Published by City Farmer, Canada's Office of Urban Agriculture

Philadelphia's Southwark/Queen Village Garden

c/o 331 Queen Street
Philadelphia, Pa 19147
215.465.8878

Article on Garden - "Ripe for a Party" - in Philadelphia Inquirer, September 2001

Community Garden By-Laws

A Little History

In 1976, the community garden committee of the Queen Village Neighbors Association, began turning the vacant lot at 311-33 Christian Street (which was once the Henry Berk elementary school) into a garden as part of the neighborhood's celebration of the Bicentennial. We have been cultivating our "interim use" garden, celebrated by Isaiah Zagar's largest mural so far, for 21 years!

In 1977 the garden became one of Penn State Urban Gardening Program's demonstration sites, a locale for recycling, food production and preservation and nutrition programs .

At the behest of the Hon. H.J. Cianfrani, Jr., the Philadelphia Housing Authority removed hundreds of yards of concrete from the back and sides of the garden making room for twenty more families and for "The First Community Orchard (We Think) in the Whole United States". Seventy - four Queen Villager kids, seniors and families from all walks of life now garden on the site.

At about the same time, Conrad Weiler, then president of QVNA, suggested that we begin looking into permanent site acquisition. We called in the Trust for Public Lands. That contact led to an on-going relationship among TPL, the gardeners, the Urban Gardening Program and Philadelphia Green which resulted in the formation of the Neighborhood Gardening Association/A Philadelphia Land Trust in 1986.

In 1983, ownership of the site reverted to the Federal Government and it became 'excess property'. The gardeners and QVNA met with various federal agencies in The Hon. Thomas Foglietta's Washington office to determine how best to preserve the garden. As a result, the Urban Gardening Program, the gardeners and the City of Philadelphia began working with the National Park Service to have the site turned over to the City as a park and recreation area "in perpetuity". In 1985, the City leased the garden from National Park Service for ten years. It was a compromise between the Reagan Administration, which preferred to sell such valuable surplus sites, and the intense interest in acquiring the site of Mayor Goode, the Hon. James J. Tayoun, The Hon. Arlen Specter, Mr. Foglietta and Governor Thornburgh among others. Mayor Goode announced his acceptance and support of a Municipal Food and Agriculture Policy, developed by the Food & Agriculture Task Force at the Southwark/Queen Village Garden during the lease signing ceremony in 1985.

In 1991, Mayor Goode decided to ask once again that the garden be given to the City for permanent use as a gardening park. His request was supported by Governor Casey, Senator Wofford, Senator Specter, Mr. Foglietta and Council members Cohen, Ortiz and Specter among others. General Services Administration and National Park Service decided to deed the garden to the City under P.L. 450 in view of the "excellent stewardship" exhibited by the City and the Gardeners. It will be used for recreation (and gardening) in perpetuity. The park is managed as a gardening park by the Neighborhood Gardens Association/a Philadelphia Land Trust and the gardeners.

Mark Wolfson's cat, Maxine, joined the garden in 1989. She loved gardeners, beans and hanging out. She died in July 1997 and now sleeps beneath the fig trees. We miss her a lot.

A Few Facts About Southwark/Queen Village Garden

Southwark/Queen Village Community Garden is special. Queen Village has experienced substantial rehabilitation and gentrification since the late 1960's. The garden is one of the first places where older African American and ethnic residents worked side by side with the new 'young professionals' and remains a focus for the love and work of all the neighborhood. It provides not only food, but spiritual nourishment to all of us. It is one of the finest jewels in the Queen's green crown. It will remain as long as Queen Villagers want to garden.

Southwark/Queen Village gardeners produced $45,000 worth of vegetables, herbs and fruit in 1996 according to a formula providedby the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The average gardener produced $643 worth of food for family and neighbors. Some 91% of Philadelphia's gardeners, including those at Southwark/Queen Village, gave surplus food and flowers to friends, neighbors and groups that feed hungry people. At Southwark/Queen Village, we estimate that 255 families in the neighborhood share our harvest. We've also donated our surplus to Philabundance.

In addition to 67 garden plots worked by 74 gardeners, the garden has flower beds, a wide variety of irises, an herb garden, a grape arbor, an orchard and berry patches.

The Garden has 168 feet of frontage on Christian Street, one of Philadelphia's major east-west thoroughfares and a gateway to the Waterfront Development District. It is the last open space of its size (over 18,000 square feet) in the neighborhood, Howard Silver Construction, Inc. built a wood lattice fence with both a truck gate and people gate along this frontage. Climbing roses and iris were planted inside the fence. The project was made possible by financial contributions from the gardeners, Mellon Bank, Core States Bank, the QVNA recycling fund, the Urban Gardening Program and Philadelphia Green.

The gardeners, themselves, built (and rebuilt) the grape arbor.

In 1993, we installed a new storage shed with assistance from Mellon Bank, Queen Village Recycling fund, Philadelphia Green and the Hon. Babette Josephs, our state legislator.

Summerhouse construction began in 1991 and was topped off in July 1992. All of the lumber is recycled . Nails, etc. were provided by Liberty Lumber. The remaining decorative work, designed by gardener and landscape architect Richard Newton, was completed in August 1994.

