SW Community Gardens Lottery and Meet & Greet

 

A lottery will be held on Thursday for plots at the new community gardens at Lansburgh Park, located at 1098 Delaware Avenue.  There are 22 individual plots and two wheelchair-accessible plots. These plots are available for individuals or small groups (up to three people). Some expectations for garden plot users:

• Plant your garden plot every year before May 15
• Pull weeds right away
• Grow organically which means do not use chemicals
• Take care of the plants all summer (water them every day when it's hot)
• Clean up the garden in the fall
• Pay garden dues ($30 per plot per year)

If you are interested in an individual plot, sign up by tomorrow (September 11) by calling 202-417-8577 or email and give your name & phone number for the drawing. The drawing will be held on Thursday, September 12 at 7pm at Lansburgh Park. There is no need to be present at the drawing in order to secure a plot. Residents of Greenleaf, James Creek, and Syphax Gardens will have priority for 4 of the plots.

Storage shed at SW Community Gardens.

 

Another option for those who can't commit much time to their own plot is to join the Garden Crew. The Garden Crew shares 10 garden plots and work together to take care of the plants and teach people about gardening. The produce grown will be distributed among garden crew members and the community in general. Those who are interested in this option can call the number listed above, send an email, or visit the SW Community Garden Group website.

Map of recent and planned improvements to Lansburgh Park.

There will be a Meet and Greet event this Sunday at Lansburgh Park that will be co-hosted by the SW Community Garden Group and PAWS of SW, the group that's bringing a dog park next to the community garden. The Meet and Greet will be be from 11am to 2pm. Tours of the gardens will be available as well as an obstacle course for dogs. Gardening and dog skills demonstrations will be presented throughout the event. There will be a special appearance by Sam the bloodhound, MPD's newest detective. Light refreshments will be served.

Lansburgh Park to Get New Additions This Summer

Progress is being made to bring new amenities to Lansburgh Park, the largest park in Southwest (if you don't count the National Mall), located along Delaware Avenue roughly from K Street to L Street and backs up to the DMV. Two organizations have been busy raising funds and garnering support to build a dog park and a community garden. The PAWS of Southwest have received approval from the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) to build a 10,000 square-foot dog park to the east of the tennis courts. There will be two areas - a 2,000 square-foot area for small dogs and 8,000 square feet for large dogs. The project is fully funded and plans are to break ground this summer. The District will contribute towards the basics and PAWS will fund the rest. A new blog was created to help the SW Waterfront community with tips for handling and training your dog in an urban environment called Waterfront Woof League.

Meanwhile, the SW Community Gardens group has plans of their own for a garden to be located to the northeast of the tennis courts in a 6,500 square-foot space. DPR has also been working with the garden group, which is affiliated with the Southwest Neighborhood Assembly. The group was recently the recipient of a $50,000 grant in a nationwide competition from Fiskars called the 2013 Project Orange Thumb Garden Makeover. According to the press release:

Their proposed “Lansburgh Park Community Garden” was envisioned as a place for meditative gardening and community programming for veterans, youth and seniors. The new [6,500] square-foot garden will provide educational opportunities and give community members a place to reap the rewards of growing their own fresh food. Plans are underway for a one-day Fiskars Project Orange Thumb garden makeover in partnership with The Home Depot Foundation in July 2013.

Volunteers from the community will be needed to help put the garden together.

Bake Sale at SW Duck Pond Tomorrow

The SW Community Gardeners is having a bake sale tomorrow at the SW Duck Pond from 11am to 5pm, located at 6th and I Street.  The group is raising funds to help build a community garden at Lansburgh Park.  A dog park is also planned for the park, which is being organized by the PAWS of SW.  Their application with DPR was approved earlier this year and the group is in the fundraising stage.