“A funny thing happened after Keiji Asakura suggested the creation of a vegetable garden in the middle of the concrete corridor and skyscraper canyon that is downtown Houston.
“It actually came to fruition — with a swiftness that stunned the landscape architect and the nonprofit group [Urban Harvest] that shared his vision.
“Now, a mere two months later, herbs, vegetables and flowers are flourishing on a bustling city street. A community has been forged among co-workers and strangers who once did little more than brush shoulders on crowded elevators. Skateboarders and street people have grown protective of the fledgling plants.
“And this experiment, which involves nonprofit groups, the city’s Sustainability Office and employees of the Department of Public Works and Engineering, has become living proof that urban gardens can take root in the unlikeliest of places.
“The ‘Downtown Houston Container Vegetable Garden Project’ is … part of a trend in cities across the country, where once-vacant lots, apartment building windowsills and rooftops are being turned into community gardens which help provide fresh produce for the gardeners, farmers markets, and for food banks serving the needy.
“We haven’t heard of any other city doing this the way we have,” said [the city’s new sustainability director Laura] Spanjian. “The goal is to show people that they can grow local vegetables anywhere. We want to be a model for other cities and other businesses.”
“It adds greenery and beauty in an unexpected place,” said [Derrick] Neal [of the Public Works Department]. “This is what gardening is about — totally ordinary people doing extraordinary things.”
Full story: Urban Gardening Experiment Blossoms in Houston - ABC News
Other community garden/urban farming posts here, here, and here.
