DC-area community gardens: The do’s, don’ts, the good and the concerns
“We have something a little bit for everyone,” said Riddick, who noted that there are summer jobs offered at the garden through the District’s Summer Youth Employment Program.
By Michelle Goldchain
WTOP News
May 10, 2023,
Excerpt:
The U.S. National Arboretum is known for its expansive collection of plants across 446 acres of land, the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum and the permanent installation of 22 sky-high Corinthian columns that at one time supported the east portico of the U.S. Capitol.
But just around the corner from those columns is a green space that has been a mainstay in the community for more than 50 years: the Washington Youth Garden.
During an interview with WTOP, Christin Riddick strolled through the rows of garden plots with ease and understanding, able to pinpoint which budding greens are ready for harvesting and which may need some extra coaxing in the coming months.
He smiled at the “cultural crops” found in the green space like the scotch bonnet peppers and the pungent Mexican herb, papalo, and he pinched the blossoming greens of one plant to taste the fresh, bitter flavors, while grazing his fingertips over coarse blades of grass nearby.
Over the span of a year, “hundreds” of volunteers and students participate in the community effort to keep the garden thriving, and Riddick, as the on-site program manager, is one of the main team members who not only maintains the garden, but inspires others to join the efforts.
Since the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation established the one-acre space in 1971, the Washington Youth Garden has sparked a love of the natural world in D.C.-area children and the general community by demonstrating horticultural skills.
