[Community_garden] New garden sprouts in Pleasanton - California, USA

[Don Boekelheide]

Contra Costa Times
Contra Costa, California, USA
Tue, Feb. 06, 2007

Community takes root in garden - Space at Val Vista
Community Park allows residents to rent one of 34
available plots for a year.

By Meera Pal

PLEASANTON: Vicki Grant lives in a townhouse with a
very small backyard. The Pleasanton resident barely
has enough dirt to plant flowers, let alone a
vegetable garden.

When Grant learned about the city's community garden
at Val Vista Community Park, she was one of the first
people to sign up for one of 34 patches of dirt.

"I'm basically a farmer at heart," she said with a
smile, while picking turnips with her 14-year-old son,
Max.

Across from Grant, a sign welcome's visitors to "Liz's
garden ... a work in progress."

Even though Liz Sufit lives in a single-family home
with a yard, she doesn't have enough space for a
vegetable garden, either.

"I have a garden, but it's mostly perennials, shrubs
and flowers," Sufit said. "I don't really want to take
my flower space for vegetables."

And, so, Sufit rents a patch at the community garden,
which offers space-challenged gardeners their very own
225-square-foot plot of soil.

Community garden coordinator Kathy Southern said that
although interest has been high, there are still
several patches available to Pleasanton residents.
Once those are gone, she will compile names on a
waiting list.

Despite the garden's location east of Interstate 680
directly across from the Dublin San Ramon Services
District water treatment plant, Grant considers the
space an oasis in a hectic world.

"It's a chunk of outdoors, where I get to see the
sky," Grant said.

Sufit considers the $75 annual rental fee a small
price to pay for the satisfaction of picking
sun-warmed green beans directly from the vine for that
evening's dinner.

"It tastes different when comes out of your own
garden," Sufit said. "There are times when the produce
didn't make it home."

In addition to the rental fee, gardeners also pay a
refundable $75 deposit. In exchange, the city provides
access to water, wood chips, horse manure and use of
wheelbarrows.

"I think this garden is a great idea," Southern said.
"So many homes these days have such small lots, it's
hard to dedicate space to vegetables."

Community gardens are sprouting across the United
States and Canada, according to the American Community
Gardening Association. In addition to creating a sense
of community, the gardens encourage social
interaction, beautify parks, produce nutritious food,
conserve resources and reduces family food budgets.

Pleasanton is the latest Bay Area city to establish a
community garden. There are public gardens in San
Francisco, Hayward, Oakland, Livermore and Walnut
Creek. In San Ramon, the Crow Canyon Gardens were
first planted in 1978 as a source of fresh fruits and
vegetables for adjacent Mudd's Restaurant, the gardens
are now used for classes and community gardening.

Pleasanton residents encouraged the city to create a
community garden at Val Vista Park, when plans emerged
to expand and redesign the five-acre area.

The 24-acre park, with a $7 million price tag,
officially reopened in spring 2004, after two years of
meetings and public hearings by a citizen's design
task force and city approval.

"The garden really brings people together," Southern
said. "It's a combination of people who are older and
who've been gardening for years and the younger people
with kids who are just starting out. They learn from
each other."

Meera Pal covers Pleasanton. Reach her at mpal2 at cctimes.com.