The missus, in conjunction with the 5-year-old who lives in our house, recently dug up a hunk of backyard to grow a garden -- because, look, the boy will eat green only if he can personally yank it out of the dirt, whatever works. And a few other folks in the neighborhood have the hots for a community garden; they are, after all, all the rage. So much so the city council's Transportation and Environment Committee will take up the topic during its briefing confab this afternoon, right after it digs into the streetcar stalemate.
Because, thus far, most of the local community gardens have planted roots without any "municipal coordination" (didn't know there was such a thing). To which the city says: More, please. Ten more, to be specific. As in: The city would like to find money enough to spread the seed planted by the Lake Highlands Community Garden, the first garden on city-owned property. So the council will more than likely request $300,000 in Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant money from the U.S. Department of Energy, while also seeking long-term funding "for continued operations and expansion" and assisting gardens not drinking from the city's tap. And the council wants to get going pronto, with five sites prepped and ready for planting by October of this year, with five more to follow by next spring.