gated communities that won’t allow residents to plant even a small veggie and herb patch on a spot of common ground.”


Van der Meer’s vision is based on the multi-use Meadowbrook Park, in Urbana, Illinois. Near his hometown of Champaign, it has bike and walk- ing trails, an amphitheatre and public garden plots for rent.


Nurturing a


Sense of Community The spirit of camaraderie shared in the Cassena Gardening Group is also felt by members of the community-oriented food cooperatives initiated in 2006 by Naples residents Beth and Brian Housewert. The couple, who created Green Village Organics, note that it now offers seven pickup locations that each foster a neighborhood vibe: Green Village Organics, in Golden Gate City; Veteran’s Memorial Elementary School, in North Naples; Naples Greenola, near Pine Ridge; Neighborhood Organics, in Central Naples; Miranda’s Art of Living, in downtown Naples; Montes-


sori Academy, in Northeast Naples; and Island Organics, on Marco Island. Organic produce is purchased in bulk from Albert’s Organics and a handful of local organic farmers, and boxes are packed with three to five fruits and four to five vegetables.


“We are a group of community- minded people who believe that our kids should be connected to the food they eat,” says Beth. “We also believe that our preschoolers and toddlers should experience the joy of whole, natural food—not only because it’s more nutritious, but because it means that as parents, we spend less on doctor visits, antibiotics and over-the-counter medicine.”


Terry Kays is working on the Naples Park Community Garden project in Naples Park. With 30 4-by- 12-foot plots available for a $25 mem- bership fee, Kays is already planning for the 2012 growing season. Kays advises that four plots are already planted; he is working on building up the soil for next year, and a general layout, worm bins and compost pile are in the


planning stage.


Farther north, in Estero, 12 gar- deners have been enjoying the fruits of their labors at the Happehatchee Community Garden. The large plot, with 30-foot-long rows, is managed by another of Segal and Oakes’ gardening students, Sam Periano, who lives in The Brooks. “The garden was prepared sev- eral years ago by Frank,” says Periano, who adds that a $100 donation to Happehatchee is the cost per row, and includes mulching and water from a drip irrigation system.


In East Naples, John Puig is renting


plots at the Eden Florida’s Eimerman Education Center gardens, from late October through May, for $50, which includes garden tools, compost tea and the opportunity to purchase fertilizer at Puig’s cost. “I’ll be offering a six-week introduction to organic gardening, so people can learn our methods,” advises Puig, who also offers another alterna- tive: a lecture series that features hands- on learning in the center’s garden and taking home some of its bounty. Not just a passing fancy, the interest in gardening and knowing more about our food and where it comes from is flourishing in Southwest Florida. Fresh local produce is now at our fingertips—whether we buy it from co-ops, farmers’ markets or community supported agriculture groups, or share the experience with others in a com- munity plot. The Earth invites us to enjoy this closer connection, so grab a trowel—there’s a garden somewhere waiting for each of us to tend.


Gerry Segal, Cassena Gardening Group, PeaceJoyAndDarkChocolate@ hotmail.com.


Terry Kays, Naples Park Community Garden, 239-207-7971 or tdkays@ gmail.com.


Green Village Organics, 239-784-6136 or visit GreenVillageOrganics.com.


Eden Florida’s Eimerman Education Cen- ter gardens: contact John Puig at Garden at Eden. Visit John Puig.com or Face- book page Garden@EdenForAutism.


For info about March 9 educational seminar on how to set up a community garden, see calendar, page 57.


42 Collier/Lee Counties swfl.naturalawakeningsmag.com


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