Ind. Gardeners 'Green' Classic Vegetable Patch

INDIANAPOLIS -- The growing "green" gardening movement in central Indiana has followers focused not only on their flower beds, but on the edible items in their gardens as well.

Organic gardening, which exists without the use of pesticides and herbicides, is considered by some to be even more important with growing vegetables and fruits because the foods, along with whatever chemicals they're grown with, are ultimately consumed.

Images:

A Look Inside An Urban Garden

Gardens Of Indiana

Send Us Your Gardening Pics

Part 1:

Ind. Gardeners Get Back To Basics With Organics

Garden centers were flooded this spring with people inquiring about growing vegetables at home, a boost attributed to the struggling economy, but many were also asking about growing responsibly.

"The vegetable gardening was just out of sight this year, and there were a lot of first-time gardeners," said Dottie Wright, a horticulturist at the Dammann's Lawn, Garden & Landscaping Center on South Emerson Avenue. "Mostly, they wanted to have the taste of homegrown, which they knew was better; they wanted to save money and they wanted to control the chemicals."

Local urban garden advocates Laura and Tyler Henderson forgo synthetics when tending to the gardens they've helped design across the city, as well as their own expansive home vegetable array.

"It sometimes means we lose stuff. We spend a lot of time spraying soapy water or pepper spray, or just picking things off by hand. Or we just don't worry about it," Laura Henderson said.

The couple was instrumental in turning an unused patch of grass outside Goose the Market in Indianapolis' Fall Creek Place into a responsibly grown urban garden. (See pictures here)

"I thought that rather than putting shrubs and useless landscaping out here, I think I felt like I would take a lot more pride in something that was actually producing something," said market owner Chris Eley.

The Hendersons faced the challenge of "greening" the plot, which sits on a former Brownfield and was littered with construction leftovers underneath the grass.

Layers of cardboard, dry leaves and straw, topped with a mixture of compost and soil, or what the Hendersons call lasagna gardening, created a healthy planting bed. From there, unwanted roofing materials and shipping crates were brought in to create the garden's structure.

"It's all stuff that would have ended up in a Dumpster or a landfill, but it keeps the good organic matter in those rings, separated from the not-so-good construction dirt underneath," Eley said. "It's not like it's a certified organic garden, but it's pretty cool that you can have an organic garden on top of soil that's really not that great."

Laura Henderson said the design of the garden helped to ensure that the vegetables didn't come in contact with any contaminated soil.

"Doing the raised beds helped to eliminate that danger because heavy metals continue to sink," she said.

And members of The Goose staff have no intention of spraying chemicals on the garden to keep insects at bay, even though bugs have already claimed one crop of arugula.

"I guess if we were farming 2 acres of arugula I would be pretty upset, but I've lost maybe a pound or two, so it's not worth it to me to spray the whole thing," Eley said. "Plus, most of what they have chewed on are leaves that you wouldn't really necessarily eat anyway, like on the beets."

What is picked from the market's garden -- everything from radishes and peas, to onions, peppers, greens and herbs -- is used in The Goose's daily offerings of sandwiches and salads.

While the garden won't meet all of the market's needs, Laura Henderson said it plays an important part in demonstrating the benefits of gardens, urban and otherwise.

"We really want to promote the idea of urban growing, that individuals and families can grow a lot for themselves, and for their neighbors, and also to get people to think that you don't have to have a big square in your back yard," she said. "It just tastes better, there's no question about it, and it's healthier for the environment."

The Hendersons also designed and maintain the garden at R Bistro, a contemporary restaurant on Massachusetts Avenue that incorporates fresh-from-the-garden fare into its daily menu.

This story is Part 2 of a three-part series on "green" gardening. Come back next week to learn more about how community gardens are joining the organic movement.

Have a "green" story idea? We'd love to hear it! E-mail webstaff@theindychannel.com.