Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Community Gardens topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Davis program plans raised beds at 5th Street community garden to help older gardeners
Summary
Parks and Community Services officials told the Senior Commission they plan to install about 22–24 raised beds at the 5th Street community garden, aiming for installation by March with support from California Volunteers fellows and a city fee-subsidy program for low-income gardeners.
Kelly Vidich, program coordinator in Davis Parks and Community Services, told the Senior Commission the city plans to install raised beds at the 5th Street community garden to make gardening more accessible for older residents and those with mobility limits.
Vidich said the project would repurpose an underused back area of the garden to create roughly 22 to 24 raised beds, each roughly 8 by 2 by 2, that the city would rent to individuals and community groups such as Mutual Housing. "What we want to do is install raised beds...and offer to community groups like mutual housing," Vidich said, describing the plan as a way to reduce maintenance barriers for longtime gardeners who can no longer work ground-level plots.
The project will use a mix of city crews and volunteers. Vidich said city crews have flattened the site and a volunteer workday had about 55 volunteers signed up; she also said the city will receive labor from fellows through California Volunteers/College Corps, who volunteer about 12–15 hours a week and receive a stipend. Pending budget approval, Vidich said the city hopes to order the beds next month and have them installed by March, with rental and outreach to follow.
Vidich described outreach to community partners and senior housing providers, including Mutual Housing and master-gardener volunteers, and said the city will reserve space for community groups that lack garden plots. She said the beds will likely rent for about $50 per year and that plots currently carry a one-time deposit of $56. The city also operates a fee-subsidy scholarship program to reduce cost barriers for low- and moderate-income households.
Garden management will follow the city’s integrated pest management policy; Vidich said the gardens are managed organically and that bermudagrass is a recurring maintenance challenge that requires manual removal rather than herbicide.
Next steps: staff will complete the volunteer workday and, if budget approvals proceed, order and install beds by March. The city will begin outreach to partner organizations and open rentals once beds are filled and staged for use.
