No Garden? No Problem — This Upstate NY Farm Brings the Garden to You
Their Soul Fire in the City program built 40 home gardens in the area in 2020 alone.
By Hayley Zhao
Next City
November 24, 2021
Excerpt:
The program usually starts its outreach for applicants in the winter, prioritizing people impacted by food apartheid, survivors of mass incarceration, refugees and immigrants. Participants start gardening classes in February; with the help of volunteers and mentors, they decide what to grow and when. As all the plans are settled, the farm plants fruit, vegetable and herb seedlings in their greenhouse, ready to be planted in the spring. Participants can choose from over 50 kinds of edible plants. Arugula, basil, bok choy, cantaloupe, and tomato are some of the most popular items . Soul Fire also builds the raised garden beds for participants, bringing in their own soil to avoid potential contamination
In April, volunteers will help transfer the seedlings to participants. Classes continue throughout the growing season, and mentors do check-ins throughout the whole program. The program usually wraps up with a community potluck in September, celebrating the harvest of the year.
“When you find a vegetable your preschoolers will eat, you stock up. For us, that means buying a lot of cucumbers, broccoli, and spinach for smoothies. Having access to these foods in our own backyard is indescribably valuable,” wrote Braun, who is also growing radishes, watermelon and dragon beans, in her testimony.
