Growing Home Community Garden

Garden Parties

2011-12-19T11:44:00.000-08:00

This past Thursday and Friday, 33 individuals who attended the most recent Project Homeless Connect event attended a follow up party at either the Bayview Roots Garden or Growing Home Garden. Participants enjoyed lunch and garden skill shares.

Carole taught a skill share on how to transplant rose scented geraniums.

Wednesday at the garden

2011-12-08T11:46:00.001-08:00

We've started offering a free yoga skill share at the garden every Wednesday at 2:30pm. We have a few mats at the garden that can be used or you are welcome to bring your own.

We just put up a sign to let people know which days during the holiday we will be closed. December 14th we will be closed, because we will be helping out at the Project Homeless Connect Event at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium. We'll be handing out fliers and talking to people about the garden parties we will be hosting on December 15th and 16th.

A special thank you to everyone who has dropped off hoodie donations at the garden for our Hoodies for the Homeless drive. The hoodies will be given away at the Project Homeless Connect event. Our regular volunteers from the SF Friends School 3rd grade delivered 68 hoodies and an addition 43 have been donated by facebook friends and neighbors.

Hoodie status: 512 donated; 1,488 needed by Tuesday, December 14th.

If you would like to donate hoodies, check out our drop off locations around San Francisco. All donations should be new or gently used and clean. Thank you for supporting Project Homeless Connect and helping to keep those living on the streets a little warmer this winter season.

Today at the Garden: Planting Succulents

2011-12-05T16:02:00.000-08:00

Today at the garden, we took advantage of the beautiful day and planted some more fence pockets. Because some of our larger succulents have been removed from the pockets (hopefully getting planted in other gardens) we got smaller succulents that are more difficult for those who pass by to remove. We collected some more large tin cans that we painted and will be drilling water holes in on Wednesday.

Check out the different types of pockets and succulents that we planted today.

We're experimenting with different sizes and materials to see what kind of pockets the plants like the best.

Can you find Carole, one of the peer mentors in this photo?

One of the favorite volunteer tasks of our gardeners is watering. So, we've converted our south lot into perennial flowers that don't mind lots and lots of watering.

Above, Gloria is showing me the kinds of cut foods that the worms enjoy.

Visitors and new volunteers are welcomed at the garden anytime we are open. Above, you'll see someone passing by and chatting with volunteers who explain what they're planting.

Ty, leads a skill share on planting succulents. Join us in the garden any Monday, Wednesday or Friday from 12-4:30pm. All are welcome!

Free Yoga at the Garden

2011-12-01T15:06:00.000-08:00

Come enjoy an expansive experience among the flowers.
Breathe in the calm lavender breeze.
Every Wednesday 2:30 pm
250 Octavia San Francisco
http://www.growinghomecommunitygarden.blogspot.com/
We have a few mats, please bring one if you have one.
Totally Free.

Join our Hoodies for the Homeless Drive

2011-12-01T13:58:00.000-08:00

A hoodie can be used as a jacket, a pillow, a sleeping bag or to provide hope for a better tomorrow.

Help us collect 2,000 sweatshirts and hoodies for the participants of the December 14th Project Homeless Connect (PHC) event.All donations should be new or gently used and clean. Adult mens sizes preferred.Click here to find a donation drop-off site near you.

PHC's December 14th event at the Bill Graham Auditorium will provide over 2000 poor, homeless, uninsured or underinsured individuals hundreds of services. PHC participants achieve in one day what may take up to eight months.

Since PHC's inception in October 2004, 32,537 clients have been connected to services and housing; 22,290 volunteers, 250 non-profit, government and corporate providers have collaborated offering over 450 different services to clients. If you have any additional questions about donations, please contact: megan.rohrer@sfdph.org or call 415-503-2123

Final Tomato Harvest Hastened by Fungi

2011-11-02T17:02:00.000-07:00

Today at the garden, we had the final harvest of our tomato plants. Some members of our garden community wished we could keep the plants in the ground until every single tomato turned red. However, today because of the spread of three common types of mold and fungi, we needed to pull all the remaining plants before the fungus was able to spread to other plants in the garden.

Because of the fungus on the tomatoes, we were unable to put the tomato plants in our garden compost and disposed of the plants in our city compost bins.

Below are some photos of the tomato plants in our garden and the information shared at today's skill share about blight and fungus of tomato plants.

You'll notice from the photo on the left that many of our plants had several branches that had dry wilting leaves. A majority of the tomato plants looked very similar to the one in the photo.

When one stem of the tomato plant is dried out, it's typically Fusarium and Verticillium Wilt.

In the photo to the left you can see white mold that had not only infected our tomato plants, but had also spread to the tomatillos.

Late blight, as seen in the picture below, was found in almost all of the tomato plants in our garden.

It is identified by round black marks on the tomatoes, sections of brown splotches on otherwise green tomato stems and brown spots on the tomato leaves. You can find more information and photos in the video below.

The photos below show tomatoes that would have been possible to harvest if they were removed last Wednesday, when part of the plants that had died were removed. Less than three days later the blight rotted the tomatoes and made them inedible. This not only showed us how quickly the fungus could spread in our garden, but also let us know that if we didn't harvest the tomatoes today they would not have lasted until our next garden meeting on Monday.

Learn more about late blight and how to spot it in tomato plants in this video:

Garden Parties!

2011-09-12T11:28:00.000-07:00

This Fall, the Growing Home Community Garden will be hosting garden parties to help people who attend Project Homeless Connect event to become more connected to the communities in which they live. Its a great way to combat loneliness that affects everyone regardless of class, job, or region!

See below for dates and contact us at ghcgoffice@gmail.com to volunteer and get involved!

Oct 6th - Bayview Garden Party: Bayview Roots Garden (3rd/Palou)

Oct 7th- Central City Garden Party: Growing Home Community Garden (Octavia/Lily)

Nov 10th - Bayview Garden Party: Bayview Roots Garden(3rd/Palou)

Nov 11th - Central City Garden Party: Growing Home Community Garden (Octavia/Lily)

Dec 15th - Bayview Garden Party: Bayview Roots Garden(3rd/Palou)

Dec 16th - Central City Garden Party: Growing Home Community Garden (Octavia/Lily)

Interested in helping to serve lunch, supporting members of their community, and facilitating beginner art or garden activities? E-mail ghcgoffice@gmail.com

Now Hiring: Office Assistant

2011-09-11T11:08:00.000-07:00

11/3/11: Update. All positions are full at this time. Please check back for future postings.

Note: This position is for a position through the San Francisco Study Center to work at Project Homeless Connect's Growing Home Community Garden's Seeding Resilience Project.

Job Summary:
Under the direct supervision of the Growing Home Community Garden (GHCG) Program Manager, the Office Assistant will assist with the paperwork, grant reporting and communication related to the GHCG. GHCG's mission is to provide a community garden where both homeless and house San Franciscans work side-by-side to grow nutritious food, access green space and build community.

GHCG is a project of Project Homeless Connect (PHC), in collaboration with the Department of Public Heiath, Department of Public Works, San Francisco Clean City Coalition, Farms to Grow, the Hayes Valley Neighborhood Association, and many others, are working to make Growing Home a functional, sustainable and educational green space while increasing efficient use of the city's resources for our homeless population.

Compensation: This is a 10 hour a week position at the rate of $16 an hour. We have the ability to give the applicant a significant number of additional hours through the end of June to help with events. Please let us know if you'd be interested in working additional hours in May and June.

Click here to read the full job description. This file is a word document, if you have trouble viewing it from a pc you can also right click the link and choose "save as" to download it to your computer. Send an email to the info below if you would like this file emailed to you.

How to Apply:
Click here to get a copy of the application.

Please send a completed application, a cover letter and your resume to: megan.rohrer@sfdph.org
Due to a high volume of applicants, not all applicants will recieve a response to their resume. We will do our best to be in touch with as many applicants as possible about their status in the process.

Please send any questions about the position to:

Megan Rohrer
Program Manager
Growing Home Community Garden
25 Van Ness Ave, Suite 340
San Francisco CA 94102
megan.rohrer@sfdph.org

Now Hiring: Garden Educator

2011-08-07T12:35:00.000-07:00

11/3/11: Update. All positions are full at this time. Please check back for future postings.

Note: This posting is for a position through the San Francisco Study Center to work at Project Homeless Connect's Growing Home Community Garden's Seeding Resilience Project.

Job Summary: Under the direct supervision of the Growing Home Community Garden (GHCG) Program Manager, the Garden Educator will ensure that the garden site is accessible, healthy and growing. GHCG's mission is to provide a community garden where both homeless and housed San Franciscans work side-by-side to grow nutritious food, access green space and build community.

Compensation: 10 hours a week at the rate of $18 an hour.

Click here to see the full job description. This file is a word document, if you have trouble viewing it from a pc you can also right click the link and choose "save as" to download the file to your computer. Send an email to the contact info below if you would like this file emailed to you.

How to Apply:
Click here to get a copy of the application form.

Please send a completed application, a cover letter and your resume to:
megan.rohrer@sfdph.org

Due to the high volume of applicants, not all applicants will recieve a response to their resume. We will do our best to be in touch with as many applicants as possible about their status in the process.

Please send any questions about the position to:

Megan Rohrer
Program Manager
Growing Home Community Garden
25 Van Ness Ave, Suite 340
San Francisco CA 94102
megan.rohrer@sfdph.org
415-503-2196

'Beginner Gardener' Skill-Shares this Summer.

2011-06-28T11:32:00.000-07:00

This summer there is one more reason to stop by the garden. On Mondays and Fridays around 2pm, we will be offering basic gardening skill-shares. Come by for all of them, or only a few. These will be very basic and hands-on, so don't be afraid to come by and get your hands dirty regardless of your skill level. The topics and descriptions of the classes are as follows:

1. Uses and maintenance of common garden tools. Learn to identify the proper tools for the job, call them by their correct name, utilize them in an effective and safe way, and the guidelines of cleaning, sharpening, and storing them correctly.

2. Starting seed in the greenhouse. Learn how to start a few different kinds of seed and the specifics of how to plant them for the greatest chance of germination.

3. Transplanting. Learn the most effective and gentle way to transplant, as well as the appropriate time to move the seedling from the greenhouse to the ground.

4. Direct-seeding. Learn the best way to direct-seed, and how to identify the plants that like to be direct-seeded from the plants that like to be started in the greenhouse.

5. Vertical gardening. Learn how to grow plants vertically and beautify the spaces and structures around the space, by creating pockets for the garden fence and choosing appropriate plants such as succulents and herbs.

6. Propagation. Learn how to start new plants from a 'mother' plant, by utilizing the proper skills to encourage the new plant material to set roots and grow.

7. Maintaining and using compost. Learn what materials are needed for a successful pile, and the attention required to keep the pile decomposing. Visit the garden's hot piles and worm bins, and learn how and where to use the compost when it's ready.

8. Making and applying natural pesticide. Learn to identify common garden pests and how to deter them using a solution that will not harm the plants.

9. Making and applying worm tea. Learn the fun process of making tea from worm castings and how to apply it as a foliar spray.

10. Irrigation. Learn to care for plants by watering them appropriately via hand watering and the drip system. Learn how to set the drip system to specific days and times.

11. Caring for perennials. Learn how to cut back, water, and harvest perennial plants.

12. Harvesting. Learn when and how to harvest a plant, depending on its life cycle, how it grows, and the part we eat.

SAVE THE DATE June 23, 2011 3:33PM

2011-06-20T19:48:00.000-07:00

Melissa Lareau will be teaching a class on Mindfulness and Crystals this Thursday, June 23, 2011, at the Growing Home Community Garden.

The class will be held from 3:33pm until 5:00pm.

See you there!

Harvest

2011-06-19T12:21:00.000-07:00

The lettuce is ready for harvest as well. Looks like we will have lots of lettuce this summer.

The strawberries are also ready to be harvested.

What's new in the Garden

2011-06-19T12:04:00.000-07:00

We have so many lava beans in the garden. We have been harvesting the lava beans for several weeks now. I have been giving them to friends and visitors to the garden to enjoy.

Also, the tomato plants are starting to bear fruit.

My Time in the Garden So Far...

2011-06-15T10:21:00.000-07:00

So far, being part of the garden has been a great experience. Through participating in the weekly meetings and a work day once a week, I have learned a great deal of information about gardening and met some great people. Since I first joined the garden, we have done a lot of crop rotation, double digging beds after harvest and amending the soil for new plants to be cultivated. We amended the soil by mixing in different organic fertilizers such as goat manure, compost from the city, fava beans grown in our garden, and our very own compost made with worm castings. Our garden has many young plants but in the coming months I think we will have some really nice growth.

Most of the plants that you see at the garden now were started from seed by members of the garden in our very own greenhouses. For this season’s summer crop, we planted Tomatos, Tomatillos, Squash, Zuchini, Carrots, Lettuce and more. Recently we moved some strawberry plants from our south-garden to our north garden strawberry bed. Before transplanting them, we made holes in the bed and mixed them with compost. Hopefully in a few weeks we will have an even more lush, green strawberry bed. In the bed that those strawberrys previously, we will plant root vegetables like onions, garlic, radishes, and more.

The tomato plants in the garden didn’t seem like they were doing to well at first, but in the recent days it seems like they are getting used to the soil and growing. That is exciting! Of the very first squash that we planted, some are already making fruit! We also planted a bed of squash with each plant elevated in its very own mound. It looks like a mountainous squash forest. We put the squash in mounds in order to facilitate better drainage and give the plants’ roots enough area to spread out deeply and soak up as much water as possible. We have noticed that they also don’t seem to like too much water in their early stages. I think squash blossoms are very beautiful to look at.

