http://www.ted.com/talks/pam_warhurst_how_we_can_eat_our_landscapes.html  
 
I am watching a video of how a group in a small town (population 50,000) in northern England sat around a kitchen table and ended up started a program where the corner herb garden has since expanded into a high school course in agriculture and vegetables growing everywhere in the town including the police station.  
 
Watch the video and ask which kitchen table we should gather around.  
 
They did not create a fancy standardized criteria or wait for a cheque to appear in the mailbox. They went out and did it on a small basis to start and then it grew and people joined the group. Who could join? The only criteria they had was if you eat you can join.  
 
Celery in the Cemetery? Carrots at the crossroads? Beets in the Boulevard? Sounds delicious and could help solve the Soup Kitchen and Food Bank problems.  
 
I can not garden (a plant died when it heard it was to come to my house) but would be willing to help in other ways.  
 
 

Wondered WTH..it was ? ? ? lol Sounds like a terrific idea !  
Love your comment Katwalk " a plant died when it heard it was coming to my house" Can I borrow that ? Sounds totally like me ! lmao When kids start the bean plant in school to watch it grow ? My son told his teacher "you might as well take it home...My Mom will kill it".

my dads neighbor plated corn in the flower beds beside his walk way, it looked different and nice and he got to eat it when it was grown, theres many places you could have even a tomato plant if people wanted to

What a great idea!! I also hate gardening, but my husband and I are talking about doing something like this on our own scale so my family can eat healthier, chemical free, and so we have enough to share with those in need. We live on an acreage so it wouldn't be handy though.... looooove the idea of planting it in public areas so people can help themselves!

We have a bell pepper plant beside the lilies ...that we got by default..lol & hubby looks after it. Does that count ? lol Only problem I can see here in Brandon is that "public areas where people can help themselves" ...who weeds it ? ? I can see the Whiners writing in here and the Sun now complaining about the weeds...lol

the city could plant herbs and other veggies in the planters and weed them instead of the flowers, who knows it would help people be healthier and give a name to brandon?

traveller said "the city could plant herbs and other veggies in the planters and weed them instead of the flowers, who knows it would help people be healthier and give a name to brandon? "

no way would they do this... there is ALWAYS an excuse coming from city hall {it might put small hobby famers out of business, health and safety issues, no agri. management systems in the city... anyone think of any more} for reasons NOT TO DO, or follow through on things... it seems that it is far easier to be negative, rather than the opposite.  
 
Personally, I feel the colours and odours emanating from areas would be phenomonal.... maybe it's something the schools / community centres could start??? {just a thought }

But...there are just too many things that can go wrong...Some community centers have community gardens / flower beds. Most community centers don't have enough volunteers to do something like this. I know ours doesn't .  
Can you imagine how many people would whine if the city did it? ? lol They whine now about watering the flowers !

......about similar concept. Just try to match the energy of the speaker. I dare you.  
 
http://www.ted.com/talks/stephen_ritz_a_teacher_growing_green_in_the_south_bronx.html  
 
Edited by Spaghetti Monster, 2012-08-09 14:51:26

I wouldn't say I'm a good gardener because I have killed all the plants in my house. Outside it is easier. I plant it and the sun and rain do the rest.  
I have planted various fruit trees and shrubs all over my yard and it is great for the kids. Stuff is getting pricy in stores for fruit. I have rasberries, blackberries, currents, honeyberries, 3 kinds of apples, blueberries, plums, cherries, a pear tree, grapes, melons, saskatoons, and strawberries. This saves me a lot of money in the summer on fruit. If the kids are hungry just walk around and grab some food. Or go to the other side and grab some veggies. It is a nice alternative to food that I don't know what was used on it or how it is grown. I can also make healthier jams and jellies (if the kids don't eat too much).  
 

Why do we feel the need to cave in to the negatives of this concept? What is the alternative? People starving, chemically grown food in grocery stores, useless land in our city... those negatives seem a whole lot larger to me. I think it's high time we do something positive for the community that promotes health and community.