Cub, Media Mogul--Urban gardeners nurture nature in Detroit

[LodgeDodger]

Friday, April 24, 2009

Budding efforts add green to the city's palette

David Josar / The Detroit News

Detroit -- Mark Covington didn't know when he lost his job as an environmental clean-up specialist he would become one of the city's most celebrated urban gardeners.
The 37-year-old grew up with his grandmother and mother near Van Dyke and Georgia in a neighborhood that, despite some new housing, is dotted with abandoned homes and rubble piles. With the extra time of being unemployed last year, he decided to clean up the trash-strewn corner lot. His enthusiasm was infectious and with the help of neighbors, they began raising, tomatoes, greens, spinach and whatever else they could plant.
"I'm not sure how much we grew because everyone can come by to pick what they need," said Covington.
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Today the Georgia Community Garden, which was featured last month in Time magazine and has its own Web site, http://georgiastreetgarden.blogspot.com, includes 15 raised beds for vegetables and a small fruit orchard. The group also plans to host weekly concerts, beginning in June, in the garden.
Detroit's urban gardening movement has sprouted from a loose network of like-minded individuals in the 1990s to what many consider a national example of how a struggling, decaying city can foster community while improving neighborhoods.
"Something has really taken hold," said Councilwoman JoAnn Watson, an outspoken advocate of getting vacant land into the hands of gardeners. "It is attracting everyone. City residents. Suburban residents. Everyone is coming together."
The trend is so popular that a new garden where Detroit residents and restaurants can rent parcels sold out before construction was completed this spring.
"For a lot of people there is such an interest in taking care of their own food," said Annmarie Borucki, fundraising manager for the University Cultural Center Association, which created the plot-rental site known as the North Cass Community Garden. "There is an interest in the therapeutic affects of gardening."
Borucki estimates the group will have spent $80,000 to transform the site of a former gas station into a vegetable and fruit-producing oasis for about 90 people. A 4-foot by 8-foot plot rents for $25 a season.
In another proposal, entrepreneur and city resident John Hantz plans to bring commercial farming back to Detroit, a challenge since zoning laws ban raising crops and livestock for profit.
Hantz Farms, according to a proposal being given to city leaders, would be the world's largest urban farm and begin with 70 acres near Eastern Market that would include direct-to-market crops, a Christmas tree farm and hardwood timber for harvest.
"This will be revolutionary for the city," said Matt Allen, senior vice president of Hantz Farms. "This will attract tourists. It will create jobs."
City approval, particularly in getting the wide swatch of vacant land into the possession of Hantz Farms, is still needed.
A spokesman for Mayor Kenneth Cockrel Jr. said the city is exploring changes to city ordinances that could restore commercial farming in Detroit. The spokesman, Daniel Cherrin, said the mayor also has started a program that would speed up making vacant lots available to gardeners.
Converting the city's vacant lots into food-growing enterprises could provide unemployed residents with supplemental income, reduce food transportation costs and give urban dwellers more fresh produce options.
By some estimates, urban farmers could gross $10,000 to $15,000 a year on a one-acre plot or less, depending on their skill level. That figure, however, doesn't include costs for labor, taxes, insurance and equipment.
"I don't think we're going to see 1,000-acre farms in Detroit," said Susan Smalley, director of the C.S. Mott Group for Sustainable Food Systems at Michigan State University. "But I do think it's possible to grow intensively on a couple acres in Detroit and get a pretty good return on your investment."
Leading the effort in the city is a network of nonprofit groups, spearheaded by The Greening of Detroit, a group founded in 1989 to replace thousands of blighted trees in the city, and Earthworks Urban Farm, a collaboration with the Capuchin Soup Kitchen.
Last year, Earthworks, located by the Mount Elliot Cemetery, raised 3 tons of food and 900 pounds of honey.
Another proponent is the Ferguson Academy for Young Women, a Detroit public school near the intersection of I-75 and I-96 that has a small working farm. Teachers incorporate the raising of goats, chickens and crops into classroom assignments. Educational institutions are exempt from the zoning rules that apply to businesses and residents.
The cornerstone for many Detroit gardeners is the Detroit Agricultural Network, a partnership between The Greening of Detroit, Earthworks Capuchin Soup Kitchen and Michigan State University Extension, which through its Detroit Garden Resource Program provides families and community gardeners with low-cost seeds, compost and classes. The cost for a family is $10.
Community leaders point to anecdotal evidence that interest and shovels-in-the-ground projects are up:
• A recent seminar at the Ferguson Academy on raising chickens in your backyard -- which began with a disclaimer that the practice is illegal in Detroit -- had more than 100 attendees.
• An annual tour of the city's urban gardens begun in the late 1990s has grown from a handful of people to an event that draws more than 600 who ride in chartered buses.
• In 2007, The Detroit Garden Resource Program helped 340 individuals and groups with their gardens. In 2008, that tally jumped 45 percent with the group providing resources to 169 community gardens, 40 school gardens and 359 family gardens.
• And what can be an indicator of a growing trend, Garden Resource members sold their crops last year at six local farmers' markets and six local restaurants, grossing $14,668.
Covington expresses amazement at how his tiny idea seems to have spurred a neighborhood movement.
"I've seen a change in the neighborhood, too," he said. "People ... come together. We are making a difference."