The garden is a great place and I encourage others to stop by on any of our workdays and especially our Monday meeting. I encourage others to come to the garden to enjoy this great weather in the city as summer approaches and learn about different gardening skills and beneficial methods of organic gardening. Gardening is a great skill to know and you can set up a garden just about anywhere with good sunlight. Gardening can be as easy as making a fence pocket out of a burlap sack and chicken wire, filling it with soil and hanging it on a railing, fence or gate. Just add seeds and water and sooner than you think you can be eating your own lettuce or making tea from you own medicinal herbs. By coming to GHCG you can learn a lot about gardening and if you want to, bring home what you learned.

The garden is also great because it gives you the opportunity to get outside, get your hands dirty and also meet some great people. At our Monday garden meetings (1pm), we have been very fortunate to enjoy soup while we have weekly discussions about different aspects about the garden such as: crop rotation, irrigation, harvesting, art and our next plans of action for working in the garden. It’s a great time to check-in, start off the week and all join to take care of something very valuable to us all: the garden.

This Week in the Garden.

2011-06-08T13:00:00.000-07:00

A lot is happening in the garden. To be in compliance with the new city code, we will continue to adorn the cyclone fencing with art in the form of succulents and herbs busting out of various pockets and cans. Vertical gardening is very exciting, and in many places (such as Cuba), it is a good solution to the lack of space. At Growing Homes we have lots of herbs and succulents growing on the fence, and I'm excited to experiment with annuals that have shallow roots as well, such as lettuce and strawberries. In the picture above, there are different herbs growing out of tin cans.
Here is one of the many succulent pockets. Succulents are a good plant to grow on the fence because they do not require much water or nutrient dense soil.
Most of our beds at the garden are planted out! Exciting! Now we get to watch them grow and transform and send them nurturing energy as our fall harvest approaches. Above is the evolved bed of lettuce and brussel sprouts. We just received our first harvest of lettuce a few weeks ago. It is tender, delicious, and multi-shaped and colored. The brussel sprouts are struggling as we've been trying to save them from a very aggressive bunch of aphids.
Here is a bed of tomatoes, peppers, and basil. It is our "warm weather" bed, and as such the modified gallon water jugs are serving as a mini greenhouse. We'll see if they assist the health of the plants.
In this bed there are actually three. When we double dug the bed we decided to break it up into three parts in order to facilitate harvesting. In the back bed there is mustard greens, the middle bed houses poc choi, and the front bed is a home to baby tomatillos. I think the tomatillos will do well in the garden because they are a wilder cousin to tomatoes, requiring less sun and warmth and able to handle more wind.
I believe the secret to a healthy garden is doing the lengthy work of starting seeds in a greenhouse and transplanting them to the beds when they are strong seedlings. However, some plants are appropriate for direct seeding in the Bay Area. This bed is a home to spinach, lettuce, carrots, sweet peas and perennial flowers. The flowers and spinach were transplanting, but all the other annuals were direct seeded and are doing well. Sweet peas are super easy to grow in lots of different climates. When in doubt, plant sweet peas!
This is my new favorite bed! On Friday we transplanted over 20 squash plants into this bed. Now it is the "squash village." I'm looking forward watching the summer squash, zucchini, butternut squash, delicatta, and pumpkins grow long into the fall. We had a lot of fun digging out this bed and mounding up all the earth. There were four of us tending to this bed and we went from pulling out the old plants to having the babies transplanted in a little under three hours. It was fast and fun!
I am fondly referring to this bed as the "hodge podge" bed. It is a mixture of various annuals and perennials and I can't even begin to name all the plants because there are too many. Initially we just wanted the perennial flowers and squash, tomatillos, and tomatoes to grow. However, there must have been a lot of seed in the soil because volunteer mustard greens, potato vines, raspberry vines, and chard have popped up in the past few weeks.
Our donated tomato starts that we received last month from Sunnyside Nursery in Richmond are finally sprouting green leaves and recovering. If the sun comes out, we will have delicious tomatoes ripening in a few months.
It is early summer and many of the green things are flowering or fruiting. The garden has exploded in various colors and shapes. Here is the first baby pear on the pear tree.
Here is soapwort, which is a flowering shrub. Soon we should see some pretty violet flowers appear. Behind the shrub is foxglove, a towering perennial. The flowers look like fairy hats.
The bed in the south garden in the far corner is a home to a beautiful thriving rosebush. It is in the back of the bed, while in the rest there are many different baby vegetables that a crowd of kids planted. They were planted kid style, i.e. haphazardly, but in true kid style they are doing well because plant energy and kid energy is very synchronous.
Here is one of the medicinal herb beds in her full summer glory. The creepy crawly plant is yerba buena, which belongs to the mint family and is a San Francisco native. This city has a rich interwoven relationship with this medicinal, and many native peoples regard it as sacred.
Above is the second medicinal bed. In the foreground is St. John's Wort and in the background is seeding oregano and a strong perennial flower that won't stop flowering.
Here are two very useful flowering herbs: calendula and red clover. Calendula is used for skin care and red clover is used internally and as a ground cover and nitrogen fixer.
Last but not least is our wonderful clary sage! It flowers at six to eight feet tall, and is amazingly aromatic. It is used for cut flowers (which last along time and are really unique and beautiful) and skin care. Come by the garden and take a whiff of this incredible perennial herb in her full flowering glory, which elicits different reactions in everyone.

2011-06-04T09:48:00.001-07:00

Recently, I have had a more personal experience of what it is like to be homeless because Monday - Friday, I pack up and flee my apartment because I cannot tolerate the noise from the construction going on in my building.

For the past two weeks the construction noise at my apartment building and especially in my bedroom has been unbearable at best. It has left me with no option but to leave my apartment everyday (Monday - Friday) from 9 -5 pm.

I just cannot deal with the noise from the banging, drilling, pulling out of dry-rotted wood, etc. This is taking place right on the other side of my bedroom wall where I lay my head down to rest. I feel like they are right in my bedroom, I can even hear them sneezing and singing while they are working! Every morning I pack my things for the day and leave my apartment, and head for the streets.

Luckily, the Growing Home Community Garden is open Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from noon until 5 pm. This experience has led me to think about some things and ask myself:

Where do the homeless go when they just want to be alone and recharge their battery?
Where do the homeless go to quietly enjoy reading a book or magazine?
Where do the homeless go to take naps when they are tired?
Do the homeless have a place to go and watch TV?
Where do the homeless go to when they are hungary? Is it a place where they can enjoy their meal in peace?
Where do the homeless go to get help --medical, psychological, dental, vision, etc.?
Do the homeless have access to legal assistance when they feel they have been treated unfairly and need help?

I don't have the answers to all of these questions, but I will be researching these issues and updating the blog as I find out. Once every other month you can come to the Project Homeless Connect (PHC) and get help. There are many resources available for the homeless and nearly homeless.

This month PHC will take place on Friday, June 10, 2011. It will take place in the Bayview Hunters Point neighborhood of San Francisco - 2401 Jennings Street. It will take place from 10am - 3pm. There are many resources available for the homeless and nearly homeless.

If you are interested in volunteering, you can volunteer from 8:30am - 4pm.

Come join us at PHC and show you care!

A Very Good Day in the Garden

2011-06-04T09:39:00.000-07:00

Friday was a very good day in the garden.

We double-dug the bed that we harvested carrots, lettuce and turnips from last week. It was my first time actually digging and I truly enjoyed it! It helped me to take my mind off of my problems and I worked up a sweat.

It was fun learning how to plant squash and why we plant squash in a certain manner from Sam McMullen our Garden Educator. It was enjoyable working with Ty and one of our garden volunteers. We amended the soil and planted lots of squash. I will go take a picture of it over the weekend and update this post with the photo over the weekend when it stops raining.

Lastly, it was fun learning more about the people I am working alongside.

Stay dry!

Summer's beginnings in the garden.

2011-06-01T13:54:00.000-07:00

The ground is getting warm and the plants are getting big! After being a way from the garden for a little bit, I started the work day last Friday by staring with awe at a very lovely squash plant. The flower had just opened and it is the most amazing shade of orange. The squash in the greenhouse are big too, and have been very patient but nevertheless questioning, "When will you find a home for us?" I know it's time for them to go into a bed, because I've already snipped off four small flowers. It is very satisfying to start your plants from seed, wait months to transplant them into a bed, and then to see them become very large and healthy plants (and hopefully productive, too).

Meanwhile, in a middle bed in the North garden, the strawberries are setting quite a bit of fruit that is delicious when it is ripe. But waiting can be very hard! I've seen quite a few people pop a not fully ripe strawberry into their mouth. And let's not forget about the fava plants! We have been harvesting many pounds of beans often and still there are many to take away.

We have a bed of lettuce that is almost ready. But most of our beds have baby plants that have just recently been transplanted. We have only a few more beds to turn, amend, and plant in and then it's the part that I might enjoy the most: to wait, water, and watch the plants get big for the fall harvest in September. If all goes well we will have sweet peas, lettuce, carrots, squash, tomatoes, peppers (with lots of luck), tomatillos, basil, endive, radicchio, kale, chard, and brussel sprouts.

Come by to see the garden in all her summer glory!

Why I Believe Gardening is Good for Your Mental Health

2011-05-26T13:21:00.000-07:00

Gardening is creating life from a seed or seedling planted into the earth. It allows you to detach from the hustle and bustle of your busy life and to reconnect to your roots (no pun intended). Gardening allows you to slow down and smell the roses (again with the puns!). It's an act of faith, patience, and nurturing. The act of nurturing is a healing process.That is why I believe gardening is a great hobby for people that suffer from mental illness. Coming to the Growing Home Community Garden (GHCG) is a great way to improve your mood.

Here are some ways coming to the garden can improve your mood:

Gardening gets you out of the house; it helps you to stop isolating.
Gardening is good exercise and exercise improves your mood.
When you are gardening you are in the sun creating vitamin for your body and vitamin D is also great for your mood, studies have shown that individuals with depression often are vitamin deficient.
Volunteering at the garden on a regular basis gives you something to do and to look forward, which adds structure to your life.
You can take some flowers, herbs, and vegetables home from the garden (yummy).
You can sit and enjoy the garden through your senses it smells and looks great by the herbs and flower beds.   
Working with others on a team can be fun and rewarding.
You can socialize in the garden.
You can sit and relax in the garden.
You can do art in the garden.
You can learn new things in the garden.
There is something enjoyable about digging in the dirt. Do you remember making mud pies or building sand castles as a kid?

So, come join us at the garden!

This week in the garden: Seedlings!

2011-05-05T09:48:00.000-07:00

Seedlings have finally arrived and there are tomatoes!

One of the most challenging and time-sensitive responsibilities of a gardener is to start seeds so they will be ready to transplant in the beds at the appropriate time. The success of the garden depends on the success of the seedlings, and they require plenty of care and patience. At Growing Home there have been lots of adventures in the world of seedlings.

We planted three trays of tomatoes. A random hot weekend arrived and scorched the little ones. Few tomatoes survived. Then, with only a few weeks to go before many were ready to plant, a gusty wind knocked the entire greenhouse on its face. Many survived, and many perished.

So, with much excitement and relief, the garden welcomed a very generous donation of seedlings from Sunnyside Organic Seedlings in Richmond. We have wonderful tomato, pumpkin, squash, cucumber, pepper, basil, pac choi, kale, and mustard starts. Stop by the garden and help us prep beds and plant!

Big thanks to Sunnyside for helping transform our garden!

Help us win $5,000

2011-05-02T11:24:00.000-07:00

Growing Home Community Garden Manager, Megan Rohrer, is a finalist for the Citizen of Tomorrow Award. This means that SF Refresh has a one in five chance of winning $5,000 for our events. The fine folk at the Bay Area Citizen made the video above.

Please take a moment and vote for Megan and SF Refresh, since the award is determined by online voting, only you can help us get this grant!

Thanks for all your help and for all the ways you help to support SF Refresh.

DRINK YOUR MEDICINE: How to make Herbal Tea with herbs you grew yourself

2011-04-30T12:59:00.000-07:00

Every Friday Finn has lead an herbal medicine skill share. In the past weeks I have learned so much about the benefits of certain herbs, ways to extract there medicinal properties and the small details about handling herbs to turn them in to medicine. To me, herbal medicine is a great supplement to modern western medicine, and brings relief in a less intense, more natural way. While we have learned how to make salves and tinctures, HERBAL TEA has been the most helpful and useful method of making medicine from plants that I have used so far. I have used tea to relax, reduce stress and anxiety, calm the nerves, and help generally feel good and be happy.

HOW TO MAKE HERBAL TEA:

1. HARVEST HERBS. Never cut more than 1/3 of the plant because any more than that can harm/shock the plant (it’s a living being you know). Leaves and flowers contain most of the medicinal properties of the plants but you can also use the stems and roots. Harvest close to the ends of bottoms of the stems to encourage growth.

2. DRY HERBS. By drying the plant, all of the water evaporates and the plants' medicinal properties become more useful and potent. Fresh herbs can be used but you would want to use much more (about 2 times as much) than dried herbs. To dry herbs, tie their ends with a string and hang them in a dark place with plenty of air flow. Another method is to make a drying rack with a material like bug screen stretched on a wood frame. Once the herbs are crispy you know they are dry and ready to use.

3. PREPARE THE HERBS. Crush and crumble the herbs into a container with a sealable top. We have been using glass jars but just about any container will work. By breaking the plant into small pieces, you are making sure more surface area is exposed for the medicinal properties to be extracted.

4. BOIL WATER AND POUR. Pour boiling water onto the herbs and cover the top. By keeping the top covered, the steam stays inside the container which helps better extract the medicinal properties. If using glass, be sure to pour slowly because if you pour too fast the glass may expand too rapidly and break (this already happened to me…very sad.)

