Basin Wide Spirit, Fall 2009
By Stacy Moore

JOSHUA TREE, November 2009 – Milissa Anderson laughs as she strides down the soft dirt path, open desert on her left side and row upon row of flowering squash plants on her right.

This isn’t going to be a seedy story, is it? she asks.Yes, this is a very seedy story a leafy one, too. Anderson, who lives in Joshua Tree, is a member of the Earthwise garden project spearheaded by Robert Ellis on a former alfalfa farm off Sunfair Road in that village.

What’s growing now on the farm pumpkins and other squashes, melons, okra and, soon, garlic is sold at a weekly farmers’ market in Yucca Valley. What’s next for Ellis and his team is a community garden, where anyone can rent a 20- by 20-foot spot for a personal farm to feed one’s family or to sell at the farmers’ market or at a roadside stand.

We have 10 to 12 farmers now who are in line to get growing, Ellis says. The cost will be $10 per month, plus the price of installing irrigation for the plot. Members who want to sell at the farmers’ market will pay an extra fee for certification.

In another part of the Morongo Basin, a second group of growers is laying the early groundwork for its own community garden. Landowner Garth Bowles wants to contribute a section of his property in Rimrock, near Pioneertown, for a community garden specifically a permaculture garden, following precepts about living and farming in a way that mimics natural ecosystems.

Garth Bowles stands on a bridge spanning a lily-covered pond on his Rimrock property. He also has geese in his menagerie.

It’s really working with the land to create what’s necessary for sustainability for land, people and animals, explains Amara Alban, the spokeswoman for the Rimrock effort. While they aren’t ready to begin turning soil quite yet, the Boulder Community Garden idea is flowering into a growing group of people who meet online and in person.

We just had a visioning meeting and put together a proper vision statement, Amara said in early September. At frequent in-person gatherings, participants discuss ideas, learn gardening techniques and share goods from their personal gardens.

This is in a very, very beginning stage, Amara says. If enough people are interested and have the energy and focus to create it, it’s wide open. Far from competing with the Earthwise garden, Amara envisions a Morongo Basin with several community gardens, each convenient to people from different parts of the region. She called on people to join the Earthwise community garden, where they should be able to start planting seeds very soon.

Ellis’ own vision for his Joshua Tree farm is to help families eat healthy meals, putting in less money and more bonding time than they do now. For people relying on restaurants and supermarkets, It is not always cheap to eat healthy, and it’s not always userfriendly to go to McDonald’s, says Ellis, who estimates a community gardener could produce up to 2,000 pounds of vegetables in a year on the size of the plots he’s planning.

To help make it easier for people on very limited incomes, the Earthwise farmers’ market accepts Electronic Benefit Transfer cards debit cards for people on the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. People on food stamps can augment their menus with the community garden, Ellis enthuses.

Earthwise also is a member of Champions for Change, a California Department of Public Health initiative to encourage people to live more healthy lifestyles. Beyond the health of fresh fruits and veggies, Ellis sees a spiritual component to his farm, as well. The bonding that happens in a family that grows food, prepares it and eats it together is worth the price of seeds 10 times over, he says.

The idea behind a community garden is simple: It’s a piece of land gardened by a group of people. From that seed of an idea, several possibilities can grow. Gardeners might eat the food themselves, share with others, donate to charities or sell at farmers’ markets or roadside stands. The Morongo Basin has two community gardening groups. Earthwise Farms in Joshua Tree is much closer to renting out farm spaces. Boulder Community Garden is in the visioning process and is a kind of support and encouragement group for people interested in gardening.

Earthwise Hosts Water Canyon Farmers’ Market from 3-8 p.m. Wednesdays
Location: 55818 Twentynine Palms Highway in Yucca Valley
Information: (760) 542-9780 or info@earthwiseorganicfarms.com
Online: http://earthwiseorganicfarms.com/

Boulder Community Gardens Hosts online community with in-person gatherings
Information: Amara Alban at (760) 401-5220
Online: http://bouldercommunitygardens.ning.com

By Jutta Biggerstaff
For the Hi-Desert Star

Rimrock, CA, August 15, 2009 – Garth Bowles has the hands of a working man, rough and seasoned with the earth he tends. His hands tell the story of the life he has led, of hard work and passion for the land.

Bowles, 65, arrived in the Morongo Basin 29 years ago on a spiritual quest. Born and raised in Riverside, he searched all over country for a place he could live simply, a place he could share with others who also sought spiritual enlightenment.

Finally, with his father’s help, he acquired 640 acres in the Rimrock area, a lovely location despite near decimation by the Sawtooth Complex Fire in 2006.

He indeed lives simply, building his own house and painstakingly landscaping his property and constructing his garden. He lives with several pets, including a cat named Chairman Meow, and occasionally hosts visitors from all over the world.

In time, Bowles’ quest evolved, and today his vision is for a community garden to help educate and feed the people of the Morongo Basin. He is prepared to donate a portion of his land for the garden, and he wants to encourage everyone to participate.

Community gardening is a concept that has been gaining ground throughout the country. The rising cost of fresh produce coupled with food safety concerns have many people, urban and rural alike, planting and growing their own vegetables.