http://detnews.com/article/20090424/...ure+in+Detroit

Way to go, Kiddo! Btw, what's that thing on your head? Do I need to scrounge one of my babushkas for you? >>Gnome, your talents are needed here<<

[eriedearie]

What a difference Cub has made in a 1-year time frame!

[Gannon]

What a difference we've all made in less than twenty years!

Not to take anything from Cub, because we all recognize there is more to the story with him, but I am VERY glad this article went back and gave props to the Monks and the Greening folk.

This trend will continue, especially IF we can keep commercial interests OUT, and contain GM seed contamination. It is truly grass-roots organic, and THAT is exactly why it is succeeding!


Much love from the near-west side this morning, Keep Up the Good fingernail-dirtying Work!

Cheers

[pgn421]

Cub- Congrats! Nice article in todays Det News.

[rajdet]

Nice job Cub, you have no idea how good it is to hear good news coming out of Detroit. Congratulations, and keep up the good work!

[gnome]

Cub - and the people he has inspired - are true gifts to the City. Thank you Cub, thank you Viva, I'm very proud of everything you've done.

[cub]

Dont forget Blueidone,Plymouthres, Gannon, Jams, Eriedearie, Johnlodge,Lodgedodger, Cman710, Scs100,Crystal,Katheleen, Girlygirl, Alsodave, Davemarc, Iseries, Sumas, PCE, Django, Fishtoes, Gnome, Mashgurskie[[sp), Mischevious[[sp),Tkierpic, I know I am forgetting some people .

[stromberg2]

Way to go Mr. Bigshot!! Congrats to you and all who have given the city some hope!

Stromberg2, and I am coming by soon.

[Retroit]

"...transform the site of a former gas station into a vegetable and fruit-producing oasis..."

Hope they tested the soil.

[East Detroit]

Cub, magnificent valor!

[j to the jeremy]

"...transform the site of a former gas station into a vegetable and fruit-producing oasis..."

Hope they tested the soil.

Raised beds can prevent any issues with soil on the lot.

[reddog289]

Good going Cub and for the folks at the GSCC.

[jams]

Yay Cub! Just realized, it's time to plant the last spinach and pea seeds before they mature in the heat of summer .


BTW I've 7 or 8 sheets of 4'x8'? corrugated aluminum from the roof of the lean-to off the garage I tore down, perfect for constructing a shed, that you're welcome to pickup, if you want them.

[sumas]

Nice article. Cub has done so much in a short period of time. The community outreach was my big buy in to Georgia street. When I read, on line, about reading night and movies for the kids I was hooked. Learning to love books and connecting with adults is so critical to our youth.

All of the programs have been so clever too. The Bunny Bash [[my term) was adorable. The music series also sounds intriging.

The other thing I love is how inclusive this collective has been...
old/ young, black/white, urban/suburban and the list could go on. I guess I am just an old hippy who believes in "love your brother".

Love your energy and keep going! Best wishes for a new growing season.

Sumas