The Sunnyvale Sun
News
Community gardeners celebrate 1st year
By Stephen Baxter
Despite a winter cold snap that froze nearly all its tomatoes, the Charles Street community garden in Sunnyvale thrived on friendship and a shared love of gardening in its first year.
The 92-bed garden, which is open to city residents, now has a waiting list of 55 people who want to tend plots. It has 300 members on its e-mail list, and more than 30 attended a barbecue and celebration of its first year on May 29 at 433 Charles St.
"I've lived here 12 years and I met more people in one year because of this garden," said member Eric Fulda. Fulda dug trenches for the four new greenhouses at the edge of the garden, and cooked chicken, veggie burgers and garden-grown artichokes at the barbecue.
Laurie Hughes, Community Garden coordinator, said the greenhouses, which were funded by a Satterberg Foundation grant, were its most visible addition.
Hughes said the group's latest challenge has been to protect the garden from a library expansion that would uproot it.
Preliminary plans to double the size of the Sunnyvale Public Library include knocking out the garden, and at least 25 gardeners asked the city council on April 23 to try to work around it.
The group has a new petition that does not oppose a new library, but supports one that would incorporate the community garden, Hughes said. The group gathered 300 signatures at the Murphy Avenue farmers market May 26 and got 50 more from neighbors near the garden.
It plans to present the petition to the council June 12.
The wood-enclosed plant beds could be moved, but many flowers and vegetables grow outside the boxes near the fences. There is also a Food Forest for needy families and a children's garden.
Members said they would hate to see their time and effort quashed if the garden were removed.
"Organic gardening is all about the soil," Hughes said.
Yousef Karam is a 68-year-old retired restaurateur who visits the community garden several times a week.
His house in Sunnyvale is shaded with trees, so the garden allows him to grow vegetables and herbs with more light. In his plot this year, he is growing what he calls tomatoes of the world--from Siberia, Germany, Russia and France. He also takes pride in the dahlia he grew from seeds, his black plums and garbanzo beans.
Karam, who was born in Nazareth, tends community plants outside the beds as well, and he writes the name of each plant in calligraphy on small, white markers.
He is around the garden so often that he finds himself fielding all kinds of gardening questions.
"It is good to treat the plant as you treat your child. They need shelter, water ... the plants need attention as kids need attention," Karam said.
He said he gives people seeds, plants and tips.
Spreading his arms, he said, "That way I can look out at the garden and people say, 'You gave me this, and it's growing!' "
For more information on the Charles Street garden, visit www.sunnyvalecommunitygardens.org.
