Photograph by Jeffrey Knight
Three or four years ago, my neighborhood community garden didn't have a water supply, so we watered via the fire hydrant. That required complicated tangles of hoses, a hydrant key...cars ran over the hose, so the attrition rate for those poor hoses was pretty high...ugh. Once we got the hoses hooked up to the municipal water supply, there was another surpise waiting for us: the cost of that water, especially when it was 108 degrees outside and we were just trying to keep our poor little tomato plants alive, was often more than replacing run-over hoses.
Many community gardeners have had challenges like this when it comes to water. So the City of St. Louis, along with Gateway Greening, has launched the Water Access for Community Garden Program. Since many community gardens grow vegetables as a way of supplying healthier food to their neighborhoods, having access to water can mean the difference between a healthy, middling (or dead!) crop. WACGP will offer gardens free water, so gardeners don't have to feel anxious about really soaking the beds during the heat of the summer. To qualify, gardens must meet the following criteria:
• The community garden is located on property owned by a non-profit agency, place of worship, the City of St. Louis, or not located on property owned by a private individual or for profit entity, unless otherwise approved in advance by the City of St. Louis.
• Produce from the garden is used to benefit the community and is not sold for net financial gain, except that sales of the produce may be used to cover the essential costs of the community garden.
• At least ten people agree to tend the garden.
• The garden has its own dedicated water meter to track water usage.
• Commercial growing operations and farms are not eligible
The deadline for the grant is November 20, and the grant runs for a year. Grantees (who do not need to be Gateway Greening community gardens) will have to provide an annual report as part of the grant requirements. For more information, contact Gateway Greening,314-588-9600, gatewaygreening.org.
