Urban Farms Open Doors

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Most are organic, and all sell the freshest local produce money can buy. Most are individual or family farms, while others are community projects that provide learning and earning opportunities for a wide range of people. At Troostwood Youth Garden, for example, young people do everything, from composting and planting to weeding and picking. Cross-Lines’ “Ready to Work” garden helps teach life skills to its clients.

Each farm has its own story.

Small farms, big hearts

One of those belongs to Lew Edmister, who turned a construction dump site across the street from his apartment into a garden/sculpture park. “I told the owner: I’ll clear the site and make a garden out of it, but you can’t sell it as long as I’m living here,” he says. A deal was struck, and Herb’n Gardener was born.

Soil at the site amounted to rock and brick, but Lew persisted, hauling in mounds of topsoil to construct two major beds. As he expanded his operation, he began to add art: Orange metal “people,” a decorative stone fence, an old toilet planted in lettuce. “The whole neighborhood loves it,” the gardener says. “It makes this a more interesting place.”

Across state lines, Refugee Women’s Market and Community Garden claims top honor as the most colorful stop on the tour. Gardeners from Somalia, Burundi, Sudan and Burma wear bright flowing dresses and headscarves. Some cradle babies as they douse fresh collards and mustard greens with rhythmic baths of water. “Hello, nice to see you,” they say with a smile.

These 17 gardeners coax a bounty of produce on land outside the Catholic Charities office in Kansas City, Kansas. “This is the best project we have,” says Sharisa McDaniel, refugee service coordinator for the agency. The women use the food to feed their families and to earn additional income. They learn production, marketing and small business management skills; they practice English and become better acquainted with the community. Today, Sharisa says, “They’re learning a lot just by being here.”

Although most farmed in their homeland, these refugees confront a totally different climate and totally different language. The first year, for instance, the women wanted to grow “spinach.” When the spinach sprouted, they let it go to seed; it wasn’t what they wanted. “They didn’t mean spinach, they meant collards,” Sharisa says.

As tour customers buy greens by the handful, a conversation begins that could lead to bulk sales in the future. Rebecca Miller, marketing director for the local Whole Foods Market, corners Sharisa to discuss the possibility of this farm becoming a local supplier. She looks at the well-tended garden, at the cheery smiles. “I like this mission,” Rebecca says. She hands Sharisa her business card, promising to stay in touch.

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