WCRS Podcast - consciousvoices

Derek Lory describes his work w/ Helping Hands Community Garden which is located on E. Hudson Street.

Tomi Rudavsky will tells us about the garden she and her husband enjoy near the Olentangy trail, on Kenworth in Clintonville.

Café Bella owner, Vince Withers, describes some of the details of the aquaculture gardens in the back of his High Street restaurant.

And Joe Beth--yes, I did not get her last name---tells us about the raised beds of vegetables she, her husband, and her two daughters are growing in the front yard of their home on Crestview Ave in Clintonville, just a Frisbee throw away from the Clintonville Community Market. Before putting this show together which has sat around on my computer for a couple of weeks, I saw Joe Beth and asked for her last name. She said “just use my first name, like I’m a rock star.”

Well, OK.

To start off let’s hear about gardening from a few really young folk who were working at the Helping Hands Community Garden one Saturday morning about 3 weeks ago.

Leading those children on that Saturday morning was Derek Lory. He’s been coordinating the work at the Helping Hands Community Garden. Let’s hear what he has to say about that.

About a mile or so Northwest of the Helping Hands community garden, you may notice a well-designed garden of raised beds in the front yard of Tomi Rudavsky on Kenworth, near the Olentangy trail. I leaned my bicycle against the automobile in her driveway as she told me about the garden she and her husband have been cultivating there on Kenworth Ave for seven years.

About a mile or so downstream on the Olentangy River is Café Bella, where owner Vince Withers grows herbs and vegetables with aquaculture gardens.

Water circulates from fish tanks to plants in the rafters in the roof of the café’s patio. One late afternoon while the café was closed, and empty for deep cleaning, Withers talked to me about some aspects of his work.

Here are some notes drawn from the forum, which meets every 3rd Monday at Wild Goose Creative.

Darren Malhame of Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association --and one of the owners of North Star Café--mentioned that OEFFA is involved in a lawsuit against Monsanto.

Another person I spoke with at this event was Seth Draeger who is starting a garden on Parsons Ave near Marion Rd, and also one on Lock Ave. near Groveport Rd and 104

A guy named Nick Stanich referred me to Franklinton Gardens, which he says has been around for 5 years, now having 9 gardens.

When asked about canning what he grows, Stanich said having a “massive food processing facility” for the harvests from community gardens in Columbus would help.

Does anyone know of any such food processing facilities where people can get together to can food ? If so, let me know by commenting on this site.

Stanich also said more organization among community gardeners in Columbus and beyond would be useful.

“We need to get more of an understanding of who’s gardening around the city. There’s not that much of an established resource that connects everyone…at the moment.”

One attempt to help with that involves a newly formed assortment of people calling itself Greater Columbus Growing Coalition. Their next meeting is on Thursday, May 5 at 6 pm at Barley’s on Dublin-Grandview Road.

One person at this event---Tim Price-- who is currently getting his 10 X 20 ft. garden ready for the 2011 out-door growing season-- said the main thing keeping him from working with other gardeners around the city is his work schedule.

“I work in Dayton. I leave around 7 in the morning and get home around 7 or 7:30 in the evening.”

Jaime Moore, who owns and operates along with her husband Adam Welly, Wayward Seed Farm, was at the forum as well. She said Wayward Seed will soon get it’s USDA organic certification.

Another person there was Yolanda Moser.