5. LET STEEP. Let the mixture steep for at least 20 minutes or up to many hours. The longer you wait the more potent it gets. It all depends on your time schedule and how quick you want to use the medicine.

6. ENJOY YOUR MEDICINE!!! Strain out the plant matter with a tea strainer or something that can separate the liquid from the plants. You can drink the tea now or save it in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.

Some great herbs that I have been using straight from our garden’s medicinal bed are Lavender, Mint, Yarrow, Yerba Buena, Stinging Nettles, and Lemon Balm. All of them are very relaxing and each have their own specific medicinal properties. Check back for my next blog post about specific herbs’ medicinal properties and great combinations for teas. STOP BY THE GARDEN ON FRIDAYS AT 2PM TO LEARN MORE ABOUT HERBAL MEDICINE.

TREMENDOUS THANKS TO FINN FOR PASSING ON THIS LIFE CHANGING WISDOM!!!

Introducing: Tyler Campbell

2011-04-27T14:15:00.000-07:00

Tyler Campbell

ghcgmentor2@gmail.com

Born and Raised in San Francisco, I take pride in my roots and supporting the diverse community of my city. In my role as peer mentor, I welcome new participants to the garden, support the current volunteers and staff, conduct outreach, and help maintain the garden.

I recently graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz where I better realized my interest in nature, organic food, urban agriculture, and sustainability practices. It’s great to reap the healthy benefits of edible and medicinal plants like rosemary, lavender, mint, kale, peas, chamomile, onions, thyme and more—all grown in any place with sun, even in the city.

I see the garden as a place to be in touch with my connection to nature as a living being, even in the midst of the busy, fast paced ways of the city and modern technology. The garden is a place to take the time to relax, learn and share knowledge, and also create new, positive connections to fellow members of the greater San Francisco community. Through its meditative and therapeutic nature, as well as the bounty it produces, growing vegetables and herbs helps maintain a positive and healthy existence.

This week in the garden.

2011-04-27T12:13:00.000-07:00

This past week in the garden we have continued to amend the soil, turn the beds, and plant new crops. The garden benefited from the artistic efforts during SF Refresh. The picture above is of a trellis we decorated with statements of affirmations and forgiveness written on paper and tied up with yarn.
This aloe was planted in the medicinal bed. It is doing well and has started flowering in a bright orange fashion. Aloe is a medicinal plant used for skin. Growing around the aloe we can see the yerba buena, which is a native to the Bay Area, and used to grow all over San Francisco. It is a mildly sedating herb that is part of the mint family and can be used as a tea (often times with chamomile) to calm and bring on sleep.

Here is our lovely medicinal bed that is a thriving and exciting part of the garden. The little pink marguarite daisy in the background has been flowering all year (!). In the foreground there is the ancient and cure-all St. John's Wort. It was given that name hundreds of years back, because its little yellow flowers arrive approximately around St. John's Day, which is on June 24th and coincides with the Summer Solstice and Midsummer's Day. The herb is known for brightening the mood.

78 Confirmed Free Activities for April 16th

2011-04-11T11:53:00.000-07:00

The San Francisco Urban Agriculture Alliance (SFUAA) in collaboration with Project Homeless Connect’s Growing Home Community Garden, is hosting the inaugural SF Refresh Event on April 16, 2011. Designed to provide free whole body care activities in community gardens throughout San Francisco, SF Refresh is funded by the Mental Health Services Act in collaboration with SF Department of Public Health. SF Refresh will expand San Francisco’s system of care by utilizing city resources, businesses, non profits and interfaith groups and volunteers to provide healthy, artistic and creative options for self care. 78 confirmed free activities include: labyrinth walks, massage, yoga, nonviolence workshops, art projects, mediation and mindfulness, live music, cooking skill shares, mural painting, disaster preparedness, addiction recovery classes, gardening skill shares, harp therapy and stress reduction classes. At the Free Farm (Eddy/Gough)

8:00am All Levels Yoga (Flow Style) - Linda Leu

9:00am Labyrinth Walk - Kris Iversen

10:00am Affirmation/Forgiveness Trees

10:00am Meet the Artist: Mother Earth Exhibit

10:00am We Forgive you Papers

10:00am Volunteers @ The Free Farm

10:00am Meditation Workshop - Pancho

11:00am Herbs and Health Garden Talk/Walking Tour - Finn Cunningham 11:00am Nonviolence Workshop - Pancho

12:00pm Vegan Lunch 1:00pm Labyrinth Walk - Kris Iversen

1:00pm Yoga for Kids - Linda Leu

3:00pm Ball of Light Meditation - Melissa Lareau

3:00pm Yoga for Seniors and Individuals with Limited Mobility - Julie

3:30pm Grounding/Opening Chakra Meditation - Melissa Lareau

4:00pm All Levels Yoga (Flow Style) - Linda Leu

4:00pm Labyrinth Walk - Kris Iversen 4:00pm Mindfulness, Meditation and Somatic Experiencing Class - Rik Center of the Mindfulness Care Center

4:00pm Mural Painting - Composting Toilet

4:00pm Nichiren Shu Meditation (chanting and drums) - Michael McCormick 4:00pm Nonviolence Workshop - Pancho

4:00pm Planting and Potting Mindfulness - Tree

4:00pm Ball of Light Meditation - Melissa Lareau

4:30pm Grounding/Opening Chakra Meditation - Melissa Lareau

5:00pm Earth Healing Meditation - Melissa Lareau

6:00pm Meet the Artist - Anne Hamersky 8:00pm Stargazing – Pancho

At the Growing Home Community Garden (Octavia/Lily)

10:00am Affirmation/Forgiveness Trees 10:00am Meet the Artist: Mother Earth Exhibit

10:00am We Forgive you Papers 10:00am Meditation - Christopher Blount

11:00am Sprouting Skill Share - Christopher Blount

12:00pm Bicycle Powered Smoothies @ GHCG

1:00pm Deep Relaxation - Christopher Blount

1:00pm Writing Workshop - Rachel Cassandra and Jimmy Defebaugh of the Revel Art Collective

2:00pm Gardening for your Self Care Skill Share - Christopher Blount

3:00pm Irrigation and Drip System Skill Share

3:00pm Learn more about Alcoholics Anonymous

3:00pm Writing Workshop - Rachel Cassandra and Jimmy Defebaugh of the Revel Art Collective

4:00pm Harp Therapy - Jack Pantaleo

4:00pm Mindless Doodling - Ilyse Magy

At the Hayes Valley Farm (Fell/Laguna)

8:00am – 12pm The Great Compost Giveaway – Recology (bring your own bucket)

9:5am Parachute Play - Sam McMullen

10:00am Affirmation/Forgiveness Trees

10:00am Imagination Station

10:00am Meet the Artist: Mother Earth Exhibit

10:00am Mural painting - Jessica Kraft

10:00am We Forgive you Papers

10:00am Stretching/Movement - Jaime Tjahaja 10:45am Parachute Play - Sam McMullen 11:00am Be Red Cross Ready (Disaster Preparedness) - The Red Cross

11:00am Composting Skill Share - Sam McMullen

11:00am Making Your your End of Life Care Wishes Known - Megan Dowdell 11:00am Fence Yarn Pocket Art - Lily Laurence and Lauren Gucik of the Revel Art Collective 11:00am Reiki - Diana Wheeler

11:30am Chair Massage - Amy Hintze

11:45am Parachute Play - Sam McMullen

12:00pm Lunch @ Hayes Valley Farm*

12:00pm Choose Your Own Cob Oven Pizza Adventure

12:45pm Parachute Play - Sam McMullen

1:00pm Herbs and Wellness Skill Share - Sam McMullen

1:00pm Live Acoustic Music - David Douglas

1:45pm Parachute Play - Sam McMullen

2:00pm Vespertine Orchestra

1:00pm Composting Skill Share - Jaime Tjahaja

2:00pm Building Succulant Fence Pockets - Booka

2:00pm Mindfulness, Meditation and Somatic Experiencing Class - Rik Center of the Mindfulness Care Center

2:00pm Zen Meditation - Shannon Stewart 2:45pm Parachute Play - Sam McMullen 3:00pm Chair Massage - Amy Hintze

3:00pm See and Learn about Goats - City Grazing

3:00pm Bicycle Powered Smoothies @ Hayes Valley Farm

3:00pm Herbs & Wellness Skill Share - Sam McMullen

3:45pm Parachute Play - Sam McMullen

4:00pm Creative Writing Workshop

4:00pm Meditation/Mindfulness - Anne Mascovich

4:00pm Mindful Weeding - Sam McMullen

4:45pm Parachute Play - Sam McMullen

*Additional Cooking Skill Shares at the Hayes Valley Farm throughout the day with Ty Curley.

Bed Prep and Double Digging.

2011-04-06T12:02:00.000-07:00

Bed prep is hard work! This is what we are learning this week. The good news is that many hands make light work, so bed prep is a great opportunity for everyone in the garden to participate. The jobs are many and diverse, so all folks can lend a hand. The picture above is of a bed housing last season's plants that we will soon harvest. There are peas on the fence and fava beans in the front. When we prep this bed we will 'dig' in the favas, because they are part of the pea family and fix the nitrogen in the soil.
This is a bed that is freshly double dug. Double digging is a method of bed prep that's good to use when you want to yield the maximum amount of food from a small space. It is great for urban gardens because you can amend the bed as you dig and do not need to take out all the soil to turn the bed. We amended this bed with a mixture of straw and goat manure, worm castings, and vegetable matter. The soil really changed its constitution: when we began digging it was dry and compacted, and after digging and amending it became rich, dark, and loamy.
This is another bed after we prepped it. The prep took us 3 hours! It looks different from the second picture because we broke up all the clumps and smoothed it out with a rake, and then shaped it into mounds. Bed prep is laborious, but very much worth it. After the community effort, we all felt very satisfied. This bed is now a home to baby squash and flowers. The flowers are at the perimeter of the bed and the squash live at the top of the mounds. We will soon plant tomatoes along the fence so they can vine up it, and also along the perimeter so they can hang off the side of the box. It it fun to grow the same plants in different ways to see how they thrive. I enjoy gardening because while there are many skills to learn, much can be said about imagination and experimentation. I try to always keep an open mind and listen to what the plants are telling me!

Introducing: Yvette Pannell

2011-04-04T12:38:00.001-07:00

Hello,

My name is Yvette and I am a Peer Mentor in the garden. I come from a long line of farmers; I am the first generation in my family not to grow up on a farm. I love working at the garden because I get to learn about gardening and to help people. My job is a win-win situation.

The Growing Home Community Garden is a great place to learn the skill of gardening, the nutritional qualities of various vegetables and fruits, and the medicinal and/or culinary qualities of herbs.

Since I started woking at the garden, I have learned about vegetables I had never heard of before and how to prepare them. Do you know what a Kohlrabi is? I never heard of it until I started working at the garden. At the garden you can make new friends, and escape from the "city scene" for a little while.

Spring time is here and we are busy enriching the soil and planting summer crops. Drop by and say hello or sign up to be a volunteer.

This Week at the Garden: Spring Transforms.

2011-03-30T13:07:00.000-07:00

Lots of good work is underway at the garden. Spring has arrived, and we are harvesting the fall plants and planting some spring ones. Here, a kale stir-fry is being prepared for the Monday garden meeting. Kale is high in vitamin C and iron, and delicious cooked with garlic, onion, and olive oil.
We are lucky to have an outdoor stove at the garden. Here the volunteers cook up the kale, with the succulent pockets keeping close watch on the other side of the fence.
Ilyse found a shady spot to lead a knitting skill-share.
This was the first bed to be harvested, double dug, and amended. The Friday work day was exciting because lots of people showed up and participated, and then shared in the harvest of red mustard and celery. The baby plants above are lettuce, which we started in our own green house.
The Monday work day was very sunny and productive. Here we all got our hands dirty while planting the remainder of the bed with brussel sprouts. I think the new lettuce and brussel sprouts will enjoy their shady home under the tree.

Adventures in Poop.

2011-03-30T10:56:00.001-07:00

It is funny to ponder my evolving relationship to poop over the last few years. In my pre-gardening years poop was something that was joked about or something that was gingerly stepped over on the sidewalk. No longer a laughing matter, I now see the limitless possibilities and conversations present in poop. (O.K., it's still funny.) What animal did it come from? How long has it been aged? How much nitrogen is present? How many beds can be amended and how many plants can be nourished from this poop? Be it goat poop, horse poop, or worm poop, most healthy plants start with some kind of manure.
The goat and straw manure we picked up from City Grazing was an exciting addition to our garden. We have the goats above to thank as well as their human friend, Carla. Getting the compost to the garden was a big adventure. It involved shoveling poo into bags on the most rainy day of the week and getting the borrowed van stuck in the mud. There were many opportunities for laughter and 'character-building,' and now with the combination of good weather, compost, and new seedlings, the time is right for spring planting.

Gardening in the Rain

2011-03-23T12:03:00.000-07:00

This week in the garden, the rain didn't stop us from working together and getting to know one another. Being the time of the Spring Equinox, we have many new beginnings upon us. I've really enjoyed getting to know the different faces of the garden, and what each person enjoys doing in the space. The Monday garden meeting was informative for me, as a few of the regular volunteers shared how they relate to the garden. What I learned is that there are many different roles the garden plays; some people come to connect with other volunteers and participate in the skill shares while others come to connect with the plants. The garden space is truly one where everyone can participate and feel good about themselves!

Above, the soup donated from the Zen Center kept us warm during the meeting. A cute reusable bamboo spork was given to each volunteer to help cut down on waste.

