Quesada Gardens Initiative members gathered in a neighbor’s garage around sandwiches and sodas last Saturday to review revised designs for the new Bayview food-producing garden known as the QGI Bridgeview Garden. This was the second community consensus building session devoted to the project.
Seth Wachtel, USF professor of Architecture and Community Design, and four of his students presented two designs (pictured above) that represent the consensus guidelines from the first gathering in February.
Two neighbors asked that the garden’s food production potential be increased as access to healthful food is such a huge issue in the neighborhood. The discussion made it clear that garden design and plant selection must advance in unison, and that plants proven to grow well in the Bayview should be favored.
In the spirit of the community gathering, two residents stepped forward to offer critically needed expertise. One, an architect by trade, offered to work with our USF design partners to develop an attractive fencing solution that ensures the safety of garden visitors, and keeps the site and neighboring property secure. Another resident, a horticulturist, will work with the team to select appropriate plants and layout for the garden.
Refer to the post below dated March 17th for initial consensus guidelines. Last weekend’s feedback included:
- Storage facility for tools
- Minimal seating areas
- More food production
- Nice fence
- Cactus or Roses for neighbor security
- Semi-dwarf fruit trees
- Use proven Bayview fruits, vegetables, and herbs
- Compost bins
- Permanent garbage pick-up
- Soft vines on fence to prevent injury
- Directional guidance for sight impared users
- Excavation and need for importing quality soil
- Platform suggested by one neighbor, but questioned by others
- Bees suggested by one neighbor, but questioned by others
There is still time to make your ideas known. Just comment on this post with a suggestion!
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