The Growth of Funston

If you live in the South Central Neighborhood, you have probably noticed that things are happening on the once vacant lot at the corner Broadway and Funston street. You saw the piles of cardboard stacked, then mounds of mulch deposited, you’ve seen middle school students raking the mulch, and now there are large structures of logs, branches, twigs, and more mulch. So what the heck is going on?

Last year a cell phone company called ClearTalk Wireless purchased the lot with the intention of putting a cell tower in. The tower, however, only took up a small portion of the lot, so the company was trying to figure out what to do for upkeep of the additional land. They spoke to the city who referred them to the SCNA(the Neighborhood Association). SCNA put their heads together and asked that in exchange for keeping up the maintenance of the lot, they would be allowed to build a community garden. The company said yes!

SCNA, partnering with the Neighboring Movement and Legacy Garden Works came up with a plan to find fencing, install plumbing, and negotiate mulch to be delivered. A few weeks later, we had a volunteer group from Northfield School and some other volunteer days as well. Then from those volunteer days, some neighbors volunteered to spread the mulch evenly. Then Lauren from Legacy suggested building Hugel beds around the Northern and Western borders.

Hugel beds are a type of permaculture gardening. The beds consist of logs on the bottom with limbs, sticks, and mulch piled on top. As the materials break down they create an incredible, nutrient rich base for feeding plants. It takes several years for the hugel beds to be ready to use, but it is worth the wait.

While we wait for those beds to develop, we will start building smaller garden boxes to go along the borders of the fence and will have raised beds at a future date. We are also in the process of commissioning a mural for the privacy fence surrounding the cell tower.

All of these efforts are being made to open space for neighbors to interact and learn about better ways of living. Neighbors will be able to help with the growing and gardening processes, and neighbors and businesses will be invited to sponsor their own beds as well. With this in mind, it brings the neighborhood one step closer to growth and beauty. It is the hope that gardens like this will change the perception of the Broadway corridor from one of scarcity to one of abundance and joy.

If you’re curious about updates on this, please check out https://neighboringmovement.org/funston-neighborhood-garden for more info!