We created more pockets for succulents or herbs. They are pretty simple and inexpensive to make and really add detail and beauty to the fence.

Because so many vegetables were planted last fall, we have quite a spring harvest on our hands. Exciting! Really, look how excited Ilyse is! Harvesting is one of my favorite things to do in the garden... it's so nice to eat the food one has worked so hard to grow. These winter alliums got very big and everyone got to take some with them on Monday. We also harvested fava tops, celery, and kale. Once we amend the beds, it will be time to plant summer crops. Come by the garden to share the harvest and lend a hand for spring planting!

Skill shares at the garden.

2011-03-08T16:14:00.000-08:00

This last week at the garden, there were many exciting opportunities to get our hands dirty, meet new people, and learn new skills. On Friday we had our first herb skill share with Finn! We harvested chamomile, lavender, and mint to dry for tea. With both a medicinal herb bed and a culinary herb bed, these perennials and annuals are a thriving and lovely addition to the garden.

This rose-scented geranium is just opening into a bloom! The geranium is happy and healthy, so we were able to propagate a portion of the plant and integrate it into the vertical gardening along the fence. I enjoy breaking off a leaf and rubbing it to release her uplifting aroma. It is one of my favorite smells in the garden, and it's no wonder the essential oil is used in aromatherapy. The ancients believed the scent of rose geranium healed a broken heart, and advised those afflicted to soak in a bath infused with her leaf. Skeptical, I tried this at the farm where I worked and it did in fact sooth my nerves.

This pineapple sage is also thriving, with its fuchsia flowers reaching up to touch the sun. The botanical name of sage, Salvia, is rooted in the Latin "Salvare," which means "to save." This hints at the potent medicinal qualities of sage. The Salvia family is large however, so we have to be mindful of the different properties of each variety. Pineapple sage is used as a tea for digestion and as a general nerve tonic, and also as a culinary herb to lend a mild citrus flavor to chicken, salad, or salsa.

On Monday Christopher led a informative skill share on plant life cycles. We learned about the differences between annual, biennial, and perennial plants. We talked about double digging and urban gardening and I am excited to use those skills to grow more vegetables in the space.

The two artichoke plants are a highlight of the garden. They have become massive and are producing many flower heads. How fascinating that the artichoke plant is actually a domesticated thistle and that the part we humans eat is the flower of the plant. It is fun to think about the parts of the plant that we harvest to eat and how it may be quite tiny compared to the whole of the plant. Now is a good time to become involved in the garden as we are coming into spring planting and emerging from the slow period of winter. Help us plant, join in a skill share, and participate in the fun. See you at the garden!

Introducing: Sam McMullen.

2011-03-08T14:50:00.000-08:00

Hey Folks! I am Sam, the new Garden Educator. I am very thrilled to become a part of the Growing Home Community Garden family. Participating in activities such as herb drying and planting seeds with 6th grade students has been exciting while making connections with the current volunteers and new peer mentors. As spring approaches, I am looking forward to planting warm weather crops and watching the garden transform. Hurray for tomatoes and basil!

I am returning to the Bay Area after a year-long internship at Slide Ranch in Marin. There I learned about bio-intensive organic gardening, milking goats, and chasing chickens. And then I taught students how to do all these things during their day to week-long visits. The internship expanded my skills as an educator and sparked my passion for helping students connect to their food and their larger natural community.

I fancy goats, herbs, and oral history and my favorite vegetables are brussel sprouts. Stop by the garden and say hello!

How to lead a skill share.

2011-02-17T14:49:00.001-08:00

Skill Shares – a model that comes from the disability community that believes that all people have something to contribute. Unlike a traditional education model that would have a teacher and require students to listen, skill shares assume that processing out loud how to solve a problem, sharing ideas together about resources and what has worked for participants will often be more useful for people with common needs, disabilities or social economic backgrounds.

Skill Share Process:
1- Get feedback from the group about what kind of skill shares they would be interested in attending or leading.

2- Let the community know that you will be hosting a group on a topic suggested by them.

3- Center the group around a “How To” (ie a support group, how to read letters from the government, how to make tea, etc)

4- Open the group by briefly introducing yourself, and outlining the boundaries, how long the class will be and what will happen.
Example: Hi, my name is Hank Williams, I’m the staff person here at the garden. Today we’re having an addiction recovery support group. I’m an adult child of an alcoholic, addiction runs in my family, but I’ve never had to seriously struggle with addiction issues. I believe that because you have lived with addiction that you are the experts. You know what has worked for you and what hasn’t. In my own life, I find that I often learn a lot from hearing from other people’s experiences. So today, for the next 45 min, you can share what has worked, what hasn’t worked (because sometimes that’s more helpful to share), what is difficult and what you want to celebrate. My role in the group is to help maintain a safe space and to be a resource if you need it.

5- The facilitator can participate in the group (as is appropriate for the group and setting) and model participation in the group. Often sharing a story to answer a question gets the conversation started or helps people who are new to know what kind of answers you are looking for.

6- Ask the group: what has worked for you? Is there anything we should celebrate this week?

7- Ask the group: what have you tried that wasn’t as helpful as you hoped? And what’s hard for you about this topic?

8- Ask the group: What resources do you know about that can be helpful for others about the topic?

9- Ask the group: Are there any resources you need that would be helpful? This question can help create conversation when others in the group know about resources and can support each other.

10- Ask the group: does anyone need support this week or have anything they want the group to check in with them about next week?

11- Ending the group at the time announced at the beginning of the meeting is a way to respect the participants and to build trust. Thank people for attending and let them know you hope they will come back again next week. Let people know if you have time to continue talking later or what is expected of them at the end of the group.

12- Encourage individuals who attend often or who have skills to lead or co-lead the skill shares. Leadership encourages people to take ownership of the group and helps people come back each week.

Monday at the Garden

2011-02-17T10:31:00.000-08:00

Our peas had a major growth spurt this past few weeks. We're excited to have our fences covered with produce again. Creative vertical gardening like this is not only a great way to beautify the garden, but it also enables passerbyers to enjoy the fruits (or more literally veggies) of our labor.

There are lots of other beautiful coming to bloom during this rainy time. Check out our fruit trees. On Friday, if the rain is light enough we'll be starting some new planting projects around the space.

Check out our two green houses above, where we've begun growing some of our own seedlings.

Here is a group of happy seedlings that were planted by one of our volunteers who works in the garden during the day, and stays in the shelter each night.

I even noticed that some of our berries are about ready for eating!

A group of 6th graders from the SF Friends School that helps with garden tasks each Tuesday, helped to create these butterfly boxes to attract some diversity for the garden space.

Yesterday at the Garden

2011-02-01T10:07:00.000-08:00

At our garden skill share, we looked at the drainage problem that we have had in the garden that has been causing some of our plants to get over watered. The hole on the left was dug last week below the rocks on the bottom of the beds that were used to create a french drainage system. Then we poured water in the hole onf Friday. On Monday, the water was still there. This means that we'll need to create better drainage for each of our beds. In some beds we have used mounds to give the plants more space for plants that need less water.

Since we don't have lots of construction equipment to dig out all the beds and arrigate the soil under the beds that have been compacted heavily from years of use as a freeway, we will instead be working over the next couple of months to use compost and straw to create better drainage at the bottom of the beds. Now all we need is lots of compost and straw! Stay tuned for photos and updates about how we work on solving the drainage problem.

We've also been doing a lot of harvesting at the garden. We picked lots of kale and celery and mustard and have lots to spare, so stop by the garden during one of our work days if you're interested in some. Christopher cook some of the kale, pictured below and we enjoyed it at our Monday 1pm garden meeting.

Reaping What We Sow

2011-01-26T16:32:00.001-08:00

Each Monday at noon the garden volunteers harvest together and use the produce to make a salad and other ready to eat items for our 1pm garden meeting. You're free to join us anytime, it's a great way to learn about what is edible, what plants look like when they are ready to harvest, easy ways to prepare the food, or just to fill your belly with some healthy snacks.

When we have larger items that have harvest, volunteers often take the produce home and cook it and bring the bounty back to the group. One pumpkin that we harvested was able to become soup and the amazing vegan pumpkin ice cream you see above.

Imagine what would happen if we all had a space to grow nutritious food and that all communities shared nutritious food with those who needed it the most. Join us next Monday if you'd like to share our harvest, perhaps it will inspire genorosity citywide!

In the News: SF Weekly

2011-01-18T21:27:00.001-08:00

Get to know S.F.'s community gardens with SF Refresh
By Karen Macklin Wednesday, Jan 19 2011

Urban environments are great places for bars, nightlife, arts, food, and culture. They are also great places for neurosis, stress, and isolation. Why? Because people in cities keep fit-to-bursting work and social calendars that often ignore the daily and seasonal rhythms of nature, are constantly surrounded by machines and artificial light, and go home to apartment buildings where no one knows their next-door neighbors. The gist of it is that people in cities are detached from the natural environment. And those people in cities are us.

But guess what? We don't have to be. There are pockets of nature everywhere in San Francisco. They are our community gardens. There are more ways for you to get involved with those gardens than you could possibly take advantage of, but most of us don't know where to start.
Details

Enter SF Refresh, an initiative that will create all-day events in participating community gardens on six days in 2011 (see list at end). On those days, these local gardens will host free whole body care services and classes, including yoga, acupuncture, art-making, and food-making.

Inspired by Sunday Streets, SF Refresh was created by Megan Rohrer, manager of the Growing Home Community Garden in Hayes Valley. The project is being developed in partnership with the San Francisco Urban Agriculture Alliance, a new organization created to connect the city's community gardens, and partly funded by the Mental Health Services Act, since the point of SF Refresh is to encourage stronger community and improved mental health.

"Community gardens have through scientific studies been proven to be therapeutic places that lower anxiety and help people come out of isolation," Rohrer says. "They have the ability to heal you in all of the ways you can think of. You're putting your hands in earth, so you're having a tactile experience; you're looking at beautiful flowers, so you're having a visual experience; and you're eating food, so you're having a nutritional experience. Gardens are a place that can speak to us on lots of different levels."

A man who goes by the name of Tree, a founder of the Free Farm community garden in Richmond, which will also be participating in SF Refresh, says that gardens remind us of how we are all connected. "When we think about soil, we are really aware of what's living in the soil — the microbes, the fungi, the protozoa — all of those things are connected in a web of life," he says. "And the people above the soil have to look at life in the same way. That's what this event is really about: connecting with other people in the city, and with what sustains us and brings about life."

Art, food, and soft edges
Head volunteer artist Ilyse Magy is recruiting other volunteers to lead art projects, focused on building community, beautifying the chain-link fences around the gardens, and creating other adornments. These group projects, she says, are a great way to try your hand at art, which can also be therapeutic. "I think self-care is about doing things that make you feel good, and I think art is just one of those things," she says. "Making art is an amazing way of being totally present. You get out of your head and are really there creating something." In the garden, she adds, nature functions as a muse for the artist: "What's more beautiful than flowers or plants?"

SF Refresh will also be offering classes in food-making, hosted by the local nonprofit Urban Kitchen SF. In these classes, which include pickling and kombucha-making, you can use ingredients grown right in the gardens and leave with starter kits to continue the process at home.

"It's incredibly empowering to learn these skills," says Kateryna Rakowsky, the executive director of Urban Kitchen SF. "You take something from the raw unfinished form, create something, and take that knowledge home." Also an environmental lawyer, she says that working with food on this level also teaches people to be curious about what's in their food and to read labels more carefully. "You're basically taking charge of your own sustenance," she says.

Other offerings in the gardens during SF Refresh will include yoga, acupuncture, massage, lectures and kids' activities. Kevin Bayuk, a permaculture designer and teacher in San Francisco, says it's the soft edges of a garden that make it the perfect environment for restoring yourself. "In San Francisco, 70 percent of our surfaces are paved over and impervious to rain," he says. "We have a lot of built environment, so we have a lot of hard edges. Gardens are mostly soft. The softness tends to harmonize with opportunities to become vulnerable or open to connecting through things like yoga or healing."

Although plans are still under way, the first event is slated to take place in April, a great time to revisit the promises you made to yourself — in January. "I think April is the time when people have given up on their New Year's resolution or realized they've failed or forgotten about it completely," Rohrer says. "Coming to a garden to participate in an event like this — or even to watch other people participate — can be the first step in an entire lifestyle change."

GET SF REFRESHED

SF Refresh will take place in community gardens around the city on Saturday, April 16; Saturday, May 21; Sunday, July 24; Saturday, Aug. 20; Sunday, Sept. 25; and Saturday, Oct. 15. All events are free. Some offerings, like the food-making classes, will require preregistration. As of press time, these five gardens had confirmed their involvement.

Details

Growing Home Community Garden: 250 Octavia (at Page) Hayes Valley

Visitacion Valley Greenway Community Garden: Arleta (at Rutland)

The Free Farm: Gough (at Eddy)

The Hayes Valley Farm: 450 Laguna (at Fell)

Garden for the Environment: Seventh Avenue (at Lawton)

SF Refresh is also looking for volunteers, including general helpers, artists who would like to lead art projects, yoga instructors, and others who work in therapeutic modalities. If you would like to be part of a think tank for the event and offer ideas and suggestions about what else to include, visit http://sfrefresh.blogspot.com/ for more information and contact details.

This Week at the Garden: Photo Story

2011-01-14T09:45:00.001-08:00

We got a new scale at the garden, which enables us to more accurately record the number of pounds that we harvest each week at the garden. This week we decided that food harvested at the garden would first be shared amoung garden volunteers, then our additional harvest would be given to the nearby Lark Inn (a shelter for homeless youth). When it is not possible to get the food to the Lark Inn, we will donate it to Food Not Bombs, who serves free meals most evenings at UN Plaza.

