By Brandolon  Barnett    

A conversation with Kelly Clemons of Deep Ellum Urban Gardens on the inspiration for the Urban Gardens project, the goals of the Deep Ellum Urban Garden, and the status of the group's fundraising efforts.

A rendering of the completed Deep Ellum Urban Gardens. This dream still needs support.

Plenty of groups and individuals give lip service to efforts at greening urban spaces. In Deep Ellum, the Deep Ellum Urban Gardens are more than just talk. A dream of the Deep Ellum Urban Gardens group and the Deep Ellum Community Association, this project is well on its way to becoming an established reality providing the kind of urban green space urban residents of Deep Ellum and all of North Texas can enjoy for years. In the midst of a heady fundraising campaign with only five days remaining (be sure to visit their campaign page if you'd like to support their efforts - http://www.crowdtilt.com/public/oza), Kelly Clemons took some time to speak with Green Source about the project. In this Green Source conversation she shares with us the inspiration for the project, the goals of the Deep Ellum Urban Garden, and updates us on the groups fundraising efforts.

Can you talk about the history of the Deep Ellum Urban Garden? What was the inspiration and how old is the concept?

The Deep Ellum Urban Gardens (DUG) and the Deep Ellum Community Association (DECA) teamed up last fall with the 15 muralled planters that are currently located throughout the neighborhood with the idea that these mini-gardens would act as a gateway into bringing more green space into the Deep Ellum community. We weren’t really sure how long it would take us to evolve that project into a real community garden, but we were excited about the possibilities that the planters opened up for business owners in the neighborhood to be growing their own ornamental plants and herbs. Around June 2011, we began the process of approaching TXDOT about obtaining the usage of the 2620 Canton median, which will be location of Phase I of the DUG community gardens. We are currently in the process of entering into an agreement with the City of Dallas for the usage of both the 2620 Canton location and also a property that is located just north of the Deep Ellum fire station, which will become Phase II of the DUG community gardens. We plan to start building Phase II approximately two years after completing Phase I, which will be completed and ready for planting in the Spring of 2012.

Our inspiration is simple. Deep Ellum is a neighborhood that does community well. We are a tight-knit group of folks that loves to hang out, and a community garden will offer a new gathering place where people are able to grow their own food and get to know one another in an environment that has never been offered in this historically unique neighborhood.

How much support has the cause received from the local
co mmunity?

The Deep Ellum neighborhood has been very supportive. We have had nothing but encouragement and support from the local businesses and residents. All of the planters were built by local volunteers and muralled by local artists. We have received donations from local businesses like La Grange, Sonus Printing and Canne Rosso and from local property owners like TXON, Westdale and Madison Partners. We have also been given a $4,500 grant by the Deep Ellum TIF fund for start-up costs. Overall, the Deep Ellum Urban Gardens is a project that the whole neighborhood is getting behind, and we are all excited about its future.


Do you see this as a sign of broader desire for change towards more sustainable living in DFW/North Texas? What kind of feedback are you getting?

The Deep Ellum Urban Gardens was birthed from a group of people who desire to live a sustainable lifestyle amongst an urban atmosphere with limited green space. I feel like DFW/North Texas is becoming more and more educated in what it means to be responsible for their health as individuals, while respecting the world around them, and this mirrors the mission and vision of the Deep Ellum Urban Gardens. The feedback that we are getting from the Dallas area as a whole is that this is something that they want to see happening more and more , especially in the urban settings.

What are your immediate goals and how can anyone interested help? (volunteering, donating, upcoming events, etc.)

We are currently in a funding campaign with Crowdtilt, a local fund-raising organization. Our overall monetary goal for building the DUG community garden and maintaining it for the first year is $25,000; however, the “tilt” amount that we chose for this campaign is $10,000. We have 5 more days to make our campaign tilt, and we are currently about $4,000 away from that goal. So, our immediate needs are financial contributions or supplies/services donations that will help us begin the permit and building process of Phase I of the community gardens at 2620 Canton (See email attachment for renderings).

The link to our campaign with Crowdtilt is: http://www.crowdtilt.com/public/oza 

Kelly Clemons works with Deep Ellum Urban GardensBrandolon Barnett is Assistant Editor & Interactive Communications Manager for Green Source DFW. You can send questions, comments, or story ideas to - brandolon@greensourcedfw.org