Gardeners inspired by Tom Petty...

Well I won't back down
No I won't back down
You can stand me up at the gates of hell
But I won't back down!

Remember that little tree…you know the lonely one I mentioned in ‘The Invisible Hand’, well it’s an avocado tree! Wondering how I know that… this weekend the magical nocturnal non-existent gardeners from my previous post became actual flesh and blood real-life people. Frolicking about mid-Friday afternoon, I happened to drive past our ‘little garden’ and was shocked by what I saw.

‘SAVE OUR GARDEN’

Written in blue paint on what appeared to be a torn white sheet, held up by four strings tied to street poles and blowing in the fierce San Francisco wind hung the gardener’s desperate plea to preserve their precious little garden. Along with the sign were about 15 people, who had set up a BBQ and appeared to be playing cards or something like that. Apparently, the out-of-state landlord made it clear that the garden must be eliminated by the end of this weekend.

I absentmindedly disregarded to ask the name of the gardener I spoke with; however, he told me they planned on keeping watch over their garden all weekend. So at the very least if someone actually came to remove the garden they might have a chance to ‘Save’ it. He also told me that he was planning on writing a piece on it for the Bay Guardian to try and get the word out. I gave him and Justin (the originator) the link for our website, as they seemed pretty excited that other people had taken interest.

I am not sure if anyone else saw this over the weekend, but I figured since we all did a bit of research and did our little ‘garden project’ this new development might be fascinating.

The Root of the Problem

When local residents set up a garden in an open space on Fulton and Stanyan opposite famed Golden Gate Park, they set off a firestorm of controversy that reverberated throughout the urban gardening community. This gardening group did not have the one thing that scores of other community gardens have, and it's not potatoes. The crucial ingredient lacking in this latest attempt at city farming was the legal right to use the land.

The small patch of land adjacent to the apartments on the corner of Fulton and Stanyan is owned by the same out-of-state landlord who also owns the apartment complex. The landlord is not interested in having a community garden on the site, never gave permission to place a garden there, and is actively attempting to have it removed. In the city of San Francisco, the landowner is well within the law to kick the gardeners off the property. Indeed, this is the only regulation on starting a community garden in San Francisco, said Jude Koski of SFGro, a major community gardening organization in the City.

"It would be one thing if it were public land and it weren't being used for anything," said Koski. "But if the owner decides they don't want them [the community gardeners] on that land, that's it."

Koski said his group has offered to broker a deal between the gardeners and the landowner, but such an agreement looks unlikely given the owner's present disposition. Koski said that SFGro is ready and willing to step in if both sides are ready to negotiate, but won't force the issue.

"The site has a lot of question marks," said Koski.

It seems those questions may be answered with a resounding, "No." If the landowner refuses to participate in negotiations, residents at the garden may have to get their vegetables at the local grocery store instead.

The Invisible Hand

Strawberries, lettuce, mustard greens, strap peas, fava beans, potatoes, green onions, and one ‘unidentified’ lonely little tree! This array of fruit and vegetables can be found at the bustling corner of Fulton and Stanyan, on the fringe of world renowned Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, Ca. The garden is a mere 90 x 20 ft, smashed between apartment buildings and polluted city streets, as a result it is no surprise that after four months this ‘community garden’ does not exactly jump out at you.

San Francisco, which is located in the Pacific Northwest, challenges any kind of growth with its marine air. Marine air that once ate away the $39,000 tin roof of USF’s St. Ignatius church in less than one year. However, our ‘community gardeners’ clearly did their research on the “What Do I Plant, Where Do I Plant It” question, and as a result choose a pack of resilient seeds to plant.

The question of the ‘unidentified’ little tree remains unanswered right along with basic questions about the plant selection process. Questions that could have easily been answered by the gardeners themselves. However, after nearly 48 hours, an unanswered note, and about 15 ‘drive-bys’, I began to really wonder! Either A. These alleged gardeners were nocturnal, invisible, or possibly nonexistent, or B. The volunteer gardeners and I had polar opposite schedules. As a rational being I will assume the latter; however, unfortunately because of this I was unable to speak with the green thumbs themselves.

After doing a bit of online research I found a few basic gardening tips for the unknowing:
1. Garden Essentials- water, nutrients, good soil, good drainage, and Sun!
2. Vegetables need to be planted where they can recieve at least 6 hours of sunlight each day!
3. Lettuce, onions, peas, potatoes, ect. are best grown from February-March! ( Each of the aforementioned vegetables can be found in our very own Fulton & Stanyan garden)

Although, the gardeners were a bit M.I.A. a ‘community garden’ is a fabulous idea, and something that every person that walks, drives, or rides by can enjoy!