We've had some trouble with some of our beds being over watered. The beds were designed with a french drainage system underneath, using rocks to filter out the water. However, it seems like the rocks have been holding the water in rather than letting it filter out. We've found that some of the healthiest plants in our garden are the ones that were planted on mounds. The mound creates a natural filtering system for the water. Plants needing the smallest amount of water should be planted on top, while water hungery plants like mint should be planted on the bottom. In order to see if the mounds well help out some of the beds that are less healthy, on Wednesday we added some mounds to our flower bed. The lavendar and rose scented geraniums that we put on these new mounds were transplanted from the healthy beds that you'll see below near the arbors. We put the two arbors we put together last week into place and secured them into the ground. Our next step will be to train some bouganvilleas, grapes and some other flowers and plants to cover the arbors. The arbor above is in front of our tea bed, which you can see is very happy in the garden.

This is the second arbor that is near another tea bed. Note the beautiful sunflowers and velvet queens that are currently in bloom. This is very strange timing from them to be in full flower. But in the 11 months that we have been gardening on the site, we have noticed that the soil and location has many unusual qualities to it. We're glad to have the beautiful flowers during this dreary time of the year.

On Wednesday, volunteers re-potted a sad palm tree that had been dropped off at the garden by a neighbor. We hope that the simple act of giving the tree some new soil will bring the tree back to health.

Today at the Garden

2011-01-05T16:39:00.000-08:00

Today at the garden we assembled two arbors from kits. A special thanks to the Community Challenge grant who helped generously supported our construction. The new items the garden has been putting together the last few weeks are a part of the final expenditure of those grant funds.

From this time forward we will repuprosing donated items, diverting materials from the landfill and relying on in-kind donations to support the maintenance of the physical structures, soil and tools in our garden.

Today, garden volunteer Lori created and lead the first meditation skill share at the garden. If you'd like to join Lori, the group will be meeting Wednesdays at 2pm. And in case you haven't heard, our addiction recovery peer led support group meets each Wednesday at 1pm.

We hope to see you sometime soon at the garden to look around see whats new, to volunteer or to participate in a skill share or support group.

Today at the Garden

2010-12-27T17:37:00.000-08:00

Today at the garden, we opened 18 boxes that had been delivered since last Monday with items from our final Community Challenge Grant purchases. You'll see pictures of many of the items throughout the next month as we set them up and get the projects going. One of the projects we completed todays, was to attach some garden pockets with coconut fiber linings to our fence. Michael (above) and Elizabeth (below) attached 8 of these pockets in the south lot.

Below, you'll see a picture of Michael with his favorite item that arrived - earthworms. He's been telling members of the garden about the soil benefits of having earthworms in our raised beds to aerate the ground, put vital nutrients in the soil and create oxygen. Michael's father used to raise earthworms, so he has taken on the task of multiplying our earthworms so we won't have to order any in the future.

During our garden skill share today, Heather showed us the Belgian diamond shape she was using to train the bougainvilleas along the fence in the north lot. Purchased by the neighbor whose property is just on the other side of this fence, we hope the bougainvilleas will create beauty on both sides of the fence.

While we will be open for our addiction recover skill share and work day on Wednesday, please remember that we will be closed on Friday due to the holiday.

Today at the Garden

2010-12-20T16:46:00.000-08:00

Today, Elizabeth planted the seedlings she has been nursing from seeds in the cold frame. These are the first of the seedlings we planted in the frame since it was given to us by our friends at the Free Farm. Elizabeth also made the salad for our garden meeting today. It's really exciting to be able to be a part of the planting process from seed to stomach!

Joseph, one of our peer outreach mentors sweeps up the leaves on the sidewalks around the garden and puts them in our compost bins. Joseph is a great protector of the worms in the worm bins and has great ideas about how to keep our compost compounding.

See the big green sail we put up at the garden today? This, sail will help us to have a shady area where we have our weekly garden meetings and will provide a space for folk to get out of the hot sun. Now we just have to wait for the rainy season to end and for the sun to come back out! You'll notice that we will be getting lots of new things at the garden in the next few weeks. The supplies and materials are from the final disbursement of our Community Challenge Grant.

The oregano donated by the 2nd and 6th grade students of the SF Friends School is doing very where in our painted cans hanging on our fencing.

We put together this garden shelving that has a pvc cover to act as a green house. One of our formerly homeless gardening friends asked for this shelf so he could propagate house plants that could be given as "welcome to your new home" presents for homeless folk who get housing. Stay tuned for updates about how this project goes. The volunteers at the garden are excited to have more projects they can work on during the slow growing rainy season and to be able to provide the health that comes from being around plants with individuals who may not be able to make it out to the garden.

Last week at the garden

2010-12-20T09:27:00.000-08:00

Above are some new succulant pockets that were added to the south lot. The succulants and produce bags were donated by the 2nd and 6th grade students at the San Francisco Friends School (SFFS). Unlike the more neutral canvas pockets, they provide some vibrant color to the lot.

We planted these strawberries in a wine crate, last week and they have already started to produce some fruit. Both the plants and the crate were donated by the SFFS students.

Today at the Garden

2010-12-06T14:37:00.001-08:00

Our garden recieved donations of 25 blankets, clothing and socks from the members of herchurch. The blankets were a part of an interfaith blanket drive called Project Faith Connect coordinated by Welcome and the San Francisco Interfaith Council. Through this project more than 5,000 blankets will be distributed to organizations who work with the homeless on December 7th and 8th.

Today at our garden meeting, in addition to our regular salad harvested from the garden and soup from the Zen Center, we also harvest some of our medicinal plants to make a tea. We used lemon grass, chamomile, stinging nettles, lemon, mint, verbina and red clover.

At our garden meeting we brainstormed ideas about why two different beds of kale are growing so differently. Believe it or not, the kale on the left was planted a week later than the kale on the right. We're working on changing the way we amend the soil as we plant in the future. The kale on the left was planted by a graduate of the Santa Cruz homeless garden who wanted to show us what he had learned and ways we could maximize our yields.

Now Hiring: Peer Mentors

2010-12-06T11:28:00.000-08:00

11/3/11: Update. All positions are full at this time. Please check back for future postings.

Note: This posting is for a position through the San Francisco Study Center to work at Project Homeless Connect's Growing Home Community Garden's Seeding Resilience Project.

Job Summary: Under the direct supervision of the Growing Home Community Garden (GHCG) Program Manager, the Peer Mentor provides outreach and support to enable individuals with mental health issues to fully participate in the GHCG.

Compensation: 10 hours a week at the rate of $11 an hour.

Click here to see the full job description. This file is a word document, if you have trouble viewing it from a pc you can also click the link and choose "save as" to download the file to your computer. Send an email to the contact info below if you would like this file emailed to you.

How To Apply:
Click here to get a copy of the application form.

Please send a completed application, a cover letter and your resume to: megan.rohrer@sfdph.org

Due to the high volume of applicants, not all applicants will recieve a response to their resume. We will do our best to be in touch with as many applicants as possible about their status in the process.

Please send any questions about the postion to:

Megan Rohrer
Program Manager
Growing Home Community Garden
megan.rohrer@sfdph.org
415-503-2196
25

100 6th & 2nd Graders Visit and Bring Donations to the Garden

2010-12-03T17:28:00.000-08:00

100 6th and 2nd grade students from the SF Friends School brought donations to our garden this morning. They brought non-parishables, seeds, tin cans for planting on our fences and wine boxes that will also be used for planting in. Garden manager, Megan, thanked the students for their donations, explained how they would be used in the garden and invited them to watch their plants grow when they come visite or here on our blog.

The members of the 6th grade class had been to our garden before to help with our very first planting day. Many of these students gave their 2nd grade buddies a tour of the garden and identified the plants that were there.

Above, are two picnic tables full of donations from the students. Items donated included non-perishable food items for snacks for those who work in the garden and for our homeless and formerly homeless guests to enjoy. You may wonder why we wanted so many sugary processed foods at our garden that is teaching nutrition and encouraging people to have a healthy diet.

The answer is simple. For many, the craving for sugar and the craving for illegal drugs feels the same in the body. Encouraging people to make decisions that lead to harm reduction, giving people sugary snacks to fight the craving to use drugs is a better choice.

Salads and vegan soups are also available each Monday at our garden meetings, for those interested in an even healthier meal.

If you are interested in helping us increase the number of healthy food choices at the garden, please consider helping us with the following donations that are needed:

paper or compostable bowls and silverware
gallon sized bottles of water
healthy snacks (perishable and non-perishable) that can be enjoyed at our work days

Email: megan.rohrer@sfdph.org if you want to learn more about when and how to bring donations, or just stop by our garden anytime we're open and drop off donations at our colorful garden shed.

Video: How We Built our Garden

2010-12-01T15:52:00.000-08:00

We Are Growing Home from NENtv on Vimeo.

Today at the Garden

2010-11-29T15:39:00.001-08:00

For our first garden skill share today, Ilyse taught us how to harvest chamomile, which we will be using in oils and teas once they dry.

Our second garden skill share was on how to build a potato tower.

Christopher (left) and a neighbor named John (right) took a tour of the garden. John is a landscaping expert who wanted to provide some expertise and help in the garden.

Joseph, seen above, helped to take care of the worm bin. Above you can see him adding some soil so that the worms have adequate space (worms need about 2 feet of soil). Below is a photo of the newspaper we added to the bin full of soil and food scraps.

Check out what is growing at the garden:

Red mustard

Green and red succlants

Chamomile

Garlic

Last Monday at the garden.

2010-11-29T11:53:00.000-08:00

Check out some of the photos below to see what happened at the garden last Monday. I was away the rest of the week, so I wasn't able to get any photos. But, I heard the garden had a great food party on Friday Nov. 26th, ensuring that those who didn't have other spaces to enjoy the Thanksgiving weekend would have a place to relax and eat together. This is just one more way our garden seeks to provide the feeling of home for those who participate.

Above, Finn and Gloria are thinning the green onions. This process helps the onions have more room to grow larger and also provided us with 4 pounds of onions for cooking and salads.

We continue to harvest many types of mint from our garden for teas and garnishes. The mint shown above in our potato sack fence garden are doing particularly well during this rainy season.

We continue to have strawberries in the garden. This is now the 5th harvest we've been able to get from this strawberry patch in the north lot of the garden.

We still continue to harvest enough produce each week to share salads at our Monday garden meetings (1pm). The salad is a great side with the soup that is donated by the Zen Center.

Our new hand painted garden signs were added to the fence to let people know our hours and mission.

NEN 2010 Award Ceremony

2010-11-19T09:16:00.000-08:00

The Growing Home Community Garden was awarded the 2010 Neighborhood Empowerment Network Award for Best Community Challenge Grant Project. See images of our award, and certificates below:

Today at the Garden: Sealing the Shed

2010-11-17T17:02:00.000-08:00

Today at the garden we sealed the mural on our shed. This was our final step in this project.

Today at the Garden

2010-11-15T15:44:00.001-08:00

Today at the garden planted medicinal plants and produce in containers.

Ilyse, pictured to the left, helped us plant transplants from the rose scented geranium plants in our medicinal bed in tin painted tin cans. These cans will helped to make the neighborhood smell good (like roses) and because geraniums grow so quickly, it will also provide wind cover and shade for our garden. We also hope that the beautiful green plants on will beautify our chain link fence.

Finn, on the left, is our garden educator. Finn and four others planted produce in garden pots. The containers are a great low maintanence way to increace growing area in an urban environment.

We also harvested 2 pds of tomatoes today!

GHCG Wins 2010 NEN Award

2010-11-11T17:18:00.000-08:00

The Growing Home Community Garden has won the 2010 Neighborhood Empowerment Network (NEN) Best Community Challenge Grant Project Award which will be given out on November 17th, at City Hall at the 2010 NEN Awards in the North Light Court.

Event Details:

6pm to 7pm - Reception (A light supper buffet will be served)

7pm to 7:45pm - Awards Ceremony

7:45pm to 8:30pm - Reception

The event is free. You can register here: http://2010nenawards.eventbrite.com/
We hope to see you there!

Last Friday at the Garden

2010-11-01T08:47:00.000-07:00

We started clearing away the dying snow peas from the fences. Then, the stalks were hauled down to our compost bins (above), where a group of homeless volunteers chopped the stalks into small enough pieces to get composted (below).
As the winter and rain approaches our garden will have less and less work that needs to be completed on our site, we're thinking about doing some work at some other nearby sites to get their spaces ready for gardening, adding more vertical garden areas to our fences so we have more spaces for planting or about doing some other construction projects to get us ready for the spring.

Today at the Garden

2010-10-11T21:16:00.001-07:00

Today, 11 garden volunteers enjoyed soup from the Zen Center and we had a garden meeting during a beautifully sunny San Francisco day.
Then we picked weeds, moved some dirt and encouraged the lady bugs to continue to eat the bugs that were eating some of the plants. The photo above is of Ilyse collecting some buds from the chamomile to dry for some tea.
Above is a picture of a velvet queen that we got as a start from the Free Farm.

Today at the Garden

2010-10-08T17:20:00.001-07:00

Today at the garden we did some planting.

We had a special workshop on taking care of fruit trees. We appreciated the structure that was made for the beans to grow on that was created on Monday.

We added some more vertical containers to our fence.

And we admired the signs to designate which beds need watering in the garden.

I hope you will join us on Monday!

watching Our Garden Grow

2010-10-04T19:22:00.001-07:00

The hanging plant above was transplanted from an single room occupancy (SRO) hotel room by one of its residents who also weaved the plant hanger from twine. This garden volunteer dreams of getting house plants that respond well to growing in SRO's to help formerly homeless individuals feel more at home in their new housing. He would also like to teach a class to teach others how to make their own plant hangers.

