The garden has been a wonderful experience for me, my relationship with my kids, husband, and my neighbor with her family. The garden for us has been more than growing vegetables. If I was only doing to grow food I would just go buy it. My kids have learned patience, caring, hard work (team work) and even disappointment. I think (hope) they appreciate the vegetables we eat more because of the work we do to get them. Also with the vegetables we grow --as a family we make chili and freeze it to eat in the winter. It would be sad if this was taken away from us. Jill W.
This is my second year participating in the garden plots of Naperville. My goal was to improve my quality of life for my family, teach my kids basic social principles, and save money.
One of the lessons that my kids needed to learn was boundaries. Respecting other peoples spots, and being respectful to other people in the garden. Another lesson they learned was diversity. The demographics of those who use the gardens either age, race, nationality is evident at the plots. Another lesson; teaching them patience. They helped dig the hole, plant the seed, and water the plants. Now, they learn their colors "Only pick the RED tomatoes." They both LOVE fresh green beans.
I know that the park district is looking at moving the plots possibly to a place closer to my home. However, I'm afraid that the diversity component may disrupted. As many of the people who move to Naperville are transplants, we have left our parents, grandparents in other states. My family has built many relationships with the "old timers" and they have enriched our lives.
Barb P.
I have gardened at the plots for the past 18 years and testified last week before the Park District against the plots being taken. The plots are used by seniors, young families and the handicapped from May through October every year. There are not nearly enough programs for these users.
Chuck P.
Many of us gardeners stand to lose years of beneficial soil improvement and weed control at the site of the existing garden plots. It can be estimated that it will take nearly five years to somewhat recover what we would lose due to plot relocation, and, personally, at the age of 78, I may not have that much time.
Bruce G.
So many good things come out of the gardens and they touch so many lives. Families can bond and communicate together in the garden while putting food on their tables. Children learn the value of food and find out what it is like to nurture something so it grows up to become something beautiful just as their parents are doing with them. The value of hard work is present with everyone that works in these gardens as well as friends and family seeing the hard work it takes to produce produce. Seniors get out and get to nurture something again have great satisfaction from their gardens and put food on their tables, plus all of us young, advanced, novice or just new gardeners can learn from the valuable knowledge kept deep inside them when you talk to them. “Trust me you should see their gardens”. Food gets donated to shelters and other families, and lastly getting to know your neighbors, sharing plants, helping someone water their garden etc…. community relationships. Is not that that what the community garden plots is all about?
Maureen G., First year garden plot participant
This is Matt's and my first season with the garden plot since we are new to Naperville. We have grown to love our little plot on West St. It is close to where we live and we get to meet lots of nice people in the gardens. We have had an excellent season, and do not want to be moved to a different location such as DupageRiverPark.
Jianzhao
I have been gardening at the West Street plots on and off for over 15 years starting with my boys when they were 5 and 6 years old. It has been a great family activity that we all very much enjoy and still do to this day. I would very much hate to see these plots disappear and so would all my neighboring gardeners that I have talked to about this problem.
John P.
I am a disabled person (I had two strokes in 1999) but have been using the garden plot for more than 10 - 15 years. Fortunately, my plot is next to the water so I don't have work so hard because my health doesn’t permit. This garden plot is not only a garden plot for me but also a way to get out of the house, near a hospital and relax. If I don't have this plot then I don't know what to do. Having a plot near the hospital is a major reason for me.
R. G.
Comments: As a resident of the West Highlands subdivision nearest the garden plots I support your efforts to mobilize all the interested parties. I am not a user of the plots (possibly in the future) but can see the obvious benefits of working the soil and spending time with family. I did want to point out several drawbacks of these playing fields that may not have been mentioned and should be considered:
1) the additional noise generated near a residential area and near the remaining garden plots
2)spillover parking that may occur in the nearby residential area
3) additional congestion and traffic as people attempt to attend practices and/or games (think of the football games/practices around Knoch Park).
Thanks for your efforts.
In 2004 I was diagnosed with colon cancer. I survived the operation and have been on a regimen for four years. So far, so good. My Oncologist addressed the causes. I had been under heavy stress for twenty years, owning a high pressure warehousing-fulfillment business. I had recently closed the company and retired. But the cancer was my legacy. My diet had been bad for years, and the stress I had been under was enormous. He spoke with me at length about ways to prevent a reoccurrence of cancer. I mentioned that I had been a gardener years before in Naperville, at the garden plots. He seized on this. He recommended that I return to gardening at the Community Garden Plots. He also got a garden plot. He said that I should improve my diet by eating high fiber vegetables from the garden, and that I should relax, and enjoy the exercise. This was four years ago. The garden plots have, I think have been instrumental in my prevention of further cancer. I see my Oncologist at night, gardening his plot after a long day at the hospital. He is a busy man. He has an end plot. He parks his SUV and shines his headlights on the garden. He has good results. He came through on his promise to garden. We compare our results when we meet. This is all good. Thank God for the garden plots. Thanks also that they are so close to Edward Hospital.
Al
Please send your thoughts to: Info@NaperGardens.com
Copyright 2008, Save Naperville Gardens on West Street E-Mail: Info@NaperGardens.com
