Waterfall Community Garden

Located: 5 miles up county road 203

Joy O’Neil, MWRFounder, Kcenia InstituteSustainability Educator & Consultantwww.kceniainstitute.org

Questions: Why did you first start this and what is a

brief background of the garden? 2. How did you first organize this

garden? 3. What are the limitations/challenges of

having your type of community/neighborhood garden?

4. What are the future plans of your garden?

Why did you first start?

Taffy’s vision Enjoyment, socialization Beautification Sharing: cook for others, give food to others Help others: elderly, youth -intergenerational Community Sustenance Land rehabilitation Food Security (Notice financial profit is NOT our goal)

What is a brief background of the garden?

Several of us jumped on board. Flier posted neighborhood bulletin board. Our first year, 3 families. Now, 8-10 - serve ~50 not including several

restaurants.

How did you first organize this garden?

Posted a note on the community bulletin.

Held several start up meetings. Drew up a garden space, tilled, brought

in manure, fence, weeding. Collaborative effort.

Donated materials. Split electricity, tractor, piping and

pump costs ~$100 the first year and ~$50-100 every season thereafter

Part of organizing was to check out other designs as you are doing here today.

What is our type of community Garden?

COLLABORATIVE INDEPENDENCE

We split cost for supplies. We each have our own plot of

varying sizes. We have various models but

overarching goal is: to “go beyond the self”; to operate as ecologically, social and economically sustainable as possible.

To support this we: share (with each other and others outside of the garden, teach, grow by organic and/or biodynamic principles, sell - profit goes back to the garden, support, cook for others and most of all we give, give, give.

Pros and Cons to our model? Pros

Independence Respect for one another’s

plots (don’t water someone's unless they ask etc..)

Freedom - Help each other if some one is out of town.

Variety Share experiences and

techniques with one another.

Work on your own schedule (several scheduled events for the “dirty” work”)

Cons (no cons! but, points to remember): Ensure we all pitch in

on weeding, beautification.

Keep an eye on pump. Helping Taffy when

needed Leave our plot fairly

untidy after season so our garden continues to feed Taffy and occasional wildlife.

Future plans of your garden?

Buy a new pump. Add large gate Revamping our compost pit. Re-routing our electrical source. Bring in port a potty? Need a gas powered weed whacker. We need more people like Taffy to share

their land and replicate this model of community gardening.

Understand environment, economics,

A Kitchen & Garden Based Learning Program July 17th -August 9th 10am-2pm Animas Valley Grange Contact: Joy@kceniainstitute.org

Joy O’Neil, MWRFounder, Kcenia Institute

Sustainability Educator & Consultantwww.kceniainstitute.org