Located in the 1600 block of North Robertson street, not far from the historic Circle Food Store, is the 7th Ward Herb Farm. The farm, conceived by Porch members Ed Buckner and Dan Etheridge, has just planted its first crop of herbs to be grown, harvested and sold at local farmer’s markets and to local restaurants.
For the past year, Ed and Dan have coordinated much volunteer support to plan and prepare the site before food production could begin. The garden is located on a vacant abandoned city owned lot and permission to establish the garden was gained with the support of local organization Parkway Partners. Since then, we have had volunteers from Common Ground, the University of Kansas, the Food and Farm Network, Unitarian congregations from Massachusetts and our fellow members of The Porch 7th Ward Cultural Organization, prepare the site by clearing trash, building support structures, building raised beds, hauling fresh soil, landscaping, and planting.
Our goal is to provide work opportunities for teenagers from the 7th Ward and to strengthen the local food economy. All youth who work in the garden will be trained in the basic horticultural skills necessary to maintain the garden and harvest the cash crops, as well as the skills necessary to market and distribute our produce.
