Urban gardening experiment in downtown Houston takes off; part of eating-local trend

A row of potted herb and vegetable plants are seen lined up outside the public works building in downtown Houston. The garden, a cooperative effort by city officials and nonprofit group, is part of a trend in cities across the county, where gardens are being used as tools for economic development and community-building, and to support the growing local-foods movement. AP Photo by Pat Sullivan.

Downtown Houston Container Vegetable Garden Project

Monica Rhor
For The Associated Press
July 27, 2010

Excerpt:

HOUSTON — A funny thing happened after Keiji Asakura suggested the creation of a vegetable garden in the middle of the concrete corridor and skyscraper canyon that is downtown Houston.

It actually came to fruition — with a swiftness that stunned the landscape architect and the nonprofit group that shared his vision.

Within three weeks, seeds, plants and container pots had been donated, city officials had hopped on board, and a nascent garden had sprouted outside the 25-story Bob Lanier Public Works Building.

Now, a mere two months later, herbs, vegetables and flowers are flourishing on a bustling city street. A community has been forged among co-workers and strangers who once did little more than brush shoulders on crowded elevators. Skateboarders and street people have grown protective of the fledgling plants.

And this experiment, which involves nonprofit groups, the city’s Sustainability Office and employees of the Department of Public Works and Engineering, has become living proof that urban gardens can take root in the unlikeliest of places.

“We caught lightning in a bottle,” said Mark Bowen, executive director of Urban Harvest, the non-profit organization that spearheaded the project. “This is proof that there is something great to be gained from gardening with other people.”

The “Downtown Houston Container Vegetable Garden Project” is also part of a trend in cities across the country, where once-vacant lots, apartment building windowsills and rooftops are being turned into community gardens which help provide fresh produce for the gardeners, farmers markets, and for food banks serving the needy.

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