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Community garden sprouts in Hollywood
By Sergy Odiduro
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
June 7, 2009
A community garden has sprouted in Hollywood's Highland Gardens neighborhood.
Located at 24th Avenue and Adams Street, the garden is built on land donated by the city temporarily.
When local residents asked city officials to use the land, they were pleasantly surprised.
"The land was just sitting here not being used, so we asked [ Vice Mayor Beam Furr] if it was possible if we could have this community garden here," said Shirley Stealey. "The city has graciously [helped]. They came in here and they cleared the land for us, they bought water for us, they built boxes for us. It's amazing what they have done, and they are helping us organize it."
For the city, it was a no-brainer.
"At some point, this will be nice new housing for the area, but in the meantime, why not?" Furr said. "Especially in these economic times, people can have their own little victory garden."
Maria Jackson, who helped advocate for the garden, said it is a great way to save money.
"I saw a television program where they said that they were trying to supplement their grocery budget because of the hard times. I thought that was a good idea, and right away this land came to mind because it's been vacant for a while," Jackson said.
Several sponsors contributed resources to the garden, including the city's public works and utilities departments.
Residents can plant a variety of fruits and vegetables and are given the option of using ready-made plant boxes filled with soil or planting directly in the ground.
"We know it's not planting season right now, but we've got a few things that we hope will grow," Stealey said.
The city is encouraging residents to use environmentally friendly techniques.
Alice D'Emilio, the city's nursery supervisor, reached out to the group to offer some advice.
"We had a round-table discussion ... before we started the gardening about composting and how important it is to take the waste out of the kitchen and use it," D'Emilio said. "You can use vegetables and egg shells and coffee grounds and things that you would normally put in the landfills and recycle it."
Jeannette Smith, interim director of the city's housing and community redevelopment department, said the garden is a great way for neighbors to meet each other and build camaraderie.
"It's definitely an opportunity for residents to get together, to come out and share ideas," she said.
Sergy Odiduro can be reached at sodiduro@tribune.com.
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