News

Apr 15, 2024

Cedar Rapids public gardens serve diverse communities

New spaces coming soon with gardens increasing in demand Aug. 5, 2023 6:00 am CEDAR RAPIDS — A plan to meet the growing demand for community garden plots in Cedar Rapids could well have had people

New spaces coming soon with gardens increasing in demand

Aug. 5, 2023 6:00 am

CEDAR RAPIDS — A plan to meet the growing demand for community garden plots in Cedar Rapids could well have had people like Jessie Ketchum in mind.

New this growing season to using the concept, she saw the city was opening a new garden at Sinclair Park and thought it was an ideal opportunity to test if community gardening was a good fit for her and her family.

“I figured there would be a lot to open, and when I did call, Sinclair Park had the only slots that were available,” Ketchum said.

For Ketchum, the community garden plot became a dedicated pastime for her and her family. She visits the garden daily or every other day depending on weather and heat. Once the school year starts, however, Ketchum said the visits will likely decrease and become weekly.

The garden has become a learning opportunity for her and her kids. Ketchum said her kids were able to see where their produce was coming from and were able to participate in the entire growing and harvesting process.

“I enjoy the idea of gardening, I just wasn't ready to commit to ripping up a bunch of grass in my yard yet,” Ketchum said. “I figured this would be a safe way that we could give it a try and see if it was something our family was willing to sustain.”

Earlier this year, the Cedar Rapids City Council adopted a community gardens master plan that envisions expanding the program by adding more eight parks. The plan — developed with community input and showing an increasing demand for gardening space — was a move to get more food directly in the hands of vulnerable residents, support a healthy lifestyle and bolster the goals of the city’s Community Climate Action Plan, which calls for more community gardens as a way to mitigate the harmful environmental effects of food production.

The city in 2023 charged $41 for each 20-by-50 foot plot, although the master plan recommends the city strive to offer plots of different sizes and different rates. Those who already hold leases can renew them for the next growing season, but the Parks and Recreation Department offers leases to unclaimed spots each March to residents.

Some of the community gardens for the first time this season offer water on-site, but many gardeners bring their own to water their plants.

Newsletter Signup

Delivered to your inbox every day

You will begin to receive our Daily News updates. Add [email protected] to your contacts.

Besides playing a role as offering a hobby for residents, a focal point of the Cedar Rapids community gardens has been providing access to diverse, culturally specific foods.

Emmaly Renshaw, executive director of Feed Iowa First, is a member of the steering committee for the Cedar Rapids community gardens. Feed Iowa First focuses on access to food and land, making this collaboration between the organization and the community gardens manifest organically.

“Feed Iowa First is probably the organization that has the most knowledge on both community gardens and the particular needs of immigrant gardeners,” Renshaw said. “We also just kind of know the nuts and bolts of what is missing from our community gardens and what those barriers are.”

Renshaw said the issue of lacking cultural foods first came to light during the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, when Feed Iowa First discovered immigrant communities in Cedar Rapids were driving upward of eight hours to buy groceries that couldn’t be found in Linn County.

The pandemic brought awareness to this issue when these distant markets closed, denying these communities of essential elements in their diet.

“That's when the wheels start to turn,” Renshaw said.

The Cedar Rapids community gardens looked to address that issue, expanding its reach to allow for more individuals to use these spaces.

Levette Sehtor and her husband have been using Ellis Park’s community garden for several years, growing vegetables from their home country in Africa that are not commonly available — like a certain type of a hot pepper — in Iowa.

Sehtor said the vegetables she and her husband grow in the community gardens can last until winter, providing months of groceries and saving a substantial amount of money.

Jeff Tippey from Cedar Rapids has been using the community gardens for nearly a decade to grow foods he doesn’t have access to in Iowa. Having lived in Texas for several years, Tippey said purple hulled peas were a staple in his family, but weren’t available in any grocery stores here.

“That's why we did it to begin with,” said Tippey, who gardens at Ellis Park. “They don’t even have the canned ones in the grocery store.”

While she enjoys using the Cedar Rapids community garden, Sehtor said the intense heat and lack of rain that have plagued this summer made plant upkeep difficult. During the driest period, Sehtor said she would be visiting the gardens twice a day to water the plants.

“Last year was a little bit better,” Sehtor said.

The dry spell has also impacted Tippey’s gardening experience, though to a lesser extent. Tippey said because his peas are typically grown in Texas, the lack of water is not as detrimental to his crops. Despite that, Tippey said he still visits his plot every other day to water, pull weeds and generally tend to the plants.

Tippey said his only major qualm with the Cedar Rapids community gardens is the high amount of theft of the crop’s yield.

“I'm disabled. In order to do this, I take all my pain pills,” Tippey said. “It's more than just a hobby for me. I can't work, so it's a way to provide food for my family. It’s a thing that brings me a lot of joy.”

Over the years, Tippey has learned what foods are popular and commonly stolen, and what plants are typically left alone. He has also learned a few tricks about early harvest times to ensure food or entire plants are not taken.

Despite this issue, Tippey said the community gardens in Cedar Rapids mean a great deal to him.

“I think it's a wonderful thing that they do for the community,” Tippey said. “We've got very little house and a very little yard — we wouldn't be able to do this if this garden wasn't available.”

Comments: [email protected]