Soup kitchen tries out its green thumb
For the last week, residents of the local shelter and soup kitchen the Glory Hole have been literally laying the groundwork for a community garden and rooftop garden in which they will grow their own food.
Back
"I've always been interested in this kind of stuff," said Glory Hole resident John Batterman, who has taken a lot of responsibility for the rooftop garden over the last few weeks. "This is all really new - it's an experiment as far as what's going to grow."
So far, potatoes, beets, peas, radishes, wildflowers, marigolds, rhubarb, bush beans and lettuce are all part of that experiment.
One finding so far is that ravens really like greens - they've already eaten some kale and chard. To protect the plants from the wind and the ravens, many of the buckets are now draped with transparent cloth.
Rooftop plants are being grown in buckets so that they can be removed in the winter months, though Glory Hole garden intern Chelsea DeWitt said they're also planning on building a cold frame on the hillside, enabling growth during colder months.
Contractors from Bayshore Landscaping and Stoneworks and Glory Hole residents have also been at work digging and smoothing terraces in the hillside behind the Franklin Street soup kitchen, ensuring the hill is stable, and hauling buckets of dirt and rock away.
Shelter Executive Director Mariya Lovishchuk said next year plots on those terraces will be available for community use.
She also said the Glory Hole garden wouldn't have gotten underway in the first place without help from community members.
Chris Mertle of Corvus Design donated at least 100 hours to design the entire project, Lovishchuk said. Bruce Berryhill, a local engineer, helped get things moving after the shelter ran into problems getting a city permit. Simone Machamer, who visited the shelter last week, donated $6,000 to the project through the Juneau Community Foundation after she heard about it.
"I just really believe in this," Machamer said. "It's a lot better than just handouts for food, though that's good too."
While shoveling dirt last week, Glory Hole resident David Randlett said that he thinks the idea is "excellent."
"I think it's just great to be able to grow your own tomatoes and vegetables," he said. "The beautiful thing is we all volunteer here to help out."
Intermittent resident Robert Celedon said besides being useful, the garden is helping to create a more positive atmosphere at the shelter. "That's the first step to making the atmosphere constructive," he said as he was hauling buckets of dirt and rock down the Glory Hole's steps. "That's all part of being positive. It enforces working."
Because of permitting delays, Lovishchuk said she didn't expect the shelter would have any significant food production until next year. She does expect, though, that they'll have some leafy greens for this summer - and some of the tomato plants by the front door are already bearing fruit.
• Contact reporter Mary Catharine Martin at 523-2276 or maryc.martin@juneauempire.com.