Civil Eats

It was a glorious day in San Francisco today—perfect weather for garden manager John Bela and his dedicated team of volunteers to charge full steam into the next phase of Victory Garden installation in front of City Hall. Today’s team of voluntary green thumbs included a large group from the Presidio Native Plant Nursery, as well as many passionate community members who chose to dedicate their free time to food and gardening.

By afternoon, the last of the sod had been removed from the 10,000 square foot site and given away to Bay Area residents who saw the ad on Craigslist and the piece on KTVU-TV news, leaving the area open and ready for plants. The San Francisco Department of Public Works stepped in and did an amazing and lightning-quick job clearing the space. There was excitement in the air as the team received a green light to start constructing the garden.

Under clear skies, the enthusiastic volunteers reviewed the master plans, taking final measurements for the layout of the Garden and moving the California rice straw into place to form circular planting beds. Volunteer Steve Young was tasked with taking the beautifully uniformed design and laying it out on the site, while Ramon Godinez from Earth Saver oversaw the installation of the straw. Mounds of soil from Lyngso waited in the wings as the garden rapidly took shape.

After one day off to celebrate the July 4th holiday, construction will resume on Saturday, July 5th, as the soil continues to be added to the wattle. Stay tuned here for daily updates as we make progress towards our public edible garden.

If you would like to volunteer in the coming week as the Victory Garden is prepped for planting, please contact us at info@slowfoodnation.org with “Victory Garden” in the subject line. Without the support and commitment from volunteers this groundbreaking project would not be possible.

Photos by Leigh Farris
Photo 1: Final sod removed
Photo2: Volunteers Ramon Godinez and Diane Balter load in first straw for planting bed
Photo 3: Volunteers review master plan

Leigh Farris is the Communications Consultant for Slow Food Nation. She as formerly a Communications Director at CBS News.