But, according to Bowles, aside from those valid reasons there also is the sense of community, of neighbors working together, that is a satisfying component to community gardening.

Bowles’ unique house is cradled by boulders and surrounded by piñon pines, oaks, mesquites and other desert vegetation. He has created Zen-like, Japanese-style gardens with lily-covered ponds, seating areas and diverse sculptures along gentle pathways.

He has been gardening himself with some success for many years.

I wanted to make a place as an example of how to live with the land without destroying it, he said.

It turns out many other people in the area share similar feelings and some are working with Bowles to form the community garden.

Amara Alban and her husband, Thomas, were delighted to meet Bowles in early 2000 when they scouted the area for a house. He helped them move in, and a couple of years later was a witness at their small wedding. They’ve become friends.

We just fell in love with what he was doing with his land and how open he was to sharing what he knew real, grounded knowledge based in our desert environment, he said. We’ve enjoyed receiving his advice all these years and are grateful to have him for a teacher.

Acting as the communication person, Alban is soliciting charter members for the community garden who would decide how the concept would be carried out. For example, would participants pay a fee and would they work individually or collectively on the land?

Usually, in community gardens, you have your individual plot and then help each other out, share resources and coordinate so everyone is not growing zucchini, she explained.

Alban can see community gardens growing in every area of the Morongo Basin. In fact, she said, Earthwise Organic Farms of Joshua Tree is offering five acres of land for a garden in that area.

Alban and her husband have been working toward being more self-reliant for the last 12 years, and growing their own food is a big part of that goal.

She cited the use of pesticides and herbicides and the fragility of supply lines as contributing factors in their decision.

Our being responsible for our own health and nutrition is very basic to our possessing personal power and truly knowing our place on the planet, she said. It’s really about finding our sense of place where we live being more fully here and aware.

Community gardening is a rewarding experience on a fundamental level, she said, and sharing it with others gives it that much more depth.

Bowles practices permaculture gardening, an ancient system that has been rediscovered recently. Permaculture is a contraction of the words permanent agriculture and is a system that relies on efficient water use as its basis and emphasizes harmony with the environment.

I’ve been doing it here on a small scale for about 10 years, and I now have three springs, he said.

But now he wants to share his land and his knowledge with others, especially children.

My idea was to use the community garden as a resource for education for kids, he said.

Bowles’ garden vegetables include potatoes, kale, beets and chard. He’s also produced strawberries, blackberries, figs, cherries and plums. He raises some animals, and counts peacocks, chickens, pheasants and geese among his menagerie.

The Pomeranian geese came in the mail at 7 weeks old and were fuzzy little balls, he laughed.

Bowles would like the whole community to get involved with the garden, to build awareness of where our food comes from and to take control of what we eat. He wants to show people how to feed themselves, work together and become good neighbors.

Community is the key word, he said.

Anyone interested in becoming involved with the community garden can go online to:

www.bouldercommunitygardens.ning.com

Yucca Valley, CA, July 18, 2009 – The 2nd meeting of Boulder Community Gardens took place at Greg, Chris and Jeremy’s home in Yucca Valley. Director Carol Petersen began the meeting agenda with a brief statement of purpose, “Collective Efforts” and expressed gratitude for those who are participating in the Boulder Community Garden project. In attendance were 22 persons who sat in the glow of a beautiful garden brimming with squash, amaranth, zinnia’s, and more.

At the meeting Dr. Robert Ellis of Earthwise Organic Farms explained his offer to set aside several acres for a community garden on farmland adjacent to his sustainable farm in Joshua Tree. The site already has an abundant supply of high quality water, is located next to a worm farm, a large scale pesticide-free farm, and is easily accessible via Sunfair Rd.

Dr. Ellis suggested that we might consider the growing of indigenous trees and plants as there is a ready market for those items in the high desert. Dr. Ellis also expressed his favorable impression of the amount of talent, knowledge and experience demonstrated by the members of Boulder Community Garden.

We were in the company of people including Mara Cantello who had received the Jefferson Award for community volunteerism. Her favorite quote, “We must continue to exhibit the spirit of volunteerism and generous individual giving for in that spirit be found life finest experience.” Each year Mara and a community of selfless volunteers produce Tender Loving Christmas. We were in the company of eco activist’s and social activist’s. Cindy Zack has taught for 17 years at Yucca High biology, ecology and gardening. Our hosts were adept in water management, composting and a knowledge of insects with a family owned business which has products at the Smithsonian. There were several healers including Dr. Chuck founder of the High Desert Health Fair, Kendra Moshie who is certified from the Hippocrates Institute and Alpha Richards who does spiritual readings.

The gathering lasted for 6 hours and everyone had a time to share from the heart. During the break new friends came together and inspiration was flowing with great feedback and interaction. John, artist and flute player emphasized the social importance of having a place to “make and grow community.” There was an amazing vegetarian buffet with ginger noodle’s, grilled artichokes, a savory corn dish, beans, potato salad, fresh organic fruit, French toast bread putting with strawberries, veggie chorizo and nopales and blue corn tortillas.

For more information about Boulder Community Gardens, visit their website at http://bouldercommunitygardens.ning.com/