farming & gardening
September 2013 13
MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN
THE CITY DIFFERENT GaiaGardens!
BY POKI PIOTTIN ast June Gaia Gardens, Santa Fe’s only certified organic urban farm, received a notice of violations from the city’s Department of Land Use. Among the issues cited were: using volunteers in a non-profit operation, hosting farm interns in a trailer, having “too many” visitors, and building violations. Since its inception two years ago, the farm has been selling produce at the Farmers’ Market, offering a CSA, hosting educational gatherings and welcoming small groups of school children during the school year.
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Whatever the city’s motive was for coming down so heavily on a tiny farm along the Arroyo Chamisos, whether a response to a neighbor’s complaints about the “scope of the farm” (1/3 acre of beautifully designed garden!), or whether a farm in a residential zoning doesn’t fit in some city official’s plan for a well groomed Santa Fe, the timing of the city couldn’t have been more perfect. A garden, especially in the desert, is very much like a newborn child. It requires constant attention. The success of Gaia Gardens is founded on an entire community loving and caring for the land. Denying the farm the use of this community and these volunteers has been very damaging to a garden that many view as a sanctuary, for people of course, but also for a rich wildlife community, including two pairs of Cooper’s hawks.
System. It is even more difficult to comprehend why a neighbor or city officials would object to a project that could be seen as a model of urban farming, one based on community cooperation, sustainable education, efficient irrigation practices and timeproven agricultural techniques.
a place of
Positive things have already arisen from Gaia Gardens’ predicament and standoff with the city. Many neighbors have sent heart-warming letters of encouragement, all stating that the farm has never created any nuisance, parking or traffic issues. They have unanimously expressed their support for a farm in their neighborhood. People have urged us to carry on, believing that if we give up, no one will ever attempt to start an urban farm within the city limit. Many organizations and individuals have offered their assistance, including a team of talented attorneys. A coalition has formed to tackle many of the issues the farm is facing.
REFUGE
For many of the farm’s volunteers, from a 19-year-old neighbor to a 72-year-old grandmother, Gaia Gardens became a place of refuge. Three mornings a week, volunteers find a second home to come to, to make friends and to nourish on- going relationships. The farm is a place to experience regenerative community in action, while learning from a creative experiment in high desert urban agriculture. It is difficult to comprehend why a city, claiming to be “different” and “sustainable,” would use such aggressive tactics on a project that has not only received much praise from the press but has also been the recipient of two awards delivered by the Mayor: an award for Best Recycler; and another award for Best Food
TA K E A L O O K
We believe that hope resides in a community and neighborhood with the freedom to gather, co-create and educate itself and its children on the all-important topics of food production, herbal medicine and regenerative practices. Changing any government controlled by business interests is a daunting task. We must rebuild our culture from where we live— in our backyards and our neighborhoods. We must hold city officials to their oath to serve us, encourage them to learn from our successful grassroots experiments and insist that our city make sustainable education its highest priority. If our city officials truly wish, as we do, to live in a city that could be an enlightened model for the rest of the country, this must take place. Santa Fe is still a small town populated by many brilliant minds, creative spirits and well-intentioned citizens of many ethnic origins. We live in relative peace compared to many troubled places in the world where obtaining food is a daily struggle and keeping one’s children safe from rape or war is a daily mission. We remain precariously fortunate to have all the opportunities we have, and must reassert our sovereignty and rebuild our culture from the most fundamental foundations—the individual, the family, the neighborhood and the Earth.
at the Santa Fe Sustainable Plan (www.santafenm.gov/ DocumentCenter/Home/View/702), approved by the Santa Fe City Council in 2008. If you like what you read, and wish to make Santa Fe the city that it could be, then get involved, help elect a visionary mayor and city councilors next year, and creatively contribute to making this city the thriving and sustainable place you wish to live in.
