A Community and Forum For Aquaponic Gardeners

New community garden

Last Wednesday I had the pleasure of attending a ribbon cutting for a new community salsa garden on 123 E. Durango St. in Phoenix. This garden was started by Community Tire. They had a vacant lot across the street from their store and felt it was time to give back to the community. I will be installing a small aquaponics system in the greenhouse.

communitytiregarden.org

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by David Schwinghamer on October 28, 2012 at 10:39am

Another project I am working on is a school called Acadmia del Pueblo also on Durango street across the street from the new Salsa Community Garden. They currently have 13 raised beds and want to add more, maybe aquaponics for their future too?

Permalink Reply by Dr. George B. Brooks, Jr. on October 28, 2012 at 11:09pm

Good job!

Permalink Reply by Dr. George B. Brooks, Jr. on October 29, 2012 at 9:04am

Dave, this is the kind of project that Aquaponics needs to help move the city forward. From the Mayor, Taz (Loomans - Blooming Blog) to the location it will be a showplace. Congratulations and a good leadership move. Please take a moment and go to http://myplanphx.com and submit your thoughts on how what you are doing can be used as the foundation for a "Big Idea" for the future of Phoenix as we rewrite the general plan. I am on the leadership team for this effort and would like to see submissions from our community.

For the school the future is in STEM education. Many schools feel limited in implementing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Science) programs without formality. However, it has been proven that a chile can learn as much science from growing a tomato that from a formal program, to this is where aquaponics is going at the Roosevelt School District and how it can be used at the school you are working with. IMHO.

Permalink Reply by David Schwinghamer on October 29, 2012 at 1:22pm

Thanks George for keeping me looking forward! What are your thoughts about contacting schools about gardens? What about the office roof garden idea and vacant lots?

Permalink Reply by Sheri Schmeckpeper on November 15, 2012 at 1:59pm

Way to go, David! What a great venture. I agree with Dr. George, STEM is so important, and everything about AP is science. We measure chemicals, we use physics to design water flow, we study botany and biology... What a wonderful way for a child to learn to love science!

BTW, Gilbert had a community garden that was shut down because of the cost of insurance. It was sad to see it go, but liability is often a concern with public things. Dr. George, do you know how other communities address this concern?

Permalink Reply by Dr. George B. Brooks, Jr. on November 15, 2012 at 5:44pm

Greetings Dave and Sheri, I know of several community gardens in development so I will ask. We recently shut down our community garden at our church, not for liability reasons however. We simply want to do take the garden in a different direction so gardening will continue. The insurance was covered by the general church liability policy.