Building community partnership through gardening

For ten years, the Hoop House at Jackson Park Terrace (JPT), maintained by the Experimental Station, has been a source of gardening knowledge and fresh vegetables for the residents.

Every Harvest Saturday, the community garden provides freshly harvested vegetables to around 20 residents of the JPT community housing complex in Chicago's Woodlawn neighborhood. This spring and summer, the Experimental Station’s Head Gardener, Lawrence Riley, grew and harvested tomatoes, eggplants, chives, carrots, collards, beets, peppers, and all varieties of herbs in the main garden to distribute to the residents.

This year, Lawrence also helped eight residents grow their own vegetables on individual raised beds. 

Among them was Joy Joshua, a resident of JPT. With guidance from Lawrence, the first-year gardener, Joy grew corn, beans, cucumbers, peppers, carrots, cabbage, and tomatoes. Her spring and summer crops have been producing so well that she “almost never” had to shop for vegetables from grocery stores.

“I haven't purchased tomatoes because my tomato plants have been plentiful. And the beans are so good, still producing,” says Joy.

With all the fresh produce Joy gets from her plot and through the Saturday distributions, she has been cooking more than ever and feels healthier. She is now spreading the knowledge to her family, especially her mother.

As part of the mission to promote a healthy eating culture, Experimental Station’s 61st Street Farmers Market offers pop-up events at the hoop house. There, local chefs share their cooking skills using fresh produce from the garden and pass out samples and recipes to the participating residents.

Beyond providing opportunities for residents to learn new recipes or taste new food, the pop-ups are also an opportunity for the JPT community members to connect with each other.  

Joyce Butler, a JPT resident who has been gardening at the Hoop House since the program’s start, sees that the past ten years of sustaining and cultivating the Hoop House garden and growing participation have been essential in keeping community members healthy and connected.