Community Roots- Permaculture Garden

early morning when the sun is just waking things up

Hey there Harrisonburgians! Ever go through the intersection at MLK and S Mason and wonder what's going on in the front yard at the RISE house?  Well, I've been working on developing a not so typical garden called Community Roots that will be growing fruits, vegetables, herbs, and flowers.  It's open to anyone in the community who wants to get involved, and a portion of what's grown will go to RISE's community outreach program called Food For Love Packs that provides kids in our community who are in need with fresh, local food.  

early tomatoes!

some of the first strawberries

The plan is to get our own little food forest ecosystem established following permaculture principles.  Permaculture is a term that combines the ideas of "permanent culture" and "permanent agriculture" to form a sustainable system that follows patterns and relationships found in nature.  A successful system has a closed energy loop.  It is also rich in biodiversity because this allows symbiotic relationships to form among living things and provides safety nets to prevent major losses in case of incidents like pests or drought.  Each element is designed to be as beneficial and productive as possible, so a lot can be produced in a small space! These systems require a lot of work up front, but as time goes on and more perennial plants become established the less labor is required and the greater the yield.

cucumbers and zucchini 

This project has yet to be taken on and funded by any organizations, so I've been depending on community support to make it happen.  Many people have generously given time, money, rides and helping hands to help get the garden to where it is now, but there's still a lot to be done to transform the rest of the lawn into a beautiful and productive food forest!  If you're interested in getting involved or want to know more about Community Roots shoot me an email at nordsese@dukes.jmu.edu.