The Jefferson Street Oasis Community Garden took heavy damage on July 30 after youth from the community in Springfield broke in.
In response, some of the 160 garden members decided to turn the incident into a learning experience for the teens.
“That's how the world works," said Terry Fredrich, the garden's founder and manager. "Let's just get to know each other, let's find out why it happened and let's make it right.”
Fredrich said from what they have been told, the four teens involved had allegedly been throwing rocks and using foul language in the parking lot of the community garden when gardeners on site took notice called the police.
"I don't think any of those four boys were hauled away or anything like that, but [they were] given a lot of warning," he said. "But evidently they got together one evening and planned out the act of vandalism."
The damage included kicking in a gate, slicing the greenhouse and some fencing as well as destroying multiple crops and their growing structures.
"They targeted that and just knocked everything over that they could, including sunflowers," Fredrich said. "In the process of doing that, they would be stepping on or kicking cabbage, broccoli — a lot of the brassicas took a real toll."
Now, the kids involved have been working hand-in-hand with neighbors to rebuild the Jefferson Street Oasis. That includes digging potatoes and cleaning up fencing or vertical planting structures.
"It really has kind of been a blessing in the disguise. You get to know them on an individual basis more," said Fredrich. "Some of them are just absolutely wonderful workers, believe it or not."
Fredrich said they were not interested in any monetary restitution and that this arrangement has allowed them to “make things right” while helping the kids channel their energy in a positive way.
“We were more interested in them having a better, closer relationship with those who live in this community, quite frankly," he said. "Because we are a very big part of the community and we want to have a very positive relationship.”
According to Fredrich, the community garden plans to install better gates and security cameras and is working on fundraisers and accepting donations to pay for those updates.
"We're raising money also for a building to put that 45-horsepower tractor [in]," he said. "So that equipment, the bigger stuff, trailers — even two dump trucks now — that needs space to get it stored instead of just sitting outside, which is vulnerable then to whatever might happen if somebody breaks in."
These funds would help the garden expand its security outside of its typical grants from small local foundations, churches and private individuals.
The community garden on West Jefferson Street has been operating since 2010 as part of a partnership with the Children's Rescue Center.
It was founded on the concept of an allotment design, which allows for different sizes of garden plots. Over the years, the number of plots has grown from four to over 80, and the garden is currently holding a waitlist of at least four or five years.
The highly coveted membership offers gardeners their own plot with free seed starters and initial tillage. Gardeners are also able to take advantage of the site's 175 egg-laying chickens.
"These eggs are provided on a rotation basis to our gardeners free of charge," said Fredrich. "And they're pastured eggs, so that's even better."
He said the garden produces between 12,000 and 15,000 pounds of fresh produce each year, much of which is either consumed by gardeners and their families or donated to seniors and churches in the community.
In addition to family or individual plots, the organization built a children's garden, which includes a cottage and over 20 raised beds with volunteer teachers to help local kids experience growing their own food.
The garden also offers members classes on how to stretch their harvest each year.
"We have about 30 classes a year," said Fredrich. "A majority of them are taught by individuals that have plots out here, but they've been doing it for a long time and they have been preserving food for a long time."
Fredrich said the Jefferson Street Oasis also completed six new wheelchair-accessible raised beds with the help of the OSU Extension office.
"We also bring in OSU Extension to teach the food safety parts and the safety of canning," he said, "whether it be pressure canning or water bath canning."
More information about the garden's fundraisers and projects can be found on the organization's Facebook page.
