Since this post was originally published, I’ve learned that the photos I’d taken were not from Geraldson’s Community Farm, but from a different, privately owned, Geraldson’s Farm in the area. Therefore, I’ve withdrawn those photos, leaving just the following text.

Many ideas from “our” generation–folks who were young way back in the 60s–are finally becoming mainstream. Remember food Co-ops? They were groups of individuals who would pool their resources to buy food in bulk at lower prices which they then shared. They still exist, some in a more commercial form such as the Kokua Market, a natural foods cooperative in Honolulu I used to shop at when I lived there just a few years ago.

I’ve learned of a related idea that is a whole new experience for me: a farm cooperative! This quote from the “Community Supported Agriculture” document in the USDA National Agricultural Library by the Alternative Farming Systems Information Center explains the concept:

“Community Supported Agriculture consists of a community of individuals who pledge support to a farm operation so that the farmland becomes, either legally or spiritually, the community’s farm, with the growers and consumers providing mutual support and sharing the risks and benefits of food production. Typically, members or “share-holders” of the farm or garden pledge in advance to cover the anticipated costs of the farm operation and farmer’s salary. In return, they receive shares in the farm’s bounty throughout the growing season, as well as satisfaction gained from reconnecting to the land and participating directly in food production. Members also share in the risks of farming, including poor harvests due to unfavorable weather or pests. By direct sales to community members, who have provided the farmer with working capital in advance, growers receive better prices for their crops, gain some financial security, and are relieved of much of the burden of marketing.”

This article, Down on the County Farm by Brian Ries, Creative Loafing, June 14, 2006, is a “must read.” It explains the history of Geraldson’s becoming a community farm. Included in this explanation are mention of the individuals who had the vision, energy, and follow-through to make this happen. The article also has a hand-drawn plan from its inception and an aerial shot of how the farm looked back in 2006 before being developed as a community farm. Additional details are available in this June, 14, 2006 article from the The Bradenton Herald: “Family’s Property May Become Community Farm.”

Here is a PDF of the presentation given to the Manatee County Board of County Commissioners back in 2006 prepared by Florida West Coast Resource Conservation and Development Council of the Geraldson Community Farm Conceptual Management Plan. What I like about this presentation is that it’s not dense prose; it’s typical presentation bulleting, which makes it easy to absorb the highlights of the content. Among the many things it discusses are the different models for community farm research (you’ll also see these models mentioned in the other articles I’ve linked to here):

• Small acreage
• Suburban location
• Agricultural history
• Public ownership
• Community involvement
• Business success
• Educational programs

The Geraldson’s Community Farm (1401 99th St. NW, Bradenton, FL 34209; map) Geraldson’s Community Farm website is a beauty, visually and organizationally. It fully explains the concept, the cost of individual shares, pickups, payments, and complete facts about the operation, including newsletter, recipes, and opportunities for jobs and volunteering.

These two pages from the Local Harvest website–Geraldson Community Farm and Community Supported Agriculture–summarize the details of the cooperative. These pages are very recent, last updated May 26, 2009.

The Florida West Coast Resource Conservation & Development Council, which, through the efforts of Laura Morton of the USDA and coordinator for the Florida West Coast Resource Conservation and Development Council, was instrumental in the conception and execution of this idea, has a useful page, “Creating an entrepreneurial local food and agriculture economy,” that has some very good links on the concept of cooperative farming. See the Creative Loafing article mentioned at the beginning of this post for more about Laura Morton.

Perhaps the most important link I found while researching this post was this PDF from the Sarasota County Agriculture Extension service. (You’ve heard me sign the Pinellas County Extension’s praise a number of times with their willingness to help me identify plants and trees.)

