On nice days, I like to eat lunch at tables set up in a courtyard of a county office building. They have planters there. Last year they had ornamental flowers. This year, I noticed they had all been dug up.
Wednesday, when I arrived for lunch, I found this sign near the courtyard.
I researched it further and found that Plant it Forward is a public/private initiative which has just started up. And, it seems that the county is participating.
This is what has been planted in downtown Binghamton in this courthouse courtyard:
In other, similar sized, planters were peppers, and squash.
I'm wondering if this program is similar to one also named Plant it Forward in Canada, because this one has a corporate ownership. Is that a bad thing? Not necessarily, as corporations need to be good citizens, too. So, in the meantime, we have a small community garden right here in downtown Binghamton.
It may surprise you that I am not hopeful about these gardens. We've had vandalism problems in downtown Binghamton before. I blogged about the vandalism of a beautiful urban art display Binghamton tried in 2010. They never tried it again.
On the other hand, being so close to the courthouse, I'm sure these will be monitored by security.
Will these planters suffer the same fate? Or, will this initiative succeed?
This summer will be interesting.
What an excellent idea! I wish Binghamton every success with this project.
ReplyDeleteIt's a lovely idea and I hope the community garden survives and flourishes. The interference part makes me think of all the rocks I see tagged with spray paint messages (usually harmless stuff) when I go hiking here in Southern California. I'm always curious as to why anyone would want to do that. What is it in human nature that makes a juvenile or adult want to deface something? Then again, to be perfectly honest, I also usually think, "well, better this rock than someone's house." Which is kind of sad.
ReplyDeleteWhat an awesome idea. Hope this initiative will survive and be successful. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI hope they survive.
ReplyDeleteA fantastic initiative. I hope they are allowed to blossom.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea. But I completely agree with your concern. With any luck the plants will flourish and produce. I love the idea of community gardens. Kids are much more likely to try and enjoy new sorts of veggies when they help to grow them. Keep us posted on the results.
ReplyDeleteI think it will succeed. It sounds like a great idea. :)
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