Shepherd Park Garden Project

The Shepherd Park Garden Project was started on December 31, 2019 with the guerilla planting of a handful of fruit and nut trees. From humble beginnings it is growing tree by tree into a forest garden, orchard, butterfly garden, arboretum, and much more.

My vision is for it to demonstrate the potential of a public space when individuals in a community take positive ownership. The purpose of the project is to pull people into connection with nature, demonstrate the abundance of the gift economy, and shift the collective perspective about “public” land(putting ownership back in the hands of the individuals in community).
I also see it serving as a model for utilizing the abundant waste stream resource of tree chippings to revitalize and nurture public spaces.

Although I am spearheading the project, I am also building a “Mulch Moving Militia”. Others are joining me and stepping to the “front line” for improving soil and giving back to the Earth. Over 200 cubic yards of mulch have been spread in the park. Both to protect the existing trees from the continual damage of the lawn mowers and to stop the erosion the maintenance has caused.

Nothing pulls people into connection better than receiving gifts. In the future, the gifts of mulch and careful planting will be returned with abundant fruit. The growing orchard contains figs, apples, pear, elderberry, mulberry, satsuma, kumquat, lemon, loquat, persimmon, plum, pineapple guava, and blueberry. Already there is fruit on some of the trees, but like all good relationships, the focus is on the giving. I just want to nurture it to its highest potential.

This is a relational project that is growing much more than food.
It is growing community and breaking down the destructive paradigm of monopolized ownership.
Through boundaries, interactions, communication, and feedback we navigate relationship.
We are all stakeholders and greater nurturing and connection are possible when we take ownership.

This is my park, and it is yours too.