Growing the Garden-The First Two Years

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Growing the Indiana Community Garden (ICG): The First Two Years
(April 2012: First Garden Plots Built in Mack Park, Corner of South Sixth Street and Carter Ave., Indiana, PA)
I. What’s at the Garden

• 30 raised garden beds: 24 individual beds and 6 community beds
• Lean-to garden pavilion and attached shed
• 4-barrel rain barrel water collection system
• 6 permanent compost bins
• Low tunnel (mini-hoop house) for planting cool season crops, covered first with row cover and later with greenhouse plastic during cooler months
• Gas well screening project that includes artistic wooden trellises and sails
• 15 disease-resistant apple trees
• 165 feet of mulched beds along outer fence for blueberries, strawberries, rhubarb, and annual flowers and vegetables in season
• Entrance arch with 2 attached flower beds
• Manual water pump installed by Pennsylvania American Water Company (PAWC)
• Garden bench donated by Horace Mann 5th graders
II. Summary of 2013 accomplishments
A. Awards
• Welcome to Indiana 2013 Image Award
(Award given “for beautifying a prominent outdoor space in the Indiana vicinity”)
• PHS (Pennsylvania Horticulture Society) 2013 Community Greening Award
(Award given for “motivating people to improve the quality of life and create a sense of community through horticulture”)

B. New construction and planting
• Built 9 new individual raised garden beds
• Built 1 new larger community bed, maintained by Indiana Garden Club
• Added soil, compost, amendments, and mulch as needed to garden beds
• Built 4 new permanent compost bins
• Created a 4-barrel rain water collection system connected to metal roof on garden pavilion
• Completed gas well screening project
• Planted 15 disease-resistant apple trees of different varieties
• Planted 70 foot-long mulched beds of Cempazuchitl (large marigolds indigenous to Mexico, used for the Day of the Dead celebration)
• Extended existing mulched beds for strawberries and annuals
• Created new mulched beds for strawberries and rhubarb

C. Activities in the garden
• Maintained low tunnel with greens and other cool season vegetables throughout colder months
• Community Building Day with IUP’s “Into the Streets” and many community volunteers, April 20
• Community Planting Day, June 1
• 3 yoga sessions: June, July and August
• Community service projects with students from various organizations, providing opportunities to engage in community service while learning about ICG, gardening, food access, and sustainability
• IUP’s Upward Bound Math Science Program (for first generation/low income high school students who plan on attending university)
• IUP’s American Language Institute (for international students and visitors)
• IUP’s African American Cultural Center
• IUP residence hall volunteers
• IUP Women’s Rugby Team
• Graystone Church Youth Group (while fasting as part of World Vision’s 30 Hour Famine)
• Indiana High School Key Club
• IUP SEEDS Club
• Educational programs for elementary or high school-aged groups, where students learned through participating in a series of hands-on activity stations
• Horace Mann School, kindergarten and 1st grade classes, Earth Day
• Horace Mann K-Kids (programs in both spring and fall)
• Justice Works (program for 16-18 year olds aging out of the foster care system), June
• 3 workshops on food and nutrition at ICG: June, July, and August
• Friends of the Parks Program, “Taste and Tour Indiana Community Garden,” July 27 (attended by more than 70 people in spite of a downpour at the end of the event)
• Catered dinner in the garden with chef Nick Karas from Nap’s Cucina Mia, October 4
• Constructed ICG altar for the Day of the Dead celebration, October 31
• Fall community clean-up and garlic planting days, assisted by various IUP student organizations (IUP SEEDS Club, IUP Women’s Rugby Team, IUP residence halls, and various other student volunteers)
D. Public relations
• New ICG blog created and maintained by Lisa McCann: http://indianacg.blogspot.com/
• New website: www.indianacommunitygardens.org
• Articles and photos about ICG in various newspapers
• Member, Indiana County Tourist Bureau
• Interviews on WDAD radio program
• Regular updates posted in the Indiana Gazette
E. Community outreach and off-site educational programs about ICG
• Friends of the Parks program, “Grow Your Own Food, Inside and Out, All Year Long,” highlighting ICG’s work with cool season gardening in low tunnel, Indiana Courtroom Annex, February 16
• Meetings with Chevy Chase Community Center, Indiana YMCA, Evergreen Conservancy, and Indiana Care Center as each considered developing a garden proposal or community garden
• Information booth about ICG at IUP’s Earth Day celebration, April
• Presentation about ICG to IUP Women’s Club, May 4
• Plant sale with Indiana County Master Gardeners, Indiana County Farmers Market, June 15
• Presentation about ICG to Indiana Rotary Club
• Workshop on stormwater management, including building a rain barrel, Northern Appalachia Folk Festival, Indiana, PA, September 7
• Information booth, including hand-outs and hands-on learning activities, Northern Appalachia Folk Festival, Indiana, PA, September 7

