Fried green tomatoes and grits for breakfast. That's what's real." That's just a piece of one of many conversations you may hear when you stop by the London Ferrell Community Garden on a Saturday.
Ryan Koch, co-founder of the Lexington non-profit Seedleaf spends many of his Saturdays at the garden located on Third Street between Martin Luther King Boulevard and Elm Tree Lane at The Old Episcopal Burying Ground.
Seedleaf is a garden initiative started by Koch and David Wagoner in Lexington that seeks to build community with pieces of land that are gardened by a group of people throughout Lexington. In community gardens, people can bring their own seeds and grow what they would like individually or with a group of people.
Seedleaf has installed three gardens in Lexington, which they also manage. They have two gardens in addition to the London Ferrell garden, one at Al's Bar (also used for Stella's Deli) and the other off Higbee Mill Road.
The London Ferrell and Al's Bar gardens are grant funded so all of the food grown is free. "That's another joy, that I just get to give this away and make friends for the neighborhood and for Seedleaf," Koch said.
You can already find the produce from the garden at Al's in the kitchen and on the tables. "The romaine that we're using came from four blocks away,
whereas the average farm-to-plate distance in America is,
I think, 2,600 miles," said Les Miller, an owner at
both Al's and Stella's.
Miller and his wife, Aumaine, previously started a community garden across the street from their house, but it didn't keep because it was difficult to keep people working it. In order for the gardens to work, there needs to be "a group of people to kind of watch and maintain it," Miller said, "which is why I think Seedleaf is just such a great idea. Ryan and Dave have really hit on something wonderful to provide that kind of structure."
The organization does a Kentucky Refugee support group at the garden off Higbee Mill Road, which was installed on a man's residence. And though Koch said the idea of growing community gardens hasn't quite broken into the mainstream, people want it. "People want to see something like this happen," he said.
The Christ Church Cathedral, which owns the land at the burial ground, gave the organization permission to build the London Ferrell garden on their old burial ground. "We didn't pay for the hose. Compost bins keep coming just because they're rooting for something like this in the neighborhood. People will tell me about their grandma's garden. I mean these stories come out and it's just really neat," Koch said.
Of the three gardens, the London Ferrell garden is the only one with plots available. At this location, people, or groups of people, can use 6 ft. by 6 ft. squares to garden, though preferential treatment is given to those living within one block of the garden. Current individual plot holders include Sayre School, the Fire Department on Third Street, as well as a group of neighbors and various other individuals.
And though Seedleaf founders think it's important to eat locally and seasonally, it's the process that Koch thinks is most important. "The way you do it means a lot for the outcome. To be creating food together like this, I mean it's not marketable, but we'd like to be in on creating the market or showing how it's helpful."
Miller said the beauty of the gardens is how they activate so many important aspects of a healthy, strong community. "They bring people together, they unify vacant or underutilized land, they engage multi-generations," he said. "Healthy food is so important to a healthy lifestyle and healthy communities. Good wholesome food that is grown responsibly and tastes great is so important to having a great day."
In order to purchase a plot you can contact Sherry Maddock, president of the Martin Luther King Neighbhorhood Association, at (859) 559-3837. Each plot is $5. You can also volunteer at the London Ferrell Garden on Saturdays.