It should be noted that the plant above, a trandescantia pallida, is commonly known by a racist name. We have been taking the opportunity to educate individuals about racism as we talk about this plant and have encouraged people to call the plant the Purple Heart or Purple Queen (it's less commonly used names) rather than the "wandering Jew."

Our succulant pockets have been flurishing since we planted them. The small pink flower that is currently blooming is called Camus.

Our oats and peas cover crop started growing right away. Here is what they looked like a week after scattering seeds.

We've got a large pumpkin growing in the garden that looks like it will be ready just in time for halloween. Today we harvested all these parsnips.

For our lunch today we shared harvested veggies, including the carrots and kohlrabi seen above.

More Vertical Gardening on the Fence

2010-10-01T17:32:00.000-07:00

Today at the garden we planted more vertical fence gardens. Continuing in our theme of using free items that anyone could use from around their house and actual items that have been used to feed the homeless and hungry, we used large tomato and coffee cans from a dinner that feed 200 homeless individuals. Here's how we did it. First, we drilled holes in the can: some in the bottom for drainage and six in the side to hang the can on the fence with roofing wire.
Next, we painted the cans fun colors and let them dry. Then we attached the cans to the fence with the wire, filled the cans with potting soil, planted produce seedlings in them and watered them. Finally, we painted the names of the plants on the outside of the cans.
We also added some baskets we bought at the local gardening store and planted them with produce plants too. We planted the produce so close together so that we could have cut-and-come-again produce. This means that we'll trim it with scissors (cutting it like a lawn) and harvest it more than once.

This Week at the Garden: Photo Story

2010-09-27T08:15:00.000-07:00

See what we did on Monday

Wednesday's Workday:
Mikey, who was homeless for more than 23 years and is currently resident of a single room occupancy hotel room in San Francisco's SOMA district, learned to garden at a garden for homeless individuals in Santa Cruz. He's excited to take up gardening again and to serve as a mentor for some of our other homeless and formerly homeless individuals volunteering in our garden. Participating in the garden is a way for Mickey to improve his health and to get away from the stress of living in his building.

In the picture above, you can see Mickey teaching Christopher, one of our student employees, how to double dig one of our beds and mix the soil and compost together to enrich the soil.

Mikey is trying out an idea he has about how to improve the soil quality and in one of our beds. If his methods work, we will repeat them in other beds throughout the garden. You can find Mikey in the garden every Wednesday and Friday.

Friday's Workday:

On Friday, we got a delivery of seedlings for a new season in our garden. Above you can see Christopher and Joseph turning over the soil in several of the beds to get them ready for planting.

After turing the soil in this bed, we put up string to denote where the walking pathes are in the bed.

Then, the seedlings were planted and the drip lines were reinstalled.

In order to solve a few problems we're having in the garden, we've decided to bring in some organic help from our animal friends. Because soil tests reveiled that our soil was lacking nitrogen, we decided to amend our soil with with horse manure and worm castings. In order to have additional worm castings in the future, we also got some red wiggly worms for a worm compost bin.

We also got some lady bugs, which we hope will decide to live in our garden and take care of our bug problem. We'll let you know if our lady bugs stick around.

Today at the Garden: Planting Cover Crops

2010-09-20T06:56:00.000-07:00

Above is a photo of our Monday, Garden Skill Share. This week at the garden we had 11 participants in the our garden skill shares, 10 for addiction recovery support group, 4 for the veterans support group and 1 for trauma care.

Ilyse enjoys the flowers growing from the peas that are growing up the fence.

We had a large harvest of carrots!

And we got a new "to do" list board to help all the garden volunteers know what needs to be done each week.

We planted Cover Crops:

Above is a photo of the mix we used.

Finn, our garden educator, shows our garden members and interns how to turn over and prepare the soil.

Then, the seeds are scattered over the soil.

Here's a photo of what it looks like, so you can see about how many seeds we scattered. Then, we gently raked the seeds to cover them with soil.

The photo above is of some of the flower seeds we scattered the previous week, that are starting to peek out of the soil.

We,'ve also started adding these beautifully simple signs to our beds so that we can let people know what we've planted.

Today at the Garden

2010-09-17T15:13:00.000-07:00

This week at the garden we had 6 participants in our garden skill shares, 5 for addiction recovery support group, 3 for the veterans support group, and 3 for trauma support. It's exciting to start having regular participants and to see all the different ways our garden can provide a safe and educational space for individuals.

Our current calendar of support groups and skill shares is as follows:

Monday 12-1 pm Cooking & Nutrition Skill Share

Monday 2-2:30 Garden Skill Share

Wednesday 1pm Addiction Recovery Support Group

Friday 11pm Veterans Support Group

Friday 12pm Trauma Care Support Group

Friday 2-3pm Stress Reduction and Art Skill Share

Michael, a formerly homeless volunteer, has been consistantly tending to our compost pile. The photo above shows him turning the pile. The bag at the bottom of the photo is coffee grinds from a local coffee shop. We've been using coffee grinds to heat up the bead so that the compost biodegrades faster. Micahel suggested that we get some worms for our garden. So, we've ordered some along with some worm droppings (which will use to add some nitrogen to our soil). I'll be picking them up on Saturday from the East Bay. Below are some photos of Finn, our garden educator (in the blue sweatshirt) and Adrian (our intern, who leads the stress reduction and art and veterans groups on Fridays) tending the garden and getting our garden ready for a new cycle of planting, which will happen next week.

What's Happening?

2010-09-16T10:54:00.000-07:00

We have been extremely busy bees this week as we tend to our amazing garden. Lots of good progression happening as we tackle another round of harvesting tasty food. There were 5 in the group on Wednesday - we talked about things that have worked, or not worked for people in their recovery, support that they have, past abuse or trauma that makes addiction recovery hard and celebrated the ways people have found to recover from their trauma.

This next picture is of one of our addiction recovery support group participants, who lives in an SRO (single room occupancy) hotel. He took some soil so he could do some gardening in his room. His plan is to grow some plants to give away at GHCG to others who are living in SRO's so that they can feel healthier and happier in their homes.

Christopher and our student employee Chris working on the compost! It's a dirty job, and they are more than qualified to tackle it!

We are very excited about our new upcoming skill shares and groups that are starting up this week and next. Things like trauma recovery, veteran groups, and how to become better at relaxation are just a few of the things we have in store. Hope to see you soon!

Mint Taming for Mental Health - Autism, ADHD and Anxiety

2010-09-15T14:45:00.000-07:00

In our garden, we've planted several beds that are dedicated to teaching people how gardens can be used for self care for individuals with common mental health issues. One of my favorite activities in these beds is trying to tame the mint. As someone on the autistic spectrum (with mild Aspergers) and ADHD, I find that gently pulling up the mint roots (long purple stems with little green leaves on it) and redirecting them is a satisfying and stress reducing activity.

Why do I tame mint roots? Well, mint is known for having roots that take over a bed and strangle other plants. Some gardeners suggest you only plant mint in individual containers so they don't take over everything. However, because training the mint is such an enjoyable activity for me, I'm excited that we have included mint in several parts of our garden. I enjoy checking in on the mint every week, pulling up new roots and seeing how far they've grown. One of the best parts of this activity is that the smell of the mint will remain on your fingers for the rest of the day. Since I find the scent of mint calming, I enjoy this. Others on the autistic spectrum may find the smell overwhelming and may want to wear garden gloves to avoid this.

How do you tame mint roots? I gently pull out the dark purple roots that will grow out of the mint - it is from these roots that more mint will grow after a few weeks. Then I place the root in the direction I want the mint to grow by weaving many stems together or putting dirt piles on it to hold it in place. You can see the mint roots at the top of the photo above. The tall bushy section is the spot where the mint was originally planted. As the roots get longer, it will also grow tall bits of mint too. Depending on the type and size of the mint, taming the roots may be more or less difficult. I find that working with larger varieties of mint (like spearmint) is easier than smaller mints (like some chocolate mints). Others on the autistic spectrum may enjoy smaller mints that take more concentration and focus to be more enjoyable to work with.

Other Mental Health Care Uses: In addition to being a useful gardening activity, mint is also great for teas and in meals. The smell of mint and drinking mint tea can relax individuals who have anxiety or calm the tummy of someone who is not feeling well or has a lot of stress. Since individuals living with a disability, mental health issue is a friend or partner of one typically experienced some stress or anxiety from it at some point, mint can be an important addition to any garden.

Today at the garden

2010-09-13T17:13:00.000-07:00

Today at the garden, 14 of us enjoyed produce from the garden with our soup. This produce was harvested and eaten in less than an hour! After our meeting Christopher, lead a garden skill share about soil.Then, we turned over a shallow bed that wasn't working well for produce production and turned it over. After pulling the crops, we turned the soil over with a fork (see above). Then after raking the soil, we scattered flower seeds (see below). Finally we gently raked the seeds into the soil. Soon this bed will be full of beautiful flowers and need less attention than some of our produce beds. Will take some pictures as the flowers start to grow to let you see how it goes.

Today, we also learned about a new system for our composting that will rotate layers of green and brown clipplings, so that we can get more nutrients into our compost. Soon we'll be getting some worms and some worm droppings to help amend our soil. Stay tuned for more about the who, what, when, and why about worms.

Last Friday at the Garden

2010-09-13T12:13:00.001-07:00

This past Friday, in addition to our regular art and stress reduction skill share, we also had a garden skill share. The photo above shows Finn, our new garden educator, teaching volunteers from the Bishop Swing SRO (single room occupancy) the proper way to compost. Finn and the volunteers created a system for managing the compost and will work together to make sure the compost continues to stay hot.

Then, Finn painted some numbers on our garden beds so that we can make "to do" lists for garden members that let people know which garden beds need work.

Video - Our Garden

2010-09-10T17:21:00.000-07:00

Introducing Adrian Scharfetter

2010-09-09T09:42:00.000-07:00

We have a new student worker helping in and around the garden now. Please stop by and say hello to Adrian Scharfetter. Adrian is a 2nd year Expressive Art Therapy graduate student at CIIS who is focusing on war trauma and PTSD, as well as help with various veteran/family support issues.

Adrian will be helping promot

Publish Post

e art and creative outlets for our community members stress reduction workshops as well as leading veteran support groups each week. As a US Army veteran of the first Gulf War, Adrian brings a sympathetic ear and a strong background in what it is like to be in a combat environment as well as readjusting to civilian life in general. He is more than eager to work for the Growing Home Community Garden community and is quite excited to offer his skills and background to us. Stop by and say hello to him!

Today at the garden

2010-09-03T15:25:00.000-07:00

Today at the garden we had three individuals at our art and stress reduction skill share. We talked about things that make us feel better when we are sad and about how hard it is to live in an Single Room Occupancy (SRO) Hotel Room at the beginning of the month when people get checks.

Finn (right), our new garden educator and Michael a formerly homeless garden volunteer shared looked at the garden and created a planting strategy for our next planting and then shared what they knew about composting. Michael learn about gardening in Santa Cruz while working at a homeless garden project.

Stay tuned to learn more about the ideas Finn and Michael had about creating wind barriers, maximizing produce yields and for beautiful flowers and mental health gardening.

Today at the garden

2010-08-30T15:18:00.001-07:00

Today at the garden 11 garden members enjoyed lentil soup, salad and strawberries at our garden meeting. At our meeting we talked about things we wanted to work on, fix or celebrate in the garden. Below you can see some of the pictures of what else happened today:
Showing off a newly picked carrot.

Here is half of todays carrot harvest. We had a fun time checking out the different shapes and sizes.

This bed has brussel sprouts and spinach. They like shade, so we planted them under a big tree.

We planted some brussel sprouts.

Art & Stress Reduction

2010-08-27T16:46:00.000-07:00

Today at the garden, 6 people who live on the streets or in SRO's participated in our art & stress reduction class. We talked about about different ways that people can deal with their frustrations in ways that won't get them in trouble in their building or won't cause someone to call the cops.

Here are some of the ideas shared in today's group:

walk away
write down your thoughts, then throw it away where you can't get in trouble
draw a picture
tear some paper slowly
cry
listen to music
talk to a friend
eat healthy food
sit in a garden
say a pray
sing a song
swear
read a book
think about others that have bigger problems, like natural disasters
laugh
look at your favorite color
take a shower

Those who participated also pointed out that what feels like stress reduction to one person could be triggering and unhelpful for another, so you have to find the things that work for you.

Join us each Friday at 1pm for Art & Stress skill shares. Individuals receive a $10 Safeway Card the first time they attend a skill share or support group. After that, they receive an additional gift card after they get 6 attendance stamps.

Today at the garden

2010-08-25T15:03:00.000-07:00

Today at the garden 4 individuals participated in the addiction recovery support group and 8 people helped with mural painting. Check out some of the photos from today's work at the garden: Mural designer, Ilyse paints the shed with some other volunteers.
After doing some watering, Joseph planted some spinich in a shady area of the garden.

More Mural Photos

2010-08-23T15:22:00.001-07:00

Today at the garden I took some more photos of some of my favorite parts of the mural. The great thing about having different squares painted with individual designs means that there is always something new to discover. Below you will find some of the designs that caught my eye today. I hope you will join us on Wednesday from 1-4 pm as we finish up our painting and coat the shed with some weather protection.

2010-08-21T18:14:00.001-07:00

Mural Painting Party!

