Flying manure, flattened cardboard, and ammonia headaches signaled a new and exciting project for Edible City and its urban farming friends. In downtown Oakland, near 10th and MLK, sits an empty lot guarded by at least six feral cats, in between apartment buildings, and with a nice view of the Marriott. The landowner, scared off of building by current economic woes, loves the idea of putting in a community garden - so much so that he has guaranteed two or even three years, after which time he will put up a building, and literally move the garden to the roof.

The EBPI crew has spent a few days there already, including a full day last Saturday. With soil samples in the lab for analysis, we gradually covered the ground in flattened cardboard, a version of a process known as sheet mulching. The process, which can vary quite a bit, in general allows weeds to be killed and a garden to be started without having to dig up hard, old dirt. The cardboard, once covering the ground (overlapping so as to prevent any weeds from growing up through cracks), was soaked thoroughly with a hose.

Around 11:00, a man came by with a large truck full of horse manure that Carl had procured from a local stable. After some fairly impressive truck maneuvering, we had two large, steaming piles of manure to spread over the wet cardboard. Armed with shovels and pitchforks, masks over our faces, we spent the rest of the afternoon spreading the manure around, attempting to get a layer, a couple inches thick, to cover the entire lot. Next will be a layer of wood chips, followed by more alternating layers of manure and chips.

As far as gardening goes, that’s essentially it until spring - this process involves a lot of waiting. Other projects include a rain catchment system, and the design of the garden. The basic plan is to make it into a community garden and a school, where workshops and volunteer days can be held regularly - but as it’s a nascent project, much is left to be figured out, planned, decided, and implemented.

This young project has, thus far, been marked by a steady stream of good fortune and timing. An owner willing (and excited) about the project, neighboring construction workers with extra cardboard, a local stable with manure to donate, a neighbor of the lot - whose response upon learning of the garden was ‘my prayers have been answered!’ - who used to work with one our of crewmembers and have given us use of her hose, a friend who can donate wood chips, and much more… the tell-tale signs of an auspicious beginning.

Check back for more updates as EBPI covers the birth of a community garden! And let us know if you would like to be involved.