We Are Growing More Than Vegetables!

About Unity Gardens, Inc.

A unified garden movement began with a casual conversation at the South Bend Earth Day event in April of 2007. Unity Gardens, Inc. and South Bend Community Gardens/Community Gardens of Michiana began after a workshop at the Community Forum for Economic Development (CFED).

The casual conversation blossomed into a meeting of a core group of interested people from across the city. At that meeting in May of 2007, a mission statement was crafted and goals were set. While some were lofty, although perhaps still possible, such as a garden every couple of blocks that supports a seasonal market stand supplying the neighborhood with fresh food, others were grounded in reality. Find one spot to start a community garden. Get gardeners from the neighborhood. Plant. Grow. Make it look nice and inviting and possible for replication.

At the same time, similar conversations about the power of local food and the desire for more local access to and control over food were being held among participants in Bertrand Farm’s community supported agriculture program. One gardener mentioned they knew of the perfect place – the lawn north of the Potawatomi Greenhouse.

The greenhouse has been operated by the city since the 1920’s, and the conservatory was added in the 1960’s. The former city gardener, who used to live in a house on the property, had kept a garden on the site which had lain dormant in the years since the house was removed after his retirement. It was a perfect spot to garden, situated in between neighborhoods and within a large park complex, it is accessible, well lit, has parking right next to it, and there were “moth balled” old grow houses that had potential to be used – although without water or power.

A couple of people prepared a proposal for the Parks Board, with extensive help and consultation with city staff from community development, parks, and the greenhouses and board members and volunteers from the Botanical Society of South Bend. It was accepted after its first reading in October, 2007.

Planning began immediately for the 2008 growing season. An initial ‘call out’ for gardeners to those who were already on the community gardening email list generated around 20 families. It was decided that that was enough for the first year! Discussions around garden design and management took place January – March. A cooperative style garden was planned, with two ‘shares’ in charge of each crop that had been selected. Each crop shareholder was to be responsible for obtaining plants or seeds, researching best growing practices, and caring for and managing the care of that crop. What a success! A few chose to also have a single plot in which to raise special crops or to experiment. Seeds were started in the greenhouse, and a tiller was found and the ground turned over in April. By the middle of the season the garden was deemed a roaring success!

Throughout 2008, many people toured the garden, attended monthly educational workshops and an heirloom tomato tasting, and interest had grown around town. The final workshop was a community garden ‘open house’ at the Greenhouse Garden.

In 2008, again through an informal idea discussion at the CFED, Sara Stewart Uzelac proposed opening up a garden for whoever wanted to drop in to grow things in downtown South Bend. Others in attendance thought she had a good idea, and true to her energy and interest, she dug it up and planted that same spring! The concept of the Unity Garden took root. In 2009, 14 gardens were growing around town, feeding neighborhoods and providing a source of free, local, healthy food. An outpouring of support for the gardens came from neighborhoods to Wal Mart, local residents with a tiller and tractor to architects

The 2010 season promises to be one with more gardens, fewer hungry people, and more fresh local food!