April 28, 2010

Racine's community garden takes shape


 Walden HS students, other volunteers, worked on garden
 Photo by Nancy Carlson
"Those who labor in the earth are the chosen people of God ."
-- Thomas Jefferson

More than 160 enthusiastic Walden High School students, along with other volunteers, made major progress Wednesday to prepare Racine's new community garden.

The volunteers -- after trekking from the REC with wheelbarrows and other gardening tools (photo at left by Kandy Meyers) -- worked for two hours laying out the individual garden plots and preparing the paths around the large site at 734 Marquette St., just south of the Riverbend Loft Apartments on Sixth Street. Other volunteers went downtown on cleanup duty.

The Racine Urban Garden Network is accepting applications from the public for use of the 10 x 20-ft. plots. The suggested donation for plot rental this summer is $20.


The approximately 80 plots will be assigned first-come, first-served and will have a layer of compost. Applications can be picked up at the Community Action Agency, 2113 Wisconsin St., at DP Wigley, 234 Wisconsin Ave., or at Mitchell Wagon Factory Lofts, 815 8th St. They can also be requested by sending an email to RUGN.org@gmail.com.

RUGN is also looking for volunteers, new members and garden tools, promising to put unused garden tools and other garden items to good use. Pick-up can be arranged. For more information check RUGN's website: www.rugn.org




26 comments:

  1. Kids, get back to class and get an education...Please??

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  2. Green Racine4/29/2010 7:44 AM

    Good to see the kids helping with this. They unlike the City know that food is an issue in so many ways.
    The Walden Green School is a good example of what can come out of RUSD.
    I will ask this whats the deal with the Solar Panels and the money from selling the power to WE Energies? Is the Green School going to get that or is it true that RUSD sucked that money away?

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  3. Heather in Caledonia4/29/2010 7:55 AM

    Wasn't it discussed at another time that the ground is contaminated and they will need to have a raised garden?

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  4. The grounds were tested by UWM and there is no problem.... We are adding half a foot of compost to each bed, but that is because the quality of the ground is not good - there is rocks and such under the surface... but it is no contaminated

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  5. These kids are helping the community, and it is a learning experience. You don't have to be IN a school building to be learning.

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  6. 7:55

    The 6" of compost will help to restore the Soil. I just hope that RUGN gets to use this land for 10+ years, I fear that once the Land becomes useful Brian O'Connell of the Department of Development will want to use it for low income housing.

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  7. Now that Dickert took away all the jobs, we must teach kids how to grow their own food for survival. Nice program but I am sad to see that our children will have to survive like this. Dickert, please pack up and move away. We need a real mayor.

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  8. This is the best thing to show our younger generation what it takes to take care of yourself..any one that thinks school is for learning is very ignorant..My family comes from Europe and raised there food it was WW2 times back then and they were not able to go to school they had to help care for the family while their fathers were at war...but with my parents with little education..has made great strides in their community here in the USA, with running a business for over 40yrs with no education true enterpernaurs they just learned how to survive..the best they could at that time and are continuing to do so .. GO Walden I wish more schools will follow your lead ..

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  9. The mayor and city officials support this garden. The Walden students were great workers. Many organizations came together for this work day.

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  10. Heather in Caledonia4/29/2010 10:03 AM

    Nice to see this happening. I think getting out of the classroom to do work and learning is a good thing! It improves everyone's mood and outlook.

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  11. Ah yes, Gotta love more feel good BS in this city to take everyone's mind off the real issues plaguing this city (crime, no jobs, crooked politics, etc.). I think I'm starting to tear up.

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  12. It's nice to see Walden kids still at work and still coming out with the highest graduation rate and test scores.

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  13. And I don't see any blue hair and piercings as some of you like to describe Walden kids as featuring. They look like great kids to me. And so what if they had colored hair or piercings, as long as they were dedicated to school and their community, thats' what matters.

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  14. 10:00

    The City could and should be doping so much more as in back the idea for the Old Danish Home site as an Urban Agriculture business, or is the City not interested in helping fight the food desert that is the inner-city of Racine

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  15. 10:26 - If I run into you in person, the tears will be from you getting socked in the nose.

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  16. This is so cool for Racine!!
    Great work Nancy Carlson, Walden students and the RUGN members!!
    Thank you for making Racine a better place!

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  17. Michael Kroes4/29/2010 11:31 PM

    This looks like a very worthwhile project. I drive past there daily and look forward to its progress.

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  18. Good job, Walden students! (And, yes, the school gets to use the funds generated from the solar panels)

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  19. It is really nice to see Racine getting on board with so many other cities across America. Kudos to those who are making this happen, especially the volunteers.

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  20. Wow and here i thought kids planting a garden was just kids planting a garden. I didn't realize it was an outcry for lost jobs and taxes, Kudos to you select posters who can see the negative in ANYTHING...no wait..i mean EVERYTHING...I didn't mean to sell you guys short.

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  21. And kudos to everybody else who can see that a an empty lot being turned into a garden is a GOOD thing.

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  22. Are the Walden kids going to grow pot there?

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  23. ...an empty lot being turned into a garden is a GOOD thing. Absolutely it is a good thing. Interesting that it abuts River Bend Lofts, a development Mayor Dickert was the head cheerleader for in his previous life as a real estate agent, and his former company still has it listed with an agent from First Weber, with John Crimmings as the VP of the listing office, who is trying to resign as the chairman of the Redevelopment committee. While I hope River Bend Lofts has a good future, and best wishes to the Mayor and Mr. Crimmings, one can't help but wonder about a bit of conflict of interest.
    Does the Mayor get a referral fee from sales at River Bend Loft Condos? Or from the sale of the Tingle property? Just wondering.

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  24. 7:22

    Better yet ask why a composting operation was turned down because it was too close to that building.
    Gee I can see RATS every day at the Store on the corner of 6th St and Memorial and no one ( to include the Alderman whom lives across the street)
    but this Compost operation would have been the end of Racine?

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  25. markflynn@tds.net5/03/2010 12:55 PM

    As for the comments on crime, in nearly every instance of an urban garden being created, crime has fallen in the area/neighborhood surrounding it. As for jobs, "give a man a fish, he eats for a day, teach a man to fish he can eat for a lifetime." Teach a man to sow, and he/she shall reap for a lifetime. Teach a man to complain, and he will do naught but blame others...
    I haven't seen the purple haired kids of whom some talk, but the ones I remember from my youth are the architects, artists, and designers respected today. It seems the value of diversity was never taught to all these negative bloggers, who also probably do not know the value of a handshake, or pat on the back, or getting your hands dirty....

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  26. Alright! Awesome teamwork!

    Now, let's knock down Jacato, plow it and do the same thing there!

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