Redlands Shares Urban Gardening, A Growing Trend

REDLANDS >> The Redlands Horticultural and Improvement Society met on the evening of Thursday, Feb. 18. Bettina McLeod, a resident of Redlands since 1989, who gardens at home but mostly at Cope Middle School where she has been volunteering for ten years. She holds a garden club before school on Tuesdays and Thursdays where she teaches students about organic gardening. She was excited about new gardening techniques she has recently picked up called regenerative agriculture, saying “Some scientist are now saying that up to a third of the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere causing climate change is from bad farming, logging, and grazing practices. And the world can reverse it.” Secrets of the green thumb are traded back and forth, from recommendations of reputable soil sellers to specific worms for fertilization. Brandon Kemmer of Yucaipa who is new to gardening came down to learn more from the experts. Holding a succulent he won as a prize that night, he listed some of the items he is currently growing: “Tomatoes, which aren’t doing too well. Some sweet potatoes, and we’ve got some mint, and basil.” The guest speaker for the night was Carrie-Anne Parker of Rolling Hills Organic Urban Growers, located in Redlands. She began with the mistakes she made in the beginning of her venture into urban agriculture, and tied it in with the wealth of knowledge she has learned along the way. Urban agriculture is the practice of cultivating, and processing food for ones own self or distribution locally. She spoke on her own experience with urban agriculture, and the effects it has health wise, socially, and economically as well. She went on to say that food security is one of the major reasons we have seen a growing trend in urban agriculture. She has quickly grown from a single person operation to selling her goods at the Redlands Saturday morning downtown Farmers Market, and taking on interns. Miles Yazzolino, a student at the University of Redlands who interns once a week with Rolling Hills since September, said, “I’m learning a ton as an environmental studies major. I’m a religious studies major as well. It’s the highlight of my week getting my hands in the dirt, and growing stuff.” Carrie-Anne Parker who doesn’t see an end in sight in regards to urban growing had this to say, “Now that we have a law that allows for even non-property owners to grow food where they live, I think that it will just continue to grow.” When asked if she had any advice for someone who wants to start fresh into gardening she continued, “Start with something that you eat a lot, that you love to eat. You have to have a connection to it, and don’t start too big.”