SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - A new community garden project is giving a whole new meaning to the idea of food "to go."
The People's Portable Garden project allows people to rent 4-foot by 16-foot planter boxes for growing gardens. The boxes, which rent for $25 annually, have been placed on a vacant lot owned by the Redevelopment Agency of Salt Lake City. The rental price
includes water.
When the land is developed, the boxes will be moved to a different vacant lot.
RDA recognizes the potential of the property to enhance the neighborhood by providing a healthy and productive community space, executive director D.J. Baxter said.
Residents of the heavily urban neighborhood that includes apartments, commercial developments and homes next to a light rail station worked hard to get the project approved.
"Everyone should have a garden," said neighborhood resident Teresa Thein, "even if you live in an apartment or don't have a good yard to grow sustainable, organic food."
The portable garden is a project of Wasatch Community Gardens. WCG director Claire Uno says Salt Lake City is one of the first cities in the country to build the portable gardens.
"This is 50 percent about gardening and 100 percent about community," said Uno. "This is an example for our community and an exciting new chapter for our organization."
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Information from: The Salt Lake Tribune, http://www.sltrib.com
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
