A big garden that operated out of a vacant lot in Boerum Hill up and moved to Williamsburg this past weekend.
Feedback Farms, a cooperative veggie-growing operation, had to vacate its old spot on Bergen Street because the lot’s owner wants to develop the land. The green thumbs involved knew that their permission to use the space was only temporary, so they sowed their seeds in portable planters that could be easily picked up and carted off, an organizer of the project said.
“We came up with a bed design where each bed fit on a pallet and could be moved with a forklift,” said Feedback Farms founder Tom Hallaran.
The crafty crew did just that on Friday and Saturday, stacking the dirt sacks in the back of a box truck and hauling them away.
The produce patch first sprouted between Third and Fourth avenues in 2012 and Hallaran is wistful about how soon he had to pack up and leave.
“We had hoped we would have a little more time here,” said Hallaran. “But that’s the way it goes in Brooklyn.”
The way the garden is set up, all members must work a certain number of hours monthly to claim a share of the edible bounty. Twelve hours of work a month nets participants a basket of fruits and vegetables every two weeks.
“You get a better yield if you organize,” said Hallaran.
During growing season, 10 members toil over several crops, including tomatoes, garlic, and kale.
One grower says the work puts her in touch with the circle of life in a way others could learn from.
“It is important that people realize where their food comes from,” said gardener Caitlin Claessens. ”If I have the skill and ability to produce food myself, that is a great asset.”
The garden’s new home is at the intersection of Porter Avenue and Ingraham Street in an industrial corner of Williamsburg. The gardeners also started an outpost on Myrtle Avenue in Bedford-Stuyvesant last year.
To learn more about gardening with Feedback Farms, email info@feedbackfarms.com.
