Join Anni and Tanja to discuss community gardens in Tampa Bay with guests Kitty Wallace, Nate Farley and Meryl Stout of the Coalition of Community Gardens .
Kitty and her husband Roger both had parents and family that gardened continued that tradition, gardening with their 3 kids. After retiring as a special education teacher and administrator, they joined Tampa Garden Club. In 2010 Tampa Garden Club started working with the Tampa Heights Community groups and their leader Lena Young Green, to help plan and establish the first community garden.
Nate Farley is an Urban Agriculture Specialist and will be an important participant in the new classes of the gardens.
A Michigan native, Meryl Stout graduated from Kalamazoo College with a degree in Anthropology & Sociology and has been in Tampa since 2012 living in Tampa Heights. As a child, loving her neighbors magical garden and as an adult, being a “fixer” for property management traveling 100% of her time, Meryl always dreamed of working for a non-profit and growing her own food.
Together, they formed the Coalition of Community Gardens, a network of gardens and partners who support and share knowledge and resources; build infrastructure to grow gardens; and advocate for public policies to improve health through community gardening in Florida.
Topics discussed:
– Coalition of Community Gardens
-what is a community garden
-how, when and why did you get started creating the first community garden in Tampa
– the upcoming Tampa Bay community garden tour
-what are the benefits of starting or being a part of a community garden
-food deserts and food insecurity
and more!
To learn more about community gardens in Tampa Bay or to get tickets to the community garden tour, visit the Coalition’s website HERE.
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