2010-08-21T17:32:00.000-07:00

Special thanks to the 32 volunteers that came out to participate in our mural painting party. We celebrated with popcorn and a test run of our bicycle powered smoothie machine. Check out some of the pictures from today's event (click on images to see a larger version):

Do the Homeless Really Volunteer in the Garden?

2010-08-20T15:27:00.000-07:00

People often ask us if homeless individuals are really participating in our garden. Of course, this is mostly because people assume they can tell the housing status of a person by looking at their clothing or based on their mental health status.

It's sometimes hard to answer this question, since an individuals housing status can change during the time they are working with us in the garden. In fact, since we have a fantastic client advocate we hope that all individuals who are homeless or living in a shelter when they begin working in the garden will be able to move into more stable housing. Since it's important to let people keep their private information private, we don't often share with volunteers which of the individuals working beside them in the garden sleep on the streets, in shelters, in a single room occupancy (SRO) hotel room or in more stable housing in the neighborhood.

The word "homeless" itself provides a problem. Many people who live outdoors, in shelters or in a SRO do not consider themselves homeless, even though they meet the federal guidelines for homelessness. Some say that they don't need housing to have a home, because that is something they carry inside themselves. Others prefer to the terms "stable housing," "marginally housed" and "unstable housing."

Despite all the hiccups with language and stereotypes, it's interesting to see who is doing most of the work in our garden. Our goal was to create a safe place for homeless individuals, living in housing situations that leave them without access to a backyard, garden space or who have no place to relax and participate in the community around them. In order to see if we're meeting this goal, we'll use the federal understanding of homelessness (living outdoors, in shelters or SROs).

From March 1 - July 17, 2010 the Growing Home Community Garden has logged 1125.96 volunteer hours. This includes 213.5 volunteer hours from neighbors, 563.3 volunteer hours from homeless individuals and 185.66 volunteer hours from other volunteers. You'll note that the break down of hours is a little less that the total number of hours volunteered, this is because we haven't finished logging all the hours yet.

These volunteer numbers show that our garden is overwhelmingly taken care of by the homeless. So, the answer is: yes, the homeless really do volunteer in our garden.

We hope our garden will transform the false perception that homeless individuals are lazy or simply trying to live off the handouts of others. Inspired and led by both homeless and housed individuals, our garden is a space to grow food and provide a safe community for all who need it. Regardless of your housing status, we hope you will stop by the garden soon.

Garden Refections

2010-08-19T12:42:00.000-07:00

While it would seem like in a garden there would be continual payoff, celebrating harvests, beautiful flowers and completed projects, I find that I sometimes have trouble celebrating the success in a garden when each time I visit I'm always finding weeds and more things that need attention.

Of course, this also echos what it has felt like for me to work with the homeless for the past 8 years in San Francisco. There has been so much life changing work that I've been a part of. Yet, despite all my efforts to celebrate the small moments of victory, the individuals that are now living indoors and addressing their mental health and addiction issues, I still find it hard to celebrate because homelessness in San Francisco is seemingly and unending crisis.

At each of our garden meetings we take time to celebrate the small improvements, successes and joys of the garden and of our lives. Today, I'm reflecting on the amazing things that we've been able to accomplish this summer at the garden.

We installed drip irrigation on all of our garden beds. This decreased the volunteer time spent watering the garden from 8 hours a day to an half hour.
We created vertical gardens to grow drought resistant succulents and block the wind. [see the photo progression of the vertical succulent pocket fence or read the DIY instructions about how to make your own]
We harvested food and ate together at all of our garden meetings.
We started regular skill share opportunities for individuals to learn about health, garden skills and addiction recovery.
We hired 6 summer youth employees who need special help in high school or are a part of the foster care system. These youth were able to help with projects at the garden, participate in our health and garden skill shares and to keep our garden open to the public on a regular basis.
We created a mural (still in progress) [see the photo progression of the mural]
We hired 2 additional staff members: an office assistant and a garden educator
We worked on our communication, decision making process and established a vision.
We had a big planting day and created two beds in the garden dedicated to mental health care plants and for making teas.
We began having conversations with the San Francisco Urban Agriculture Alliance in order to build relationships and provide opportunities through the Seeding Resilience project.
We obtained a bicycle powered smoothie machine!
And the most important of all, but hardest to count, is the way that we were able to provide a safe environment for individuals who live on the streets, in shelters, single room occupancy hotel rooms or in the Hayes Valley Neighborhood to enjoy a green space, have some organic produce or just to escape the stress of the city for a bit. My favorite story is about how Don was able to get teeth.

What a list! While there will always be weeds and new cycles of harvesting and planting that we continue to work on in the garden, I truly believe that the community we have created at the garden is one to celebrate. I hope to see you at the garden soon, whether you volunteer, want to relax or to come enjoy some of the harvest. Also, please add comments here if there are things I've forgotten to celebrate.

Be well!

Megan.

Today at the Garden: More Mural Painting

2010-08-18T20:23:00.000-07:00

Today at the garden we continued to work on the background of our mural. We were able to complete the entire front of the shed and part of the sides. To date our mural has only cost $40 for supplies, as we were able to almost all of the paint, brushes and other supplies donated or recycled from the dump. Check out the front of our mural at the end of the day:
Don't forget to join us on Saturday from 1-4 pm when folks of all ages and skill levels will be helping us finish our mural and plant some new produce crops.

Mural photo progresison

2010-08-10T21:14:00.001-07:00

Watch the progress of our mural.

Mural Paining, Day 3

2010-08-10T19:54:00.000-07:00

It's day three of mural painting. Check out the pictures and see our progress! Special thanks to the volunteers who came out to help today! We'll be do a little more painting on Wednesday and then have a big planting and painting day on Saturday the 21st (1-4pm).

Today at the garden

2010-08-09T18:08:00.000-07:00

Today at our garden meeting Yonat and Donna let the group in a somatic (body) centered process to talk about what we are passionate about at the garden and how we want to move forward together. We learned more about each other, enjoyed the garden and we created this cool vision for our group:

This is our community garden, where motivated homeless and housed individuals share a safe space to grow, feed, educate and thrive.

We will be measure the outcomes of our vision by recording:

the number of people who visit, volunteer and learn skills in the garden
the number of meals served and produce harvested
and in the narratives of people who share the space

Mural painting: day #2

2010-08-09T17:33:00.000-07:00

Ilyse, our mural desinger shows off the progress we completed on the mural today. The photo story below will show you how we did it. Consider it the Do It Yourself (DIY) photos. (See what we did on day one)

First we finished painting the sides of the shed white.

Then we drew our mural design onto the shed with a charcoal pencil.

Then we began painting our diamond shapes different shades of green and brown. Then we filled in more and more diamonds. Here is what the shed looked like at the end of the day.

Mural painting: step #1

2010-08-06T16:30:00.000-07:00

Today, I was able to get recycled paint, brushes, buckets and all the supplies we'll need for our mural including waterproof varnish to cover the final mural (which makes it easier to clean off graffiti, if needed). This means that we'll be able to paint our mural for free! A big thank you to the generous folk who donated supplies.

Since paint is a toxic substance you have to pay to take it to the landfill in San Francisco, so people were happy to get rid of their left over paint. And putting it on a building is better for the environment than putting it into the earth.

Today we painted the front of our shed white, to prime it. We used left over exterior house paint donated by a house painter who gave us a 20 gallon bucket.

Special thanks to our summer youth employees who helped us paint today.

Peer Led Support Groups

2010-08-04T15:38:00.001-07:00

Today we had our first peer led support group at the garden, as a part of our Seeding Resilience Project. Henry, is leading a weekly addiction recovery group every Wednesday at 1pm. A harm reduction centered group, Henry shares information about his own recover and talks to individuals about what needs they have.

Soon we will be starting a trauma care group (Fridays at noon - start date to be announced) and on September 17th we will start a veterans group that will meet each Friday at 11am.

Individuals who participate in 6 skill shares or support groups and collect stamps at each are able to redeem them for a $10 Safeway gift card. You can get a card and stamps at the garden shed.

A picture story - Monday at the Garden

2010-08-04T08:21:00.000-07:00

Our newest garden volunteer, Sophie, helped us add drip lines to another bed. A student at the nearby French-American School, Sophie wanted to create her own garden to help feed the homeless. We have the same hope, so we're glad Sophie is around to help us. She's already got a lot of ideas about how we can collect water and grow more plants.

On Monday, our youth employees helped us add 8 more succulent pockets to the fence. Neighbors continue to stop by and ask questions about how they can make some at home. Some have even asked us to try to get some extra potato sacks for them. Our garden is inspiring the neighborhood!

Every Monday at 1pm we share a nutritious lunch at the garden. With vegan soup from the Zen Center and salads and other sides harvest during the 12pm nutrition/cooking skill share, we have our weekly garden meeting during the meal.

6 pounds of fava harvested on Monday!

Take a peek at what else is in bloom at the garden:

Passion fruit

A white rose
The fourth round of strawberries.

Today at the garden

2010-07-28T13:33:00.000-07:00

Today at the garden Shindo and Chris to of our Summer Youth Employees from SYEP, helped to add more succulants to the Vertical Succlant Pockets on our fence. [see the evolution of these pockets in photos]. I noticed that the peppermint has started to grow some roots out of the side of the potato sack, which leads me to believe that they are enjoying their new potato sack home. I'll keep you updated on the health of the plants in our pockets throughout the summer.

Last week we were able to complete the installation of the drip system on the entire south lot. Today, our youth employees and garden volunteers will likely finish the north lot. On Friday, we'll be adding about 6 more succulant pockets to the fence. When that section of fence is completed, we'll be adding more to other parts of the garden that are in need of a wind barrier.

The youth employees are keeping the garden open every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10-4pm. Feel free to stop by and visit the garden or join us for our next work day on Friday from 1-4pm.

Skill Share Update

2010-07-28T11:03:00.000-07:00

This Monday at the skill share Christopher lead a group of 10 in talking about how the nutirition that humans and plants need intersect. This include information about how to have a healthy diet, soil and healthy plants. In true skill share fashion, members of the group shared what they knew about the subject too!

Beginning August 4th, we will be starting a peer led support group for individuals who are interested in addiction recovery that will meet each Wednesday at 1pm. In the fall we will be adding two additional peer led support groups for trauma care and vetrans.

Individuals who participate in 6 skill shares or support groups recieve a $10 gift card to Safeway. For more information about skill share rewards, check in with our new youth employees who will bive you a skill share reward card and will stamp your card each time you participate in a skill share.

Our summer skill share schedule is:

Mondays 12-1 Cooking and Nutrition

Mondays 2-2:30 Garden Skills

Wednesdays 1 Addiction Recovery Support

Fridays 2-3: Health Skills and Stress Reduction

More about the Laulima Organic Garden in Maui

2010-07-23T17:21:00.000-07:00

Read this post to learn how we are bringing a bit of Maui to the Hayes Valley

Mural project planned.

2010-07-23T17:05:00.000-07:00

This summer we are going to be working on a mural that will go on the grey shed located where we store our tools and have a little garden office. You can see the design above that we have planned. The design is modeled of of images of vintage fruit crates. Each individual diagonal panel will be a space where people can put a design or words of their choice. Together the mural and all the designs will come together in the same way that we hope to connect people who live on the streets or in stable or marginal housing. The design is also simple enough that people of any artistic level, or age group, can be a part of the painting. Let us know if you are interested in helping with the mural. Soon we'll be posting a work date where we can complete enough of the mural that it can be finished by our regular volunteers. Above is a picture of Ilyse, the garden member who designed the mural at the Hayes Valley Neighborhood Association Meeting where we presented the garden mural design to rave reviews.

Special Thanks - Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence

2010-07-21T09:40:00.000-07:00

A special thank you goes out to the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence for their $300 grant to help the Growing Home Community Garden acquire a bicycle powered smoothie machine. The funds came from the Sisters Pink Saturday Pride event.

You can learn more about our bicycle powered smoothie project in the post: Bringing Maui to Hayes Valley. We have now raised 60% of our goal, with $200 left to raise. Click here if you'd like to help us reach our goal.

Mental Health 101: Anxiety

2010-07-21T08:41:00.000-07:00

Our Seeding Resillience program has begun and we are working to provide more awareness about mental health and to learn skills to become more fully functioning. Each Friday from 2-3 we offer a skill share for folk to learn about health skills and stress reduction. While you may be aware that stress is something that many people in cities deal with, regardless of employment status, you might not know much about anxiety.

Severe and generalized anxiety affects 5-20% of individuals in the United States, and is classified 13 different ways by mental health professionals ranging from Post Traumatic Stress Dissorder (PTSD) to phobias to panic attacks.

Common symptoms include: worry, restlessness, difficulty concentrating, irritability, sleep problems, feeling "keyed up" or "on edge," or becoming easily fatigued. Physical symptoms can also include muscle tension.

Providing skill shares where people can talk about how they respond to anxiety, worry and fear is one way that people with stable housing can find commonalities with others who are marginally housed or homeless. While not everyone knows what it feels like to have severe or chronic mental health issues, or to have to struggle each day to acquire the basics, everyone at some time or another has felt afraid or worried.

We're hoping that by creating a safe space for people to talk about how they respond to their fears and worries and work on self care and harm reduction will help people become healthier and better connected to their community.

In addition to the Friday Health and Stress Reduction skill share (from 2-3pm) we are also working on creating a book club, PTSD care opportunities, art therapy skill shares and peer lead support groups talking about addiction recovery and vetrans issues.

If you're interested in becoming more involved, leading a group or just want to learn more, email megan.rohrer@sfdph.org.

For those who are out of town or who want to learn more skills right now, check out these skills and techniques for whole body (physical, mental, emotional, spiritual) self care for ideas about how to reduce stress and anxiety. And like all things that are suggestions on health issues, check with your doctor and give more weight to the methods that are a better fit with your life, body and ability.