This 2009 PDF, WHERE TO FIND LOCAL AND ORGANIC FOODS, lists farms where one can buy locally grown food in Sarasota, Manatee, Desoto, Hillsborough, and Pinellas counties. (I wasn’t aware there were any farms in Pinellas county!) It also lists the Community Farmers’ Markets and Food Buying Clubs/Co-ops for those same counties as well as giving a number of web-based resources on local foods. If you are interested in “locavore” buying, this is one PDF you’ll want to print out and keep handy!

I know, for sure, that to my To Do list I’ve added:

• Find the nearest food co-op!
• Visit the co-op farms in Pinellas County!

(Note: all the individual pictures in this post link to larger images in Flickr; just click on the smaller images you see here.)

CHILEAN FLAMINGOS

A BOTANICAL EXPERIENCE

That’s the “tag line” for the St. Petersburg Sunken Gardens. It’s well chosen. The afternoon I first visited the St. Petersburg Sunken gardens, was following a particularly stressful job interview and negotiations. I bought my ticket to the gardens—actually, I bought a year pass which I’ll discuss shortly—and entered into four acres of solitude and reflection right in the heart of downtown St. Pete. Slowly walking along winding paths that conceal then reveal verdant surprises, the tranquility helped me make up my mind about how to proceed with the issues that led me to seek some respite. The experience totally satisfied my need for garden paths, ivy covered rugged stone walls, miniature water fall fountains, and koi ponds. The Sunken Gardens botanical experience was exactly what I needed that day.

It was apparently what other people needed, too. A small troop of kindergarteners immediately fell silent upon walking into this magical world. A middle aged woman and her mother spending an afternoon together walked about. A soon-to-be bride and groom and their best-man and bridal attendant where there checking out the area where weddings are conducted. The occasional other single senior, such as myself, moseyed about, taking pictures, sitting on benches, or just standing, listening to the birds.

BOUGAINVILLEA	CAMELLIA
HOSTA	CURCUMA GINGER

HISTORY

Here’s a quote from the Sunken Gardens brochure about the history of the attraction:

“Sunken Gardens has been a landmark in St. Petersburg since 1935, when it officially opened as Turner’s Sunken Gardens. In 1903, the four acre property was purchased by George Turner, Sr., a plumber, who was an avid gardener. He drained a shallow lake, that dropped 15 feet below street level to provide a rich soil to grow fruits and exotic plants from all over the world. By 1924, his amazing garden was attracting visitors who paid 25 cents for a stroll through the beautiful, lush gardens. Papayas, citrus and exotic plants brought the tropics to this subtropical area. Grover heaters were brought in to heat the magnificent Royal Palms, bougainvillea and other cold sensitive tropical plants during the winter. The garden became world renowned for its unique collection of plants and colorful blooms. In the 1950s, exotic wildlife was added to the growing botanical attraction… In 1998, Sunken Gardens was designated a local historic landmark, and in 1999 it was purchased by the City of St. Petersburg.”

There are 24 different areas of the botanical gardens. My personal favorites are the Chilean flamingos, the parrots and other exotic birds, the bromeliads, the lily ponds, the various koi ponds and miniature waterfall fountains, the Japanese garden, the arched bridge, the little spots to meditate and rest, the tropical fruit garden, and the butterfly garden.

Adjoining the gift shop for the Sunken Gardens is the Great Explorations Children’s Museum. Although it is adjoining the gardens, it is completely separate physically so the quietude of Sunken Gardens is preserved.

LOTUS BLOSSOM (WATER LILY)

WATER HYACINTH, NOT YET IN BLOOM

WEDDINGS & PRIVATE PARTIES

Another quote from their literature describes their facilities for weddings and private parties:

“Since 1935, Sunken Gardens has been a favorite setting for exchanging those special vows…The Garden Room, a great location for your banquet or reception, is located in the historic 1926 main building. It was designed keeping its history in mind, creating a loft-like feel with high wood ceilings and metal beams. Overlooking the exquisite gardens, this special room’s uniqueness makes it unlike any other wedding experience.”

