Growing food, flowers and friendships in Algiers
In 2013, former MGGNO President Cynthia Metcalf drove past an abandoned tennis
court on the then-recently closed Naval Support Activity New Orleans base in Algiers
and had a vision of turning that unused parcel of land into a thriving community garden. She enlisted the help of fellow garden enthusiast, Miranda Bashaw (LMG, Class 2017), and the two began working to make Cynthia’s vision a reality. With the generous support of several local civic organizations, grants from a few organizations, and the hard work and dedication of several community volunteers, Federal City Community Garden began to take shape. In 2016, when Cynthia relocated out of New Orleans, long-time MGGNO member Charlotte Baham (LMG, Class 1998) took over as Project Lead; together with Miranda, the two have managed the garden ever since.
Today, the raised-bed community garden consists of 51 small, family-leased garden plots (each 4.5 x 10 x 1.5 feet/40 concrete blocks holding 1.5 cubic yards of soil), two large handicap-accessible demonstration beds, a three-bin composting system, a native muscadine vine, fruit trees including citrus and native mulberry, and five honeybee hives. The gardens are planted year round from seed or transplants.
The garden plots are maintained by Westbank and military families, which provide them with a place to grow fresh produce and give them space to interact with other garden-minded community members regardless of cultural, socio-economic, or generational differences. Plus, Charlotte and Miranda use social media, formal workshops, and one-on-one interactions to provide education to the gardeners and their friends and families.
Sustainability is also fostered by encouraging gardeners to compost spent garden plants in the provided bin. Charlotte and Buddy Baham manage the system and the nutrient-rich compost is available for FCCG growers to add back into their beds.
As an added bonus, fruits and veggies aren’t the only things being grown! Many of the growers utilize the garden as a space to grow friendships and establish bonds with other gardeners. Elderly members site the garden as a place to socialize with others who have similar interests, and several military growers have sited FCCG as a
therapeutic way to assist in dealing with PTSD and family separation anxiety.
Additionally, some parents use their time at the community garden to reinforce lessons their children have learned in school from science and writing to math and community service and beyond. In the future, FCCG hopes to continue its educational outreach with programs on composting, raised bed gardening, plant propagation, beehive maintenance and inspection, as well as other horticultural topics. FCCG also plans to partner with neighborhood “community fridge” to donate extra produce to families in need this year.
Author:
Miranda Bashaw, Master Gardener of Greater New Orleans
Editor:
Linda Wegmann, Master Gardener of Greater New Orleans
Photography:
Miranda Bashaw
To learn more about Federal City Community Garden, click here or email federalcity@mggno.com.