Historical April–May 2020 article. Dates, prices, services and contacts describe the source period; current availability has not been established.
McPherson Community and Block Unit 1035 Community Garden have been important features of Skinker DeBaliviere for decades, but urban gardening dates back much further.
From the 1700s and into the Industrial Revolution, as urban populations exploded, urban gardening evolved on shared space for the health and relaxation of city dwellers.
Some allotment gardens in dense European cities like London and Berlin have existed for centuries. Community gardening as practiced in St. Louis was part of an effort to improve an urban core suffering from the flight of many residents to suburbs and to provide gardening space for those who might not have access. McPherson Community Garden and Block Unit 1035 Community Garden both developed out of the community garden growth in the late 80s and 90s in urban areas in the US. McPherson Community Garden, organized by Andy Cross and Chris Manzo and constructed by the labor of Skinker DeBaliviere neighbors, was created in the spring and summer of 1997. Block Unit 1035 Community Garden, led by Ronnie Halliburton and others of the neighborhood Block Unit on DeGiverville, followed the next year. Block Units were first formed in the 30s through the Urban League as part of their efforts for community empowerment and civil rights. Both of these gardens are shared spaces. Plots are available at a low cost for all neighbors and includes access to compost, water, tools and the gardening expertise of other members. Any resident can call the Community Council office and make arrangements for a plot, but the benefits of participating in a garden are not limited to healthy vegetables and beautiful flowers.
In addition to the individual plot, each gardener contributes to the garden as a whole–typically this means caring for the communal flower beds, maintaining the paths, and cleaning around the garden. Much as neighbors do for their yards, but this work is shared among the gardeners.
The shared work is another form of community building that occurs within a community garden. Many important thinkers consider public space a central concern for public well-being. Skinker DeBaliviere is a community known for openness and friendliness, but saying hello to neighbors is not the same as moving a truckload of mulch or compost for a shared project. Community gardens are shared spaces where the differences highlighted by income or background are secondary to the requirements of successfully completing a practical task like getting rid of tomato hornworms or pulling out all of the bindweed. Community gardens are places where we can share or learn from each other because all of us have the same dirt on our hands.
The Breakfast Garden Tours & Gardens In Our Neighborhood.
Original photograph caption
Historical June nineteen ninety seven and June nineteen ninety eight community garden article facsimiles; illustration only.
Originally published in The Times of Skinker-DeBaliviere, April–May 2020.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Original source: SD_Times2020_04.pdf, printed page(s) 4, 5; PDF page(s) 4, 5.
