GP Garden Near A School

DMZ is the name of the growing power co-op that Dawn, Marna and I started last summer. The D is for Dawn, the M is for Marna, and the Z made more sense than B for Bob. The DMZ grew out of my attempts to apply the Growing Power way of growing to a home model. My friends Marna, co-founder of Mothers Against Gun Violence and Dawn, who operates houses for persons with disabilities, share my interest in and love for gardening. They were too busy to do gardens in their own yards but this method gave them an easy way to grow renewable affordable food (GRAF). At first they did not know each other, although they had lived close by for many years, but once they found each other they became close friends.

This summer we had small gardens in two of Dawn’s four houses, in Marna’s backyard, and of course in mine. I provided the materials for the mounds this summer but now we are building a compost pile and worm depository in one of Dawn’s yards. We will have a worm condo by next spring. Although we got a late start this year the harvest was still good.

Next year we plan to use a vacant lot that Dawn owns near her houses. It is one of eight on this block across the street from a K-5 public school. We are already working on engaging the school children and the adjourning neighbors in the project. So far the interest is high.

Other persons — residents of Dawn’s homes, my friends Loren, Godsil, now John, and of course Growing Power — have come to our assistance and are part of the process. However, it is really the north side community around the GP garden that will make it happen and sustain it. On that score, we are doing well with neighborhood involvement. Neighbors of Dawn’s and Marna’s on the north side are deeply interested and want to join us.

This summer it was our own backyards; next summer we will add one of the vacant lots in the community, and who knows where it will go from there.

There has been much violence among young people in this neighborhood. Last night alone there were seven shootings and two fatalities. The Mayor calls for more cops, a possible short-term solution. We in the DMZ are calling for more GP community gardens involving youth and adults in the community.

Gardens on vacant lots are our response in the DMZ to the violence around us. Let us grow the DMZ!

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