• Information booth about ICG, including tasting samples of salsa prepared from ICG produce, Indiana County Farmers Market, September 28
• Information booth about volunteer opportunities at ICG, IUP’s Community Involvement Fair, October
• Provided buckets and buckets of Cempazuchitl (Mexican marigolds) grown at ICG for various events at IUP’s first Day of the Dead Festival, late October
F. Community connections
• Indiana County Master Gardeners affiliated with Penn State Extension
• Indiana Garden Club
• Cozy Corner Restaurant
• Nap’s Cucina Mia Restaurant
• IUP
• Department of Food and Nutrition
• Anthropology Department
• American Language Institute
• Upward Bound Math and Science Program
• SEEDS Club
• Eco Club
• Various residence halls
• Friends of the Parks
• Indiana Arts Council
• Northern Appalachia Folk Festival
• Indiana County Conservation District
• Evergreen Conservancy
• Evergreen Garden Club
• Horace Mann Elementary School
• Visiting Nurses Association of Indiana County
• League of Women Voters of Indiana County
• Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank
• Numerous individuals and local businesses who have donated plants, seeds, straw bales, tools, food, money, time, expertise, and other needed materials to ICG
II. 2014 Activities and Projections
A. Winter 2014 (completed or in process)
• Maintain cool weather crops in low tunnel garden (in spite of frigid temperatures this winter, we still have some greens growing in the low tunnel!)
• Interview about Garden in a Bowl and other ICG activities, WDAD Radio, February 7
• Begin collaboration with Grow Pittsburgh/Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank’s Great Garden Giveaway to place food producing plants in hands of those served by local food banks
• Information booth about ICG volunteer opportunities, IUP’s Community Involvement Fair, February 13
• Garden in a Bowl fundraiser at the Artists Hand Gallery — with many donations of food, time, service auction items, etc. by local businesses and individuals, February 15
• Friends of the Parks program, “Raised Bed Gardening,” in part highlighting ICG’s effort to extend garden season by building a low tunnel over a raised bed, Indiana Courtroom Annex, February 15

• Lisa McCann featured on IUP Anthropology website for her work as ICG photographer/blogger
• Partner, League of Women Voters of Indiana County WREN grant proposal, “Indiana County Stormwater Education Partnership,” which includes ICG’s rain barrel water collection system as one of four model stormwater management projects in Indiana County
• Begin ICG-IUP collaboration on Heirloom Seed Saving Project, preserving valuable varieties of local food and the stories behind them, so they can be passed on to others
• “Growing the Indiana Community Garden,” a virtual tour presented as part of Spring Gardening Series, Indiana Free Library, March 5
• Participated in the Indiana County Tourist Bureau Mingle, Taze Restaurant, March 11
B. Spring 2014 (forthcoming)
• Construct raised beds around gas well or along outer fence
• Plant cover crops on some raised beds to increase nitrogen in soil
• Prepare garden beds for planting
• Build additional tool shed storage on back of garden pavilion
• Build shelving inside garden pavilion for garden brochures and lending library
• Continue design of landscape integration project with Indiana Arts Council
• Select seeds from local sources for Planting Day
• Help facilitate Grow Pittsburgh/Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank’s Great Garden Giveaway through Zion Lutheran Food Pantry
• Continue preparations for ICG-IUP collaboration on Heirloom Seed Saving Project, beginning to locate individuals who are saving local heirloom seeds
C. Spring/Summer 2014 (forthcoming)
• Establish a calendar of activities in the garden (workshops, tours, volunteer groups, yoga, social activities, etc.)
• Events already scheduled:
• Friends of the Parks Program: “Taste and Tour the Indiana Community Garden,” July 19
• Friends of the Parks Program: “Taste the 4 Seasons of Home Grown Garden,” August 9
• Designate part of the community plot as a children’s educational garden sponsored by Indiana County Master Gardener Program
• Organize a volunteer pool to work at ICG throughout the season
• Work with volunteer organizations on community service and educational projects at ICG
• Work with local food banks to get more fresh food to local families served by food banks
• Begin collecting seeds and stories for the Heirloom Seed Saving Project
III. Long-terms goals
A. Continue to promote education on gardening, nutrition, cooking and sustainability through programs and activities at the garden
B. Strengthen connections with food outreach programs
C. Secure a permanent presence of the Indiana Community Garden within Indiana
D. Obtain community support and funding to create a part-time garden position for a garden coordinator