COMMUNITY GARDENS OUTCOME REPORT JULY

The Bienestar Community Gardens are in full swing for the summer! With seven sites that have community gardens, there are 63 participants that are involved in the program. This means that 63 Bienestar families are able to provide fresh, local, and nutritious food for their family and the greater community. Many of the Bienestar families grow vegetables in their gardens that they then sell at local farmers markets to make extra money for their families. Therefore, the Community Garden program at Bienestar is a great way to encourage self sufficiency, as well as community development.  Reedville Community Garden

At the beginning of the season in March, we passed out flyers and held informational meetings to see how many people were interested in participating in the program. Plots were divided among the people who attended the meetings, each of which signed a contract to maintain their plot and the garden as a whole with care. Families began planting as soon as the ground was workable, and temperatures were high enough. The majority of our families have planted plants such as garlic, tomatoes, peppers, and herbs such as cilantro and basil. For many of our families, the garden is a family project; its not unlikely to see children with shovels and buckets alongside their mom, dad, and grandparents working in their plot.

Organic Gardening and Composting Classes Thank you to Alejandro Tecum of Adelante Mujeres for partnering with Bienestar to provide classes on organic agriculture to our families. “Organic v. Conventional Agriculture,” was presented to the residents of Jose Arciga, Elm Park, and Sunset Gardens in March of “How to Compost” was presented to the residents at Jose Arciga and Reedville in April of We had an average of 10 families present at each of these class sessions. These classes provided a time for residents to learn more about agriculture, discuss the importance of organic gardening, and form connections with one another. The classes opened discussion and opportunity for the residents to work together to make gardening in their gardens more efficient and organic.

Juniper Gardens Community Garden In April of 2013, a plot of land just northeast of the Bienestar Juniper Gardens Apartments in Forest Grove, OR was plowed in preparation for the Juniper Gardens community garden. Thank you to the Hardy Plant Society of Oregon for providing the funds to be able to purchase soil amendments. With this money, Bienestar was able to purchase and mix in compost with the soil in order to create the most nutrient rich environment for the Bienestar families’ gardens. 14 families participate in the Community Garden at Juniper Gardens. Two students tend to their plants in the Juniper Gardens Homework Club plot.

Homework Club students planted bean seeds in planters, and transferred their plants to the garden plots Homework Club Project One plot in the Reedville and Juniper Gardens community gardens were reserved for the children of the Homework Club at each site. A total of 14 students in grades one through six at Juniper, and 21 students of the same age at Reedville were given the opportunity to create their very own garden plot. The students started their bean plants by seed in small planters in the community room, watered them every day, and kept records of the growth their plants made each week. As soon as the plants were big enough, the students transplanted them into their garden plot. As the science activity for the day, each student dug a hole, placed their plant inside, watered it, and is now watching their plant grow. This has been a great opportunity for the students to learn a bit about what plants need to survive, gain a sense of responsibility, and have fun while learning. Respectfully Submitted, Anna Osborn Program Coordinator, July