The promise of spring has always been synonymous with hope and bounty. Springtime in Santa Barbara is especially lovely. Everywhere within the city and surrounding areas nature blossoms forth with a vitality that is reflected in the rich greens of the native foothill vegetation and the flowers that adorn homes and public places. Everywhere the reminder of a kinder, gentler side of nature abounds and many of us get the itch to make a connection with the land through gardening. For those that have the space to satisfy this itch, it's just a matter of rolling up one's sleeves and getting down to business. For condominium and apartment dwellers, it may not be so easy. However, there are other possibilities that allow you to play with dirt and do it in fine company. The community Environmental Council's (CEC) Community Gardens Program offers Santa Barbara residents an opportunity to obtain gardening space, access to water, a place to put tools and a chance to cultivate beauty and positive relationships within the community.

The Santa Barbara Community Garden Project began in 1971 with the Mirasol Garden located where Alice Keck Park [Memorial Gardens] exists today. That initial garden venture brought together many local residents to participate and learn about organic gardening practices. Today the program boasts three community gardens, each with 35 individual 15' x 20' plots. The diversity of community garden participants is as great as the flowers and vegetables that are lovingly cultivated within. The gardens are a joint project of CEC and the City of Santa Barbara Parks and Recreation Department. The Rancheria garden is located in the Lower-Westside community on Rancheria Street just up from the Castillo and Montecito Street intersection and just below City College. Make a right on Rancheria and look to the left. You'll see a lush green belt appear behind a chain link fence nestled among residential dwellings. You'll probably find Jose or Bonefacio, two garden patrons who will be either tending their plots or helping out one of the other gardeners. Pilgrim Terrace is located on Modoc Road across from La Cumbre Junior High [School] parking lot and adjacent to the Pilgrim Terrace Cooperative Housing for the Elderly. You will see many creative approaches to organic gardening from Jamaican born Kingsley Kerr's raised beds lovingly tended since the gardens' inception, to Roberto Lovatos' patchwork of flowers, herbs and veggies that grow around a beautiful willow sculpture which serves as a trellis in spring and summer months for his gourd plants. Yanonali garden is located on Yanonali Street in Eastside Park behind the Franklin Center. It is the home away from home for local Hispanic residents, many of whom are gardeners by trade and go to the garden after work to tend their crops and unwind before settling in with their families when the sun goes down.

In addition to serving residents, the Community Gardens Programs reach out to children in the Santa Barbara area. The Kids Dig It Program provides children with an opportunity to learn about food sources, sustainable agriculture, gain greater appreciation for their neighborhood environment and participate in positive experiences that serve to nurture and promote their growth. The program is conducted bilingually and multicultural diversity and appreciation is always welcome and supported.

In Maren Hanson's book, Increasing Organic Agriculture at the Local Level , published in conjunction with Santa Barbara Safe Food Project and CEC, she writes, "As a society, many of us are now aware of the importance of protecting the health of our natural resources- the soil, the groundwater, surface water, air, and biological diversity." The community garden is a place in the community where these seeds of thought can be planted and cultivated. You are cordially invited to participate in the Community Garden program along with your neighbors in a labor of love and caring. We presently have three gardens, however more gardens can be organized as the need increases. Do you need a community garden in your neighborhood? Please write Oscar Carmona, Community Garden Coordinator CEC, 930 Miramonte Drive, Santa Barbara, CA 93109 or call 963-0583, ex. 114 for more information on our Community Garden and other gardening programs or publications on sustainability such as Maren Hanson's book. We want to hear from you! Happy Gardening.

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