加西亚街城市农场与新的合作伙伴一起成长

加西亚街城市农场的所有东西都有季节.

该农场位于圣安东尼奥东区的中心地带，是威廉R. 圣安东尼奥学院运营的可持续发展中心Sinkin Eco Centro.

酷暑已经把农场的蔬菜和花卉作物烤焦了, but its managers have stayed busy cultivating other ways to help the farm grow and prosper.

他们的劳动成果之一是35美元,000 grant from technology giant Microsoft that will fund a special project showcasing urban agriculture.  Another initiative with Green Spaces Alliance of South Texas -- in partnership with Tito's Handmade Vodka -- will grow Eco Centro's education programs and its cultivation of community gardens.

“我们对这些新的合作伙伴关系感到非常兴奋,罗丝·弗洛雷斯说, Eco Centro的学术项目主任.

加西亚街城市农场位于4号楼.圣安东尼奥机遇之家拥有的1英亩土地, 它的前身是圣安东尼奥房屋管理局. 上世纪90年代，该物业的一个住房项目被拆除.

During the growing season, the farm is a bountiful oasis in a food desert for many area residents. Flores said "圣安东尼奥 has a big food disparity issue," particularly in the area around the farm.

"Our farm team has grabbed bags of food and gone out and walked into that community and just handed it out door to door to make sure that everybody has access to that food,弗洛雷斯说.

In addition to its expansive beds of vegetables and flowers, the farm has several greenhouses. 一个小, 波纹金属谷仓房屋耙, 铲子, 旋耕机和其他园艺和农具. 屋顶上的雨水经过过滤后被输送到一个1000加仑的水槽中. 集水舱. 一个邻, 有盖的露台用于研讨会和其他教育项目, 哪些是免费或以名义成本向公众提供的.

The classes include instruction on gardening, water conservation and cooking demonstrations. 农场在工作日和特殊工作日欢迎志愿者. 通润梅茨, Eco Centro服务学习协调员, said a volunteer event sponsored by Tito's last spring attracted 50 participants.

“没有伏特加，”梅斯笑着回忆道. “但是，他们带来了墨西哥卷饼，还给我们提供了午餐."

总部位于奥斯汀的Tito与绿色空间联盟密切合作, 成立于1998年的城市土地信托, 推广社区园艺及环保教育. 今年, the alliance has officially recognized the Garcia Street Urban Farm as one of the first of a group of "hub gardens" in its new Urban Land & 水项目.

在宣布与农场合作的新闻发布会上, 绿色空间联盟阐述了它对该项目的愿景. 通过帮助每个中心花园成为当地园丁学习的中心, 分享想法，获取资源, the organization hopes to transform its network of community gardens by boosting collaboration and partnership in pursuit of conservation.

"Garcia Street stands out among its peers as a group that is uniquely mission-driven,该联盟在新闻稿中表示. "The farm's value to the 圣安东尼奥 community is clear and your passion for food justice and environmental education is an example that many gardeners could benefit from emulating."

35美元,000 grant from Microsoft will help fund Eco Centro's educational programming and install 50 fruit and pecan trees at Garcia Street. Some of the trees will replace an orchard on the farm that was destroyed during Texas' "Snowmaggedon" deep freeze in Feb. 2021. 微软将其Eco Centro项目与另一项25美元的项目配对,美国森林基金会, a national conservation organization that will lend its expertise and oversight to the Garcia Street project.

Metz said the forestry program will be used as an educational opportunity for the public to learn how to properly plant their own trees, including the ones frequently given away for free at community arborist events.

“他们说, 'Here's your tree' and they hand it you with a postcard with some planting information on it,梅斯说. "We want to actually do some workshops about tree care and planting to ensure that there's longevity to a lot of these trees."

在一年中的大部分时间里, most of the land under cultivation at Garcia Street is devoted to flowers and vegetables, 包括西红柿, 洋葱, 甜菜, 瑞士甜菜和羽衣甘蓝, 所有种植都不使用杀虫剂或除草剂. 滴灌管道使植物保持灌溉. 最终, 随着德克萨斯州南部的高温加剧和生长季节的结束, the farm team swaps out the dead plants for cover crops that will be used to help rejuvenate the soil.

“覆盖作物只是不同的谷物和豆类，不是用来吃的,Jovanna Lopez说, 同时担任Eco Centro服务学习协调员. “每年的这个时候，我们把庄稼取出来, 我们种上覆盖作物，准备在秋季播种, 接下来的几周会开始吗."

除了干旱和恶劣的生长条件, 城市农业可能会带来一些独特的挑战. 例如，只有大约四分之一英亩的土地.1英亩的农场目前正在耕种中. On the surface, it looks like there is lots of space available for additional planting beds. But, most of the land contains buried reminders about the property's past life as a housing project.

“有大量的沥青、混凝土和地基碎片，”梅斯说. “他们是设备杀手. 你用一件装备打它它就会像野马一样猛冲."

大部分碎片必须用手费力地清除. Long lengths of fabric, called silage tarps, are spread over the reclaimed land to prevent weeds. 随后，农民们将天然养分和覆盖物混合在一起.

准备新的种植床可能需要一年或更长时间.

"You can't just rush out here and starting planting things everywhere,梅斯说. “我们要慢慢来. 你必须从自然中学习，你不能强迫事情. 最好的方法是用一些简单的方法深思熟虑地慢慢进行."

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