Sunday, November 28, 2010

Philadelphia Community Garden

On a trip to Philadelphia, PA this summer we spotted a community garden near our hotel. We were staying at a hotel outside of town, near the airport. Every day we would ride the hotel shuttle about a mile or so to the nearest train station, where we would catch the train headed into downtown. On the way back to the hotel one day, I decided that I would walk from the train station to the hotel so that I could check out the garden. Well, let's just say that this community garden was not exactly in a community. The area was largely industrial...typical of areas surrounding airports. Very wide roads. Not very pedestrian oriented. People with plots in this garden most likely have to drive to get there.




And the garden was surrounded by a 10 ft high chain-link fence. It was kind of tough to climb, but I got in.




While there, I met some old guys that said they had had their plots for over 20 years. They said that the majority of their food comes from their gardens. Many of the initial plots had been subdivided into smaller plots.


Most people probably wouldn't find the gardens to be too aesthetically pleasing, but I really enjoyed looking around. Lots of ingenuity going on. Sheds, greenhouses, cold frames, and other structures built out of found materials...sometimes just junk. Below are some pictures from around the garden.



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