Isaiah Zagar, renowned wall artist and one of the originators of the SOUTH STREET RENAISSANCE, helped us celebrate our 20th YEAR with a commemorative wall on the west side of the garden. The first and second sections were finished in October, 1996, just in time for our 20th annual barbecue. We raised over $2300 from friends like PNC Bank, Essene Natural Foods Store, David Haas and Mellon Bank so Isaiah could finish the wall (all 4 stories) before the first frost.

Southwark/Queen Village Community Garden By-Laws

Compiled by: Helen Walczak & Libby J. Goldstein
Revised 1996

1 Membership:

• First priority will be given to residents of Queen Village: Delaware River to 6th Street; south side of Lombard to north side of Washington Ave.
• Applications will be processed on a first come first served basis.
• Applicants for garden plots will be accepted according to plot availability. A waiting list will be maintained for applicants for whom no plot was available.
• Each gardener must sign a copy of the Neighborhood Gardening Association/A Philadelphia Land Trust gardening agreement annually. This will normally be done at the March meeting.
• Gardeners from the previous season will have first preference and may choose either the same plot or a vacant plot if one exists.
• There is a $5.00 registration fee, payable in person at the March meeting.
• Plots for which registration fees have not been received by the April meeting will be assigned to applicants on the waiting list.
• Plots held by gardeners who have not signed the NGA gardening agreement by the April meeting will be assigned to applicants on the waiting list.
• Unless approved by the membership, no household may have more than 1 plot

2 Meetings:

• Second Monday of every month but January and February 7pm
• October thru March at a local church; warm months at the garden
• Meeting length: 1 hour
• One vote/plot
• Each gardener must attend at least 5 meetings per season to retain membership in the garden.
• The Secretary or Ass't Secretary will maintain attendance records for each meeting.

3 Election of Officers:

• Elections will be held at the March meeting;
• Officers will be elected to a two-year term;
• No officer may be serve for more than two terms consecutively;
• The officers are: Chair, Vice. Chair, Treasurer, Secretary, Ass't. Secretary and Sergeant-at-Arms;
• The officers and the row captains will constitute the Garden Council.

4 Row Captains:

• One volunteer per row will be appointed row captain (Ass't row captains may also be appointed.);
• Will make sure that all gardens on his/her row are kept free of weeds and debris;
• Will also make sure that the paths on both sides of the row are kept clear and weed free;
• Will notify gardeners on the row of clean-up days and other special events.

5 By-Laws Committee:

• The Vice-Chair of the garden will chair the committee;
• A quorum of 5 committee members is required to pass any by- law recommendation;
• By-Laws suggestions may be presented by any gardener at any membership meeting for consideration by the committee at its next meeting;
• Meets on the 1st Monday of the month (when required).

6 Inspection Committee:

• Consists of the Chair, the immediate past Chair, the Urban Gardening Advisor, the treasurer and two row captains;
• Checks all garden plots and aisles to make sure that they are, clean, weed and hazard free;
• Conducts the annual August inspection;
• Warns gardeners whose plots do not meet the criteria and follows up with their row captains.

7 Garden Criteria:

• Gardens must be planted no later than May 1, or they will be given to the next person on the waiting list and the plot fee returned to the original applicant;
• Each gardener is responsible for weeding and clearing his/her plot AND the paths around it;
• Each gardener is expected to spend at least 5 hours/week working on his/her plot and the surrounding area;
• Gardening activity and plant growth must be restricted to the gardener's plot;
• Each gardener is responsible for trash removal. Trash must be bagged and left at the LARGE gate for Friday morning trash pick-up. NOTE: Aluminum cans and glass bottles should be bagged separately and put out before 9am on alternate Thursdays for recycling.
• Each gardener will mulch all soil in the plot and in the paths around the plot in compliance with the NGA gardening agreement.
• Non-compliance with these rules will lead to 2 warnings and then to expulsion. You will lose your plot, and your plot fee will be returned.
• Gardens in weedy & uncared for condition by August 5 will be cleared or rototilled. They will be given to existing gardeners for fall planting only. They will be open for new gardeners in the following season.
• Growing or using illegal substances in the garden will lead to immediate expulsion with no return of the plot fee.
• Pesticide use by gardeners is regulated by the NGA gardening agreement. Violators of NGA regulations will lose their plots, and their plot fees will be returned.

8 General Rules:

• ALL gardeners will participate in garden activities and events like: clean up days
  preparation for garden judging and special events
  Spring Fest
  Harvest Show
  
• Grievances are to be brought to the Garden Council for resolution.
• No digging for worms anywhere in the garden.
• Stay out of other people's plots unless specifically invited.
• Pets brought into the garden must be restrained on a leash, and the person responsible must clean up any droppings, food, etc.
• If, for any reason (health, vacation, work pressure), you will be temporarily unable to maintain your plot, inform your row captain. If you have a substitute gardener, inform your row captain. If you need a substitute, inform your row captain or the chair. Substitute gardeners must follow the NGA garden agreement rules about mulch and pesticide use.

You MUST sign this form and return it to the assistant secretary before you can work your plot!
name
address
phone, day
phone, evening
e-mail

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