This will be a day filled with not only fun but also learning.  To participate, please sign up online by filling out the form below or call our office at 504-251-9818 to register.

Refreshments will be served to all who participate.

A parent or guardian must accompany children who are participating.

The volunteers, part of a dozen on a service trip to New Orleans through HandsOn, are tilling soil and setting up tomato supports on the raised beds at the Wise Words Community Garden. Other volunteers are busy planting herbs and spreading fertilizer.

“If you build it, they will come,” says Brock, the Mid-City Community Garden executive director.

He broke ground on the lots at 724 S. Hennessey St. in November 2009. “Right now I’m in construction mode,” he says. “That’s the hardest part.”

  The garden is designed for both food and art; Brock wants the garden to resemble an outdoor gallery, with works on display along the fences and in the soil beds. As the name implies, words of inspiration will line each bed and brick. The garden also will celebrate the art of food, with local chefs preparing dishes using ingredients from the garden during weekly cooking demonstrations. Brock already has caught the attention of neighborhood joints Huevos and Crescent City Pie and Sausage, the Ruby Slipper Cafe, Liberty’s Kitchen and Parkway Bakery and Tavern.

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See real-time photos of the progress being made.

Mid-City Community Garden Helps Grow Community Development

New Orleans, LA, November 18, 2009 – The Mid-City Community Garden project will celebrate its expansion with the groundbreaking of a new community garden at 724 S. Hennessey Street on Wednesday, November 18th at 11 a.m.

Wise Words Community Garden, located on two neighboring lots across from The Preserve development built by the Domain Companies, will display words of wisdom along its path. The Domain Companies donated the lots for the construction of the new garden and provided seed money to commence construction.

“We are very excited to be expanding our project,” said Joe Brock, Executive Director of the Mid-City Community Garden. “Community Gardens help inspire and unite neighborhoods. We feel very blessed to have the support of the Mid-City community.”

The Mid-City Community Garden project was first developed in 2008 after neighbors complained about a dilapidated lot behind one resident’s backyard. Community members concerned about preserving the neighborhood’s green space approached the lot’s owner with a proposal to build a new and bigger community garden. To date, the first Mid-City Community Garden, located on Salcedo Street, has helped feed over 100 people.

The new garden will combine two elements that help make New Orleans exclusively New Orleans – food and art. Wise Words Community Garden will be the first community garden in the city to dedicate space to local artists looking to showcase their work. The garden will also highlight a “Chefs List” of local chefs who use herbs and vegetables grown in the garden. The featured list of chefs will include recipes from those chefs.

In addition, the garden will feature raised beds, a compost area, a chicken coop, teaching and potting areas, and communal spaces for the market. The project hopes to promote community interaction and local food systems, creating an opportunity for local growth

and development. Vegetation grown in the garden will include oranges, lettuce, tomatoes, bell peppers, corn, okra, broccoli, eggplant, spinach, celery, potatoes and a variety of herbs.

“This is a tremendous project, and we’re looking forward to participating in the chefs program. We always look for the freshest local ingredients to include in our dishes,” said Bart Bell, chef/owner of Huevos. “We’re literally using herbs and vegetables grown in our own backyard.”

Mid-City community members, neighbors and volunteers will begin building the new garden on Thursday, November 19th, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wise Words is expected to officially open its gate next Saturday, November 28th.

Sponsors and supporters of The Mid-City Community Garden include New Orleans Food and Farm Network, Hands On New Orleans, Hilbert’s By Accident, Parkway Bakery & Tavern, The Olive Branch Cafe, Home Depot, Jesuit High School, J. Brock Web Design, LLC, Warren Easton High School, Triple B Fence, Twin Shores and the Domain Companies.

“Domain is strongly committed to the redevelopment of the Mid-City community, and is proud to support organizations like the Mid-City Community Garden. We see community gardens as an excellent way to eradicate blight, encourage new investment and provide a valuable resource in affordable, fresh and nutritious food to the members of our community”, added Matt Schwartz, Principal of the Domain Companies.

Artists or restaurants who are interested in participating in the programs are encouraged to contact Joseph Brock at 504.251.9818 or info@midcitycommunitygarden.com. For more information about the garden, please visit www.wisewordscommunitygarden.com.