Growing Community Gardens

I once told a vegan friend that my ancestors had worked long and hard to develop lactose tolerance, and I would dishonor their names to reject such a gift. Fortunately, my vegan friend has a sense of humor and is very tolerant and forgiving.

I would never defend abusive factory farms, but my love for dairy products is deep, which is partly why I love, love, love the idea of a backyard cow. Some people are getting into this, bringing more farm animals into suburbs and cities. Maybe it’s a fad, maybe it’s a revolution, maybe it will save everyone’s lives when the shiz hits the fan. Whatever, I think it’s cool. I really want to read this book by Novella Carpenter about being a city farmer.

DC arboretum community working

One of the easiest community gardens in DC to locate is the Youth Garden at the National Arboretum. Well, it was easy to locate online, but getting there was another story. DC is generally an okay city for taking public transportation, but the Arboretum is located a bit beyond the central grid, towards the Southeast corner of the city. Undaunted, I called the DC public transportation hotline and narrowed down the metro and bus lines that would theoretically get me there.

After a relatively smooth series of transfers, I found myself in a gritty, urban section of town, a few blocks away from my destination. Wandering somewhat confusedly along graffiti-lined sidewalks and past busy intersections, I finally approached a corner store employee and asked her whether she knew how to get to the National Arboretum. She had no clue what I was talking about. Casting my gaze across the street, I spied what looked like several dozen acres of lush forest wedged in among the bustling streets. "Nevermind," I said, "I think I found it."

THE NATIONAL ARBORETUM

Entering the National Arboretum is like crossing through a wardrobe into Narnia. Most people at its doorstep don't even know it exists, but once you pass through the gates, you find yourself in a world of dark green trees, grass, and the chirping of subtropical insects. The sounds of the city are muffled and distant, while a handful of people quietly wander and explore the grounds. Maybe it was just a hot day, or maybe the timing was off, but the place did seem a little...quiet?

Well, I wasn't there to stare at the trees, so I continued into the visitor's center and found my host, the radiant Kaifa Anderson-Hall, the Director of the Washington Youth Garden. She drove me over to the small section of the Arboretum where the Youth Garden had staked out its territory behind a purple gateway.

THE YOUTH GARDEN

The Youth Garden was founded quite a few years ago and is currently affiliated with Friends of the National Arboretum (not the Arboretum itself). The garden does a number of things, including hosting school field trips, teaching local families how to garden, and providing various opportunities for young people.

As far as I can tell, the Youth Garden is the hub of life at the Arboretum. I mean, I'm sure there are lots of other cool things that go on there, but unlike the rest of the place, the Youth Garden was positively buzzing with activity when I got there. Volunteers were weeding around flowering herbs, families were watering their plots, and kids were running in all directions, touching, tasting and exploring every nook and cranny of the garden.

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HOW TO SUCCEED WITH VOLUNTEERS

I got to sit down in the shade with Ms. Anderson-Hall for a few minutes and pick her brain for insight into this whole business. One thing that quickly became apparent is that the Youth Garden is an example of success with volunteers. Many of the people volunteering that day had been participating for years, and Ms. Anderson-Hall herself had even started out as a volunteer. (Actually, she had been a young student in the program even before that!)

What brings volunteers together in such a cohesive and vibrant way, year after year? Ms. Anderson-Hall didn't have any miraculous answers for me. She sort of said the same stuff people usually say: volunteer recognition parties, regularly scheduled volunteer sessions, etc. But mostly, people just want to be remembered, appreciated and welcomed when they show up. They want to be part of something they recognize as valuable, and enjoy themselves. (Isn't that what we all want from life?)

It's the kind of atmosphere that requires dedication, and an enthusiastic staff, and maybe even the right alignment of the planets, but sometimes it also just kind of starts to snowball.

So thank you, Youth Garden, for sharing your garden love with a lost stranger who finally found her way off the street to visit you. I'll try to tuck away your lessons about volunteers in a safe place, and pass along your joie de vivre to as many people as I can. To cap things off, here are a few more photos of the garden for your enjoyment!