Abstract
Who is going to take care of it?” This is the perennial question every time food in public space is proposed. Though the question is certainly valid, it is usually asked rhetorically.
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Notes
- 1.
Contrary to popular belief, folks just don’t throw tomatoes at windows or people—even when a fantastic opportunity presents itself. Former Parking Manager Tom Flaherty, from the City of Davenport, Iowa, used to grow tomatoes outside his office window, free for the taking. Folks would storm into his office, enraged over a parking ticket they had just received. If there were ever a time an urban tomato would be plucked and hurled, it would be in the heat of an argument over a parking ticket. Mr. Flaherty never once had to remove tomato pulp from his face or his office windows.
- 2.
Though commonly considered a tropical plant, the “banana” variety of passion fruit (Passiflora mollissima) is more vigorous and tolerant of frost than the typical commercial varieties, making this cultivar suitable to many areas in the United States.
- 3.
Understandably, the olive oil program at UC Davis has received considerable media attention. The information gathered for this book was gleaned from the many news articles posted about the university’s success. This website in particular provides a summary: http://goodlife.ucdavis.edu/olive_products/ (last accessed January 1, 2014). Also, see Jim Downing, “Tasting Success: UCD Celebrates Another Year of Turning Its Olive Mess into a Moneymaker,” The Sacramento Bee, March 20, 2008, Business section.
- 4.
This is precisely why Ron Finley—the guerilla gardener in South Central Los Angeles—plants food along the street outside of his house. As he figures, “I can do whatever the hell I want, since this is my responsibility and I gotta maintain it. This is how I decided to maintain it.” Unfortunately, the City of Los Angeles didn’t agree with Finley’s particular manner of maintaining “their” public space.
- 5.
Richard Register,. Ecocity Berkeley: Building Cities for a Healthy Future. (Berkeley: North Atlantic Books, 1987), 42-43.
- 6.
Jeff Bond, “Gilman Gardens a Success; But Water Rights Remain an Issue,” Queen Anne News, August 11, 2010.
- 7.
If the lawns are regularly treated with chemical fertilizers and pesticides, consider if irrigation runoff would pose a risk to edibles. Also, it should be noted that reclaimed water is increasingly being used for irrigation of ornamental landscapes by many municipalities, particularly in California. While there are ongoing debates over the use of reclaimed water for irrigating food crops, it is generally advised to avoid spraying edible parts of plants directly with reclaimed water.
- 8.
Teva Dawson, in a telephone conversation with the author, November 14, 2008.
- 9.
Susan Reimer, “Baltimore’s City Hall Vegetable Garden: An Update,” The Baltimore Sun, June 25, 2009, http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/features/gardening/2009/06/baltimores_city_hall_vegetable.html (last accessed January 16, 2014).
- 10.
Melissa Grim, Chief of Horticulture for the City of Baltimore, in a telephone conversation with the author, January 14, 2014.
- 11.
Vermont State House Food Garden, “FAQs,” http://vtstatehousegarden.wordpress.com/faqs/ (last accessed January 16, 2014).
- 12.
Ibid.
- 13.
The quotes and information for the Jamaica, Queens, community garden were obtained from Anne Raver, “Healthy Spaces, for People and the Earth,” New York Times, November 6, 2008, D6.
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© 2014 Darrin Nordahl
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Nordahl, D. (2014). Maintenance and Aesthetics. In: Public Produce. Island Press, Washington, DC. https://doi.org/10.5822/978-1-61091-550-2_6
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