Photo courtesy of Dorothy Wells/Baltimore City Master Gardeners
Baltimore celebrates its community gardens Saturday with a bike or bus - pick your favorite form of transportation - tour.
The Charm City Garden Tour begins at 2 p.m., and will be followed by a celebration at Duncan Street Miracle Garden, 1800 Duncan Street, from 5 to 7 p.m., with food donated by four restaurants and three bands.
The Baltimore City Master Gardeners have been sponsoring this veggie garden tour for 25 years, so residents can see the transformative power of community gardens.
This year, you can bike (bring your bike or rent one) to the gardens, but you must reserve a spot by calling 410-448-5663, ext 128, in advance. The cost is $15.
If you'd like a spot on the bus for the tour, you must make a reservation by calling Dorothy Wells at 410-529-4692, or mailing Betsey Heuisler at betsheuis@aol.com. The cost is $20. Meet at Cylburn Arboretum at 4915 Greenspring Ave. to board the bus.
Shuttles will return you to Cylburn from the Duncan Street Miracle Garden celebration.
(There is a $5 suggested donation for those just attending the party.)
What gardens are on the tour?
There is a garden in Ferndale that has been in existence for 15 years. Divided into 23 plots, it supports 12 families.
Carmine Gardens also in the Linken Park area, was begun by Christina Kirkland, who works with the Girl Scouts and tries to encourage young people to garden.
Radnor-Winston is a brand new garden, supporting 20 families. The gardeners send their excess produce to Cares Pantry in Govens.
The Hoop Houses at Lake Clifton High School will also be on the tour. They include three all-season unheated hoop houses where students grow vegetables and flowers for sale.
The final stop is Duncan Street, a very large community garden that brings the community together under Lewis Sharpe.