Clean-up day on the lot

We made a short visit to the lot today to pick up trash. There turned out to be less than we expected, and with three people and one bag we were able to do the whole thing in less than an hour.

Poor Boy's Garden Center

Well I just got off the phone with the garden manager at Poor Boy's Garden Center and they love the idea and want to help us out. They have a whole variety of gardening materials and resources and they even said they would give us a discount! We are going to draw up a design and take it to them asap to see how much this project will cost and what its going to look like.

Soil results are in!

About one week ago we sent soil samples from the lot to the University of Massachusetts, and the results came back in enormous detail--posted below. The most important part is the estimated total lead count of 557 ppm, "medium" by their standards but definitely enough to require raised beds if produce ever is grown. That much lead is in the soil probably because the spot was originally opened up when a building blew up there several years ago, leaving behind plenty of lead.

From the report's explanation of lead contamination: "Lead is naturally present in all soils. It occurs generally in the range of 15 to 40 parts lead per million parts of soil (ppm), or 15 to 40 milligrams lead per kilogram soil (mg/kg). Pollution can increase soil lead levels to several thousand ppm. The major cause of contamination by  lead in populated areas is the weathering, chipping, scraping, sanding, and sand-blasting bearing lead-based paint...If estimated total lead levels are above 300 ppm, young children and pregnant women should avoid soil contact." For Medium lead levels (300 to 1000ppm), "Avoid growing leafy green vegetables and root crops if your children have above normal blood lead levels; Give planting preference to fruiting crops."

Some other stats:

Soil pH 7.5; Buffer pH 7.4; Phosphorus level LOW; Potassium level MEDIUM; Calcium level VERY HIGH; Magneisum level HIGH; Nitrate level LOW

A few more pictures

An example of a rock garden. We'll use something like this as our model. The purpose of a rock garden is to make a particular spot look nicer--to 'beautify.' Only green plants and flowers grow on them, no produce.

The sign at the edge of the vacant lot, one of the first things you see when you turn left off York Road.

Street on the backside of Woodbourne-McCabe.

Please ignore the roadsign in this picture!

Survey results updated

Went down to the lot this morning and did a little more surveying. We've now been to almost every house in Woodbourne-McCabe on the near side.

The totals re-tallied:

1) Would you be interested in becoming involved in a community garden next spring if it were built? 

Yes--28 

No--7

2) How often would you participate in garden events (managing your own plot, hanging out, attending small concerts, etc.)

Daily--1

4-5 times a week--3

2-3 times a week--15

Once a week, never--17

Never--3

3) Would you be interested in growing only plants/flowers/trees at the garden, or actual produce for eating?

Trend is split about 50/50 between produce for eating and only plants/flowers/trees. Many would like both.

4) What kinds of additional projects would you support for the vacant lot? (Can circle more than one.) 

Swing set--14

Staging area for musical events--8

Farmers' market--16

Compost pile--6

5) What do you foresee being the main benefits of transforming the lot into a community garden? (Can circle more than one.) 

Making use of the empty lot--15

Raising community spirit--22

Creating a social space for the community--13

Turning the lot into a play area for kids--18

Parks and People grant workshop

Posting this one a little late: attended a workshop about a week ago at Parks and People (in the unexpectedly cool neighborhood behind Johns Hopkins) on how to apply for grants for community gardens. There were all sorts of people there--schoolteachers, other college students, retired couples, young activists, middle-aged folk fed up with the slab of concrete across the street. One man planned to use his grand award money to borrow a jackhammer to break up some concrete, and wondered who to give the pieces to. Another wanted to create an edible garden, but wasn't sure where to get plant donations. Others didn't know how to get access to running water for the site.

The workshop lasted two hours and was given by several people, all young and enthusiastic Parks and People people (Christine was one of them!). (They seem very much like Goucher kids about two or three years from now. Are we the green generation, or what? I tell you!) The key item, for us, was that the grant-getting process is a long one. This step alone is big enough to delay our project until mid-March at the earliest--when the awards arrive--and likely a month or more beyond. On the application for the grant itself, we have to demonstrate several things: that we have community support for this project, we have a rough budget worked out, we have a schematic of our garden sketched out, we are in touch with a group who will take over responsibility for the garden after we're gone, the lot is rightfully ours, and other details.

Next step: mail soil samples

We have finally--after several trips and much consternation--got the soil samples and are ready to send them in for testing. (The soil has to be tested for lead, which is usually present if the lot used to be the site of a collapsed building, which is the case for at least one of the two lots.) We'll mail them soon to the University of Massachusetts, which only charges a small fee, and will post the results soon.