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http://www.omniture.com --> Sections Home Page Local News AP News Archives Business Classifieds Event Calendar Forums Life Opinion Obituaries Photo Gallery Readers Photo Gallery Sports Tempo Weather Special Coverage 2006 Britt Festivals --> Shop Our Valley AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Search Our Valley Special Sections Readers' Choice Homelife Magazine Joy Magazine Holiday Guide Oregon Golf Info Oregon Wine Info Other Publications Local Links Ashland News eSouthernOregon Newspapers In Education Personals Moving Here Movie Listings TV Listings Volunteer Customer Service Advertise With Us Media Kit Place Classified Ad Contact Us FAQ's Home Delivery Site Map --> Email Story to a Friend December 2, 2006 A last spot of color shows in Blue Heron Park�s community garden in Phoenix. Organizers are trying to get a series of public gardens growing in Medford. (Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli) The search for common ground Residents hope to launch Medford community gardens By Meg Landers Mail Tribune Matt Sheehan doesn't have the space for a garden at home, yet this year the Medford chiropractor grew a crop of tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, zucchini, lettuce, onions and broccoli. "It's probably my first full garden," he said. Sheehan has access to a 10-foot-by 20-foot plot of soil — one of 43 in the community garden at Oak and Hersey streets in Ashland. And he is among a group of a dozen or so people trying to create a similar set-up in Medford by next spring. Medford's Neighborhood Resources Division and the West Medford Community Coalition are sponsoring a meeting Tuesday to bring together those interested in staking their claim on a patch of soil as part of community gardening. Bonnie Bayard, a local landscape architect, is among those involved in the effort to sprout community gardens. "They are wonderful for people who live in apartments or don't have access to land," she said, adding that they "create community." Advertisement "When people work together, there's visiting time and there's questions, and 'Oh, how are your tomatoes doing?' " she said. Community gardens can also be an educational tool for children and classrooms to teach where food comes from, she said. Sheehan said he's learned a lot from his fellow green thumbs as they muck around together. "We all have the same bug problems," he said. "We have monthly potlucks and we compare notes: 'So, what are you doing about your aphid problem?' " Lenore Drake, a board member of the West Medford Community Coalition, said several people will report back Tuesday with ideas for locations on both public and private land. "Right now we're inventorying what property is available," said Drake. "We're also not just looking at West Medford." Louise Dix, Medford's neighborhood resource coordinator, said they're looking at places like the Kids Imagination Discovery Space on Ross Lane or the Lewis Park on Lewis Street. "Our ultimate goal is to have them all over the city," she said. Community gardens need to have liability insurance, said Dix, so she's looking into what community gardens in other cities such as Eugene and Portland do about that. Brian Sjothun, Medford Parks and Recreation director, said there would need to be a concrete management plan in place before the idea would be reviewed by the legal department as well as the Parks Commission and City Council. The community garden in the Blue Heron Park in Phoenix is covered under the city's insurance, said Cindy Cameron, who works at Phoenix High School and helped spearhead that project. "Because we did it in a park, the city was willing to cover it under their insurance," she said. The garden was created by students with help from a $5,000 Carpenter Foundation grant. Bayard said the group plot ends up being a way to share gardening tips and a way for neighbors to get to know neighbors. She said gardeners always seem to like to help out. "Gardeners are just very down-to-earth," she said. Reach reporter Meg Landers at 776-4481 or e-mail [email protected] . If you go What: Community Gardens in Medford discussion, including possible sites for gardens and liability insurance options. When: 7 p.m. Tuesday Where: Room 14, Santo Community Center, 701 N. Columbus Ave., Medford The meeting is sponsored by Medford's Neighborhood Resources Division and the West Medford Community Coalition, and the public is invited to attend. For more information contact Louise Dix, 774-2090. Would you like to respond to this story? If so Click Here to visit our forums. Advertisement Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback online casinos news Home Security Systems Online Casino Reviews Men's Clothing Fundraisers UK Homeowner Loans Discount Hotel Reservations Send Flowers Casinos Canada Texas Electric Choice Compare Electric rates in Texas Windermere Van Vleet Trunks, Footlocker Online poker at AbsolutePoker.com