Play Golf for the Homeless

2010-07-19T14:53:00.000-07:00

Learn more about this event here.

garlic spray recipe

2010-07-19T12:10:00.000-07:00

I noticed today at the garden that our succulants have a acquired some tiny black bugs. After doing some research about some organic solutions for protecting the plants I discovered this recipe for garlic/pepper spray that we'll use to try to take care of the bug problem. We'll report back to let you know if it works. But for those who are interested, here is the recipe:

1: liquify 2 garlic bulbs and 2 hot peppers in a blender 1/2 to 2/3rds full of water. Strain the solids and add enough water to the garlic/pepper joice to make one gallen on concentrate. Use 1/4th cup of the concentrate per gallon of spray. Don't forget this step or you can burn/kill your plants!

2: For added strength, add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil or horticultural oil to each gallon of water in the sprayer.

To make garlic spray: simply omit the pepper and add another bulb of galic. Garlic/pepper spray can be used to control insects. Garlic spray by itself is a good fungicide.

From Maui to Hayes Valley

2010-07-19T10:21:00.000-07:00

The road to Hana in Maui is famously beautiful, it's known for its winding roads, waterfalls and fantastic views. Last Saturday, I drove for three hours on the road to Hana in order to get a smoothie at the Laulima Organic Garden. Owned by the same family that owns the Cafe Gratitude resturants in San Francisco, this 13 acre farm has an apprentice program and a farm stand that sells produce and food to locals, but it's most remembered for its bicycle powered smoothies.

This farm is the location that inspired me to become involved in San Francisco's urban farming movement. The farm is such a beautiful, educational and delicious space that it helped me to realize the way that gardens can provide substantial mind, body and spirit care for the homeless in addition to helping to fill hungry bellies.

So, when I learned that the Growing Home Community Garden was dedicated to Eric Bayer who was known for feeding smoothies to the homeless, I remembered the Laulima. Now, were working on getting a bicycle powered smoothie machine to GHCG where folk can pedal their way to a healthy drink.

Stay tuned to hear about our progress. If you'd like to support our bicycle powered smoothie project, please click on the donate link above. Your gift will enable us to bring a little bit of Maui to Hayes Valley!

To get you excited, here are a few more photos of the Laulima farm:

Volunteer Waiver

2010-07-14T14:59:00.000-07:00

All garden volunteers are required to sign a waiver. Individuals who are under the age of 18 should have their parents or guardians sign the waiver and turn it into the garden staff (located at the shed) prior to working in or at the garden.

Download, print or view our waiver:
Waiver - (pdf)

Introducing Megan Rohrer

2010-07-14T11:38:00.001-07:00

Email: megan.rohrer@sfdph.org
Office Phone: 415-503-2196
Cell: 415-827-2587
Fax: 415-503-2099

Megan Rohrer serves as the Program Manager for the Growing Home Community Garden (GHCG). With more than nine years experience in community organizing and working with the homeless in San Francisco, Megan is formally trained as a pastor.

A candidate for the Doctorate of Ministry degree at the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, Megan's dissertation project studies methods of organizing individuals living in poverty in San Francisco's Tenderloin district.

As the Executive Director of Welcome, a communal response to poverty, Megan's Urban Share Community Gardening Project created 6 community gardens across the Bay Area, including the well known Free Farm. Megan also regularly goes on retreat to live on the streets and utilize the services for homeless and hungry individuals in the Tenderloin.

Megan also has special training in the areas of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) care called Somatic Experiencing through the Foundation for Human Enrichment and in Reiki through Care Through Touch.

Notes on the Legal Issues of Urban Agriculture

2010-07-14T09:39:00.001-07:00

- Notes from the 7/12/2010 meeting hosted by the Sustainable Economies Law Center (SELC)

Please remember that these are merely notes from a meeting, they should not be considered legal advice!

Helpful link for individuals interested in urban agriculture in San Francisco:
SF Agriculture Zoning and Licensing Information

Zoning Laws:

zoning laws were created to protect people from waste and commercial dumping
current zoning is based on the assumption that people drive cars, and could be revised to encourage more public transportation
zoning codes are a part of the municipal code, which also include health, election and other info
zoning codes are divided into residential, commercial, industrial and mixed use spaces
cities are required to have general plans with describe both the current and future situations
zoning code is on the city planning websites and general planning. There you can search for information about urban agriculture and animals.

Some Zoning Changes that Can be Useful for Urban Agriculture:

Cities: helping to facilitate and convert concrete spaces into urban agriculture
Private Agreements: a) encouraging the creation of backyard and front yard gardens (your own or someone elses); b) correcting zoning issues to enable individuals to sell food grown in their own yards (similar to changes that enable the creation of home daycare facilities)
Private Covenants and Neighborhood Associations: There are three types: a) 2 or more landowner who restrict language us in a deed; b) people in a neighborhood that is considered a neighborhood or homeowners association; c) leasing restrictions on property use. In these cases, association agreements can be amended. The burden is on the person who has a complaint about property use to prove that the use of the land is restricted. Most leases have a clause that prohibit selling. However, many leasers are amenable to urban agriculture when it can be shown that a group of tenants are in favor of it; the gardeners assume liability risks; and issues like how to pay for the water separately is taken care of. (again, this can be handled similar to in home childcare)

Rooftop & Wall Gardens:

zoning and green roofs typically are not thought of as edible spaces. Seattle has a great model for zoning laws that address this issue.
there are height regulations to think about (particularly for rooftop gardens)
make sure to have the structure of the building checked by an engineer. There is very little cost difference in adding rooftop gardens to the design of a building that is in construction, but trying to add them after the building has been constructed can sometimes cost more than three times the cost of the building.
Roof access is very important. For frequent use of the roof you cannot rely on a ladder and need to have either stairs or elevator access.
building regulations, insurance and fire codes are also important to think about

Animals

most dense areas have animal limits and placement rules
the rules are typically overly restrictive because they were written in a time when there was less sanitation
to find out the codes for your city, check out the online city codes and search for animal restrictions.
you should also check with your neighbors, because even if there are not restrictions in your area neighbors can file a nuisance complaint which could jeopardize the ability to have animals

Testing

there are currently no regulations that require testing (accept for on city property) this is because there no standards for soil tests - other than lead levels
however, it is a good practice to always get the soil tested before planting. This is easily done through universities.

Employment Laws

This is a big issue, particularly because of the current economy and the emphasis on fining urban agricultural sites for their violation of labor standards.
you cannot be a volunteer on a commercial farm.
you cannot replace paid labor with interns.
independent contractor relationships, if they go to a judge will look beyond the contract to the nature of the relationship.
labor laws are a little outdated as they related to urban agriculture
Washington state just changed their laws to allow volunteers in commercial urban agriculture sites, similar law changes are needed in California, because this enables people to learn skills and just do something they love by getting involved in gardens.

Volunteers

There are both federal and state laws to follow.
In California, state laws are more restrictive than federal laws
volunteers cannot be used for commercial interests
it is the intent of the volunteer (rather than the employer) that is the most important in the agreement.
if someone becomes dependent upon the food that is given in exchange - they are not actually a volunteer because they are considered to have an economic relationship with the group.
it may be possible for people to get shares of the food if they are considered part owners or buying shares

Interns

interns are supposed to be a burden on the site that is hosting them
you have to be able to prove that they are not simply replacing an employee
they have to be gaining a skill
work study does not make it ok for an intern to do work that is considered employment
interns should not be creating an economic gain for the commercial or non-profit site

Independent Contractor

there is a right of control test. ie you would not tell a plumber who comes to your house how to fix something. So, an independent contractor should be someone who provides a service, but you do not control their work. Hear the courts will look beyond language to the real relationship.

Legal Use of Food:

Consume it yourself. It is only when you are giving or selling food to others that this becomes and issue.
If you donate the food to charity, you are exempt from the liability laws involve food distribution.
If you pay volunteers in food, this is an issue. (see above)
even if it is not long term project, you may still need a temporary food event license to even have food sampling
Selling food - there are lots of food health codes and requirements including: the calibrating of scales, food handling and sellers licenses, food permits, inspections,
food preparation requires permits (ie cooking the produce into something else - such as tomatoes to tomato sauce) additonal cooking permits are needed for events
farm stands are very legally defined - public health laws and policy should be checked locally
farmers market information can be found here, and farmers market concessionare info can be found here

Insurance and Liability

this type of insurance can be expensive
selling food is not a task that can be done by volunteers
there are tax exemption issues with selling food, you need to show that selling food is a part of the core mission of your work and is not a commercial operation (ie you can't act like a business and be considered a non-profit)
non-profits may want to create a for-profit subsidiary that sells food
asking for donations could be a way of getting around this and being less commercial looking
there is additional liability insurance needed if the food is being transported off the site from where it was grown
selling for the purpose of teaching employment skills can be argued as something that does not violate non-profit status, but you have to have proper scale of your operation so that amount is reasonable and not overly commercial

Liability Insurance Policies

liability companies will want to know what you are growing
group should have volunteer accident and death policies in addition to their general liability
there are special farm plans
if you get an outrageous quote and are not using farm equipment, you can ask for an appeal and have an appraiser visit your site to get a rate adjustment

Policy Issues

Berkeley and Oakland have food policy councils. Oakland has collaboratives to be a part of HOPE to create strategies for Oakland
Statewide - The California food and justice coalition is developing local policies working on grassroots action
National - REAL (respect, eat, act live) is working on the food movement, systemwide food reform and hope to create a national dialogue

Model Policies

See http://www.healthyplanning.org/
Kansas City just approved urban agriculture in residential districts and selling from your home garden
Some cities have open space districts, everything sold has to be grown on the garden
Some cities have urban agriculture districts which overlay on top of other districts
The SF Planning Dept is working on updating zoning code and the general plan to encourage urban agriculture. There is currently an executive directive from the mayor (but zoning code rules still overide this). A draft is expected in July with a timeline for September implementation.
The San Francisco Urban Agriculture Alliance is looking at policy issues in San Francisco including the use of public land and what could be used for urban agriculture.

Other Laws and Information

The Williamson Act was created to allow urban spaces to decrease taxes as much as 75% for individuals who allowed their vacant lots to be used for agriculture. California set aside a fund to replace the taxes lost by the county, but this fund is now broke and counties will like seek to end this law.
It is likely that if immigration law passes that there could be a path to citizenship created for people who work for a certain amount of time in agricultural jobs. This could create possibilities for the urban agriculture community to work with other justice groups and create more green jobs.

Today at the garden: harvest & drip

2010-07-12T15:12:00.000-07:00

Today at the garden I took pictures of some of the produce that is growing to give you a view of someone of the beautiful plants that are now in bloom. If you see plants here that you cannot identify, then you should join us for our weekly garden skill share, Mondays from 2-2:30 where we learn about plants, how to take care of them and when to harvest them.

Next Monday, the 19th at noon, for our cooking & nutrition skill share we will be harvesting garlic from the garden and learning different ways to use garlic in cooking.

Until then, check out the plants and people from our garden below.
Potatoes from our potato tower.

Yonat helps to clear away the ivy. Ivy is very invasive and will try to take over other plants. If we don't stay on top of removing it regularly, it will take over!

Vai works on installing drip lines.

Seeding Resilience Project Begins!

2010-07-12T08:47:00.000-07:00

Seeding Resilience is the Growing Home Community Garden's (GHCG) new project to increase access to mental health services and increase employment opportunities and skills. A two year innovation project with major support provided by the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA), the Seeding Resilience project is 75% focused on the GHCG (Octavia & Lily) and 25% on Urban Agricultural leaders in San Francisco to build a citywide network of support for mental health consumers.

Outcomes of the project include:

3 weekly skill share opportunities for individuals to learn about: 1) cooking & nutrition; 2) garden skills; and 3) health skills and stress reduction
4 educational opportunities for urban agriculture leaders to increase their awareness, create collaboration opportunities and employment opportunities for mental health consumers
regular support groups, workshops and events on topics recommended by garden members and skill share participants
information about the learnings of the project that will be made available so that the successful parts of the project can be reproduced in other locations

Stay tuned for more information about the project and to learn how you can get involved.

evolution of the succulant pocket vertical fence garden

2010-07-09T16:58:00.001-07:00

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Today's Planting, Harvest and Supper - July 5, 2010

2010-07-05T17:47:00.000-07:00

Today we continued our vertical succulent pocket project. We added three more potato sacks to the fence and then spent 4 hours filling the outside of the sacks with two garbage bags full of succulents. It's amazing how many succulent clippings it takes to make a vertical garden. But, all the work was worth it because throughout the whole day passers by stopped walking as they saw them and said "ohhh," "ahhh," "wow," "love the garden" and "thanks for what you're doing in our neighborhood!" See Day One of This Project

While 4 of us worked on the succulent pockets, other volunteers planted some more radishes, bush beans and more broccoli. And as we do each workday, garden members and visitors were able to enjoy the garden harvest.
When I left at the end of the day, there were 4 pounds of produce left that I got to take home and enjoy, including: broccoli, carrots, fava beans and radishes.
After turning it into stir-fry and adding some brown rice, my partner and I shared a lovely meal - and there is enough for lunch tomorrow.

More Vertical Gardening on the Fence

2010-07-05T08:42:00.000-07:00

Last Friday, we put potato sacks from the local food pantries on the fence to create some more vertical garden pockets. Our hope is that these pockets will block the wind from blowing in our shed. We will be making more of these garden pockets today (Monday, July 5th from 1-4pm). Come join us if you are able.
The succulents for these and our other vertical garden pockets came from a neighbor who lives two block from the garden and needed to trim back his roof garden.