantly surprised to find an organic vegetable garden, pollinator garden, and demonstration area- all focused on "providing an educational playground for sustainable, urban, gardening practices." There's also an area for urban composting and a large table for running demonstrations. I encourage everyone to try their hand at gardening in some form, so I think this built in education space for urban farmers is fantastic. (Read my suggestions for Gardening Without a Yard). One other great aspect- the food grown is donated to a local non-profit- Lovin' Spoonfuls- to be distributed to people in need.

The area also features a lively farmer's market each Tuesday afternoon along with a variety of food trucks offering everything from chickpea fritters to Vietnamese noodles. During the lunch hour, people gather on the lawn, at the variety of tables placed throughout, or around the large demonstration table to eat their lunch. I had a lovely, spontaneous conversation with a fellow diner and noticed others doing the same later on. Much of our conversation was about the veggies growing nearby and the composting demonstration being offered later in the week. Gardens provide natural gathering places. The addition of food trucks only facilitates the process.

Are you and urban gardener? How's it going? Do you know of resources for urban gardeners in your area? Please share them so others might benefit.

You might also like:
Gardening Without a Yard
Three (or Four) Season Harvests
A Passion for Pesto
Confessions of a Passive Gardener