Project team

Head: Monserrat Maragano

Project description and goals

The lead on the project—a culinary student—has seen first hand the effects and difficulties of living in a neighborhood within a food desert. The project, then, proposes a market garden to help ease some of these hardships that community members face relating to food access and healthy living. Supplemental goals of the project involve sustainability aims, in which such green practices as rainwater collection, soil remediation, and waste diversion through composting will enable one community to do one small part toward achieving a broader citywide goal of becoming “green”.

Existing conditions

The Walton Ave. lot (parcel # 007-20-044) measures 7,200 sq. ft., and is located in Cleveland’s Clark-Fulton neighborhood. Spatially, the lot is located in a residential community, and its grass-covered surface is exposed to sunlight, with little overhead obstructions exisiting.

Proposed interventions

The intervention involves heavy upfront investment in preparing the soil for growth. The basics, then, like soil testing, tilling, seeding, planting will be of first importance, with planting selections being determined through community surveying as to their culinary likes and dislikes. It will be expected, though, that the garden will produce many of the basics, including tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, peppers, and beans. To produce food sustainably, six rain barrels will be installed on-site, along with four compost bins—with the latter providing a base from which food will be certified organic as the garden evolves.  Food disbursement will be on-site, with sliding-scale prices enabling the food access to community members, regardless of their income.

Site maintenance

Long-term maintenance will include weeding, debris removal, and mowing.  The project director will be in charge of the lot’s manicuring, with schedules derived periodically for other volunteers depending on the season.  Watering, as previously mentioned, will be accomplished through a rain barrel system.