BENCH AMONG FERNS AND PALMS WITH MONSTERA VINE GROWING UP TREE

MORE LINKS FOR ST. PETERSBURG SUNKEN GARDENS

The following are the best links I found for additional information and reviews of the Sunken Gardens.

• official website
• Classic Gardens
• About.com’s Sunken Gardens entry
• RoadsideAmerica.com’s Sunken Gardens entry
• Wikipedia Sunken Gardens entry

ONE OF MANY WATER FOUNTAINS

OTHER GARDENS

I find it particularly interesting that the Sunken Gardens began as a non-commercial enterprise, the private garden of an individual expressing their love of the garden experience. My sister’s website, Lava to Lilikoi (lavalily.com/) covers her own garden and farming on the side of a volcano on the Big Island (the Island of Hawaii) in the state of Hawaii. Weekly, she chronicles her gardening in photos and narrative. She has also had posts on private gardens of other people (mostl in Hawaii) that show the kind of personal devotion to gardening George Turner, Sr. had with what became, eventually, the St. Pete Sunken Gardens. Please take a peek at these posts of Lucy’s on some lovely private gardens:

• Yard Sculpture
• Shangri-La Hawai`i Style
• McDaniel Farmette
• From the Alps to the Tropics
• Happy Birthday Inga
• A Self Proclaimed Neophyte
• The Velvet Touch

I know absolutely nothing about plants or flowers. I’m just a person who loves to bask in their beauty and oxygen. But, Lucy is the opposite in that regard. Horticulture is definitely one of her things! She helped me identify the flowers in the pictures I took for this post. But, even she wasn’t entirely certain of a couple so if we made a mistake, please let us know.

WATER FOUNTAINS AND STONE WALLS

YEARLY PASS BENEFITS

I don’t buy many yearly passes to local attractions, but I bought one for the St. Petersburg Sunken Gardens. For a senior, it’s only $35 ($40 for non-seniors; $50 for Family, that includes membership for two adults in the same household and dependent children through the 12th grade or two grandparents with their grandchildren—which I think is a lovely idea). The annual membership is much, much more than free admission for one year. It also includes invitation to members-only events, discounts on special workshops, 10% discount in the gift shop, the newsletter and access to horticultural information. What sold me on buying an annual membership, however, was the free admission to over 145 botanical gardens participating in the American Horticultural Society Reciprocal Admissions Program (reciprocal program brochure). In Florida, alone, there are 16 participating gardens, including the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens just across the Skyway Bridge down in Sarasota and the Florida Botanical Gardens up in the northern part of the county that I covered in the Inkwatu Florida Botanical Gardens post.

KOI

BECOMING A BENEFACTOR (INDIVIDUAL AND CORPORATE)

There are also joint plans that combine the gardens with tickets to Great Explorations. It is especially important in a depressed economy that those who can donate to educational causes such as the Sunken Gardens do so. They have a variety of options from Contributing members at only $100, that gives you a family membership plus 5 free admissions guest passes, up through Private Benefactor, that includes quite a number of special privileges, and Corporate Benefactor, that includes such really nice features as a special employee day with free admission and special activities, company signs during special events, complimentary individual memberships for employees, and several other benefits.

CALADIUM (ELEPHANT EAR)

COMING EVENTS

There are a number of workshops and special shows throughout the year, most of which are either free with the annual membership or offered at a discount with the membership. One coming up in March which I plan to attend and cover in Inkwatu is the Orchid Festival, Sunday, March 22, 10am to 4:30pm. which features commercial orchid growers from Florida, lectures throughout the day and thousands of orchids for sale. It will be free with paid daily admission: $8 adults, $6 seniors (55+), $4 children (2-11) or free for annual members.

Sunken Gardens is located at 1825 4th St. N., St. Petersburg, FL 33704; general information 727-551-3102; wedding and rental information: (727) 551-3106. It is open Monday through Saturday 10am to 4:30pm and Sunday, noon to 4:30pm.

PELARGONIUM (GERANIUM)