POKI PIOTTIN is the founder with co-visionary partner, Dominique Pozo, and a large community of friends, of Gaia Gardens, a non-profit urban farm in Santa Fe, fiscally-sponsored by the New Mexico Community Foundation. For more information, visit www.thegaiagardens.org. Poki may be reached at poki@nodilus.org or 505-796-6006.
S A N TA F E SUSTAINABLE PLAN
FAMILY FARMER SPOTLIGHT
SWAN GARDENS BY LEAH VIENS GORDON, NOB HILL ASSISTANT PRODUCE TEAM LEADER t was January and Rena Swan craved Italian food. She tried the local grocery store in Edgewood three times before finally finding what she was looking for: fresh basil. “It was the worst looking basil I had ever seen,” Rena conjures up from her memory. “That was a seed planted in our brains, and shortly after that, hydroponics became our path.” One year later, with business license and building permit in hand, self-proclaimed mad scientist, Rena, along with her daughter Rachel, germinated their first precious basil seeds in fuzzy, floating Rockwool beds.
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plants utilize a narrow part of the light spectrum which the Swans are able to control using high-tech LED lights. She says they don't use white, orange, yellow and red, which put off heat, so energy consumption remains low. With their conservation efforts, and cleanliness of their operation, the Swans truly hope to be certified as organic growers, but they remain ahead of the curve, in a way, as there is no certification yet designated for hydroponics. Although natural, the pure mineral solutions fed to the plants are a processed product, and therefore cannot be certified. From twice daily Ph readings to thorough accounting, the Swans keep meticulous records. Rena states that,“It's created a lot of extra work along the way, but we're proud of what we've done. We'd gladly talk anyone's ear off if they're looking to venture out to the countryside.” This season, Swan's Garden is only producing basil,
but this driven duo are looking to take on a partner and expand their selection. They will continue to grow herbs that don't ship well, plugging themselves into the local food system and intentionally rejecting America's costly food shipping industry. Rena likes to be able to eat fresh basil in the winter and considers their system to be a gentle use of technology. She wants her basil to be “healthful, promoting people's health,” just as she raised her own daughter to recognize the importance of food and what we take into our bodies. “I taught Rachel not to even ask for a cereal if sugar was one of the first three ingredients.” The Swans sing praise to La Montanita having been “invaluable in market research and encouragement for our business.” As diligent businesswomen, their plans to expand can only yield great benefits for our bellies.
Hydroponics is a year round, soilless growing method in which plants absorb nutrients dissolved in the water supply. Their roots grow in this mineral solution or on an inert medium, in this case, a sponge-like medium of spun rock called Rockwool. In a well insulated growing room behind their home, the Swans cultivate enough sweet Genovese basil to supply two of La Montanita's stores as well as other groceries around Albuquerque. “The only wall we've come up against is not being able to grow as much as we'd like,” Rachel confesses. On a three-acre plot studded with native pinon trees, the Swans are kept company by their 13-year-old Basenji, a horse, a donkey and an extended family of squirrels. Despite the scenic landscape, the Swans determined that turning their clay soil into a workable garden was beyond their ability and opted for a clean, soilless growing approach. The poor condition of their soil wasn't the only factor that swayed them toward hydroponics. The Swans view their project as an opportunity to cast their vote for local, environmental stewardship. Hydroponic's low water usage is a great benefit, especially for New Mexico, amounting to about 10% of traditional farming use. Rachel boasts that the only water loss is what the plants absorb and when their system gets cleaned every six weeks. Without soil to till, they avoid erosion problems and in turn, conserve soil. After many late night Google-ing sessions, Rachel discovered that
Premium Compost • Our locally made Premium Compost is approved for use on Certified Organic Farms and Gardens.
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JOIN THE N E W MEXICO GAY MEN’S
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Rehearsals begin Sept. 9 at 6:30pm for the fall season Albuquerque Center for Spiritual Living 2801 Louisiana Blvd., NE Albuquerque www.nmgmc.org/join