Formation meeting for the NE Decatur Garden Club

About a dozen people showed up for the formation meeting for the NEDGC.

SCOPE

Those attending generally agreed the scope should include:

• Organic food gardening
• Flowers and ornamentals
• Yards and landscaping (including help for the elderly and/or infirmed

We might eventually invite those in the assisted living units off Winn Way to participate.

ACTIVITIES

We agreed to have monthly meetings, on Tuesdays at 7pm, as well as special meetings when appropriate. We will invite guest speakers.

Activities will include:

• Community garden plots
• Sharing home project experiences
• Speakers/seminars
• Field trips
• Plant swaps
• Floral arranging
• Activities for children (possibly those from Suburban nursery)

PROJECTS

The near-term project will be a garden behind the church (more on this in the continuation), including a group compost bin.

Longer-term, we hope to have a Winn/Arcadia garden, as conceptualized in an earlier post.

ORGANIZATION

This will be a non-profit organization, with by-laws.

Officers will be elected periodically. The exact offices and the frequency of elections will be determined later.

We'll determine dues later, including categories (adult, youth, family, organizations).

PATH FORWARD

We plan to:

• Advertise more widely, to find more members
• Visit other garden clubs to see what we can learn
• Continue to plan the garden behind the church
• Arrange a speaker for the first monthly meeting
• Look for grant money

Please check back periodically for updates and announcements of next meeting. If you e-mail dav3kell@gmail.com, I'll add you to the e-mail list. You can also join the NEDGC page on Facebook.

The garden behind the church is discussed in the continuation.

GARDEN BEHIND THE CHURCH

Pastor Allen Smith has generously donated the use of the land behind the church for gardening, stating: "Our concept for a neighborhood garden is to have a garden for the enjoyment and benefit of those who want to participate."

There are two areas behind the church which could be used for gardening. They are outlined in green in this rough sketch presented at the meeting:

 
 

I presented a conceptual layout with for the 25' x 70' area directly behind the church, with 27 4x6 beds.

Jerome explained his concept for a profitable cooperative urban garden model. The profits are made from the sale of food from the garden. It's a rather formalized system which he'll hopefully commit to paper so it can be posted here in a future post. You can see him describe it in a 15-minute video embedded in the next post (above this).

While the potential value of his model was clear, a number present expressed interest in a less formal garden, where people could select what they'd like to plant, learning by experience what works and doesn't work, seeking advice from more knowledgeable or experienced members. It is to be, after all, a club and not a business.

After hearing both concepts, we're still considering the inclusion of both types of gardens, with members able to participate in either or both. The casual & less formal “all ages friendly” garden will be installed first and will occupy the 25' X 70' area directly behind the Church. If given the go ahead, the farming co-op concept ( the more professional & structured garden ) will be located on the  25'X 125' land that extends back to Lockwood Terrace.

Cynthia sent in this proposal:

I was pondering a way to frame Jerome's very promising plans within everyone's broader, more eclectic visions for the gardening club.  Although most of us seem to prefer an open, casual structure with diverse activities, I'm sure that there would be a solid contingent of people in the area who would like to participate in the urban-farming business model that he has in mind.  Here's a possible wording example:

The NED Organic Farming Cooperative

A Social Enterprise Initiative of the Northeast Decatur Garden Club

This is just one possible way of approaching it.  Thanks for the great meeting.  I enjoyed it!

To start the garden, we need to build one or more beds on each side. We'd like to have the land tilled with a tractor first, to reduce the roots.  This will take some dollars, which we'll have to raise via dues, donations, grants, and possibly fund raisers.

Comments

[Deanne]

Excellent recap of the 1st NED Meeting! It's really cool to meet likeminded neighbors who are interested in seeing what we can accomplish together! It's neat to think that, not only will we be growing flowers & veggies, we'll be also be creating a unique environment for growing friendships & a true sense of community!

Lots of possibilities for things that we can do & go see & learn about. I'm looking forward to us coming up with opportunities that will be enjoyed by all ages! In fact, I wish it was time for the next meeting already! Everybody- please keep a running list of ideas (or share here!) so that we don't forget anything! And let's plan for a group Oakhurst Garden visit soon!

All NED neighbors are certainly welcome to participate in the fun! If you weren't able to attend the 1st meeting, please join us next time!