Two years ago, Phoenix CDS and our partners established a community garden in Peoria’s North Valley. During educational sessions led by Master Gardeners and Junior League of Peoria volunteers, neighborhood children and their parents enjoyed weekly sessions in the Sow to Grow Community Garden where they learned how to grow, care for, and harvest fresh vegetables and also learned to cook and prepare what they grew. In addition to increasing access to healthy, fresh food for families living in the heart of one of our city’s food deserts, the garden is a beautiful, positive space in the neighborhood.
Phoenix CDS is substantially expanding the garden onto two adjacent vacant lots at the corner of Wayne Street and NE Perry Avenue. The expanded garden will provide better access to healthy food, a greater variety of produce, and create a welcoming gathering space for the neighborhood to enjoy. The expansion includes the addition of a greenhouse to extend the growing season, benches and tables to create an outdoor classroom, solar lighting for safety, a large butterfly garden as a central focal point, a stone pathway that meanders through the space to encourage exploration, new fruit trees and fruit bushes, and additional raised beds for vegetables and herbs.
