Taking advantage of the fresh summer air, people visited area community gardens Saturday for Tour de Fleur, a community bike/walk garden tour.
North End Community Improvement Collaborative (NECIC) Community Garden/Local Foods Program Coordinator Jean Taddie said the purpose of the event was to help illustrate to people the possibility of “green transportation and gardening” by showcasing some of the community gardens through a walk/bike tour. “We want to highlight all the good work put into the community gardens and promote active transportation,” she said, “which will all hopefully lead to a healthy community.”
Saturday’s event was sponsored by NECIC, Raising Richland, Richland Moves, Friends of the Mansfield Parks, and Altered Eats.
Participants could choose from one of three tours that each began at the North End Community Improvement Collaborative building: Walking Tour A covered two miles for a six-garden-tour, Walking Tour B covered 4.3 miles for a 10-garden-tour, and the Bicycling Tour covered over 6.2 miles for an 11-garden-tour.
Mansfield resident Emma Morgan said she wanted to participate in the tour because of the joy she finds in both walking and gardening. “I know this is going to be fun because I’m a walker,” she said smiling.
She said that she once raised a beautiful garden with several plants. “I want to see the gardens [on tour] and maybe give a few pointers,” she said, given her experience in gardening.
Another experienced gardener who not only participated in the tour, but helped coordinate it, was Madonna Brock.
Brock planted the community garden at Atherton Avenue in Mansfield. In addition to promoting nutrition, health, and other educational resources tied to gardening, she said that she is passionate about promoting how to best handle food waste.
She said that she recycles the coffee grounds from Relax, It’s Just Coffee, the spent grain from Phoenix Brewing Company, and the food pantry waste from Grace Episcopal Church and turns it into soil because she doesn’t want to have the waste just accumulate in a landfill.
“Waste can actually be considered a resource,” she said.
Kizzy Williams of Mansfield had the opportunity to study gardening under the guidance of Brock. Together, they helped plant the E-Z Grow Patio Gardens that are just outside of the NECIC building.
The garden includes tomato plants, beans, peppers, strawberries and other items.
Williams, who described herself as an “amateur gardener,” said that her gardening experience was a bit challenging in the beginning; however, she said, “I’m learning from my failures.”
She said that although she never imagined she would grow her own food, her perspective changed and she’s excited about beginning next year’s garden.
