Single people and family combos, novices, renters and dabblers — the Traverse City Community Garden unites them all in a quest for fresh, organic and locally-grown produce.
Occupying one acre near the historic barns at the Grand Traverse Commons, the garden's 16 plots this year are bursting with life. Not to mention the enthusiasm of the owners who pay $25 for the space for the season.
"It's my first time gardening and I just got hooked,” said Justin Wright, who is growing beans, cucumbers, tomatoes, garlic, kale, cabbage, peppers, basil and butternut squash in his plot. "It was questionable, I didn't know whether I'd really get into it but once they began to sprout I was addicted.”
The plots this year are all spoken for, planted and bursting with life as gardeners stop by on their own schedule to water, weed and wonder at nature's bounty.
Some participants see the community garden, whose roots are at least five years old in that spot, as a breaking wave of the sustainable living movement among people in their twenties.
"What's most fascinating about this is that probably 50 percent of the participants are under 30 — I'm shocked,” said Lou Blouin, another first-time gardener speaking of his demographic group. "It's so great. They sense that they're inheriting some sorts of environmental problems and they're going to need these skills.”
This garden land is part of a 54.7-acre parcel owned by a joint Garfield Township-Traverse City Recreational Authority. The authority was established and provided with operational funds for 20 years by two millages that passed in 2004.
Four monthly public meetings this year gathered public input for a draft proposal on how to use the property. The resulting draft plan envisioning multiple and mixed uses encompassing agriculture, arts, community use and recreation.
A community garden suits this niche perfectly.
"It fits into our vision of first of all using the land for agricultural purposes and having the community involved in farming activities,” said Dan Tholen, a member of the Rolling Centuries Farm group. "Mostly, it's keeping the community involved and having a sense of ownership of the property, which has been very important from the beginning.”
Julie Hay is another enthusiastic gardener and is back for a third summer. She is growing a range of produce, including tomatoes, peppers, tomatillos, eggplant, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, onions, basil and salad greens that never grew.
"It is a good mix of people and it's wonderful to see all the different gardening techniques that people are bringing to the garden,” she said. "It's wonderful diversity in the crops and methods that people are using.”
Serving as the volunteer coordinator for the endeavor, Hay is also looking for someone to take charge of water at the space. Currently, gardeners use a combination of rain barrels, which have been mostly dry of late, and gathering water from nearby Kid's Creek. This involves either a makeshift rickshaw to haul the water or balancing full five-gallon buckets on a bicycle's handlebars for portage back to the garden. Future dreams include harvesting water from the roofs and possibly a solar water pump.
"We're seeking a volunteer to help with a water tank to pump water from a nearby creek and we'd love to find a volunteer and he or she would pump water and fill our water buckets,” she noted. "And we'd be more than happy to exchange fresh fruits and vegetables for it and it would be like having a mini-CSA [community supported agriculture.]”