Get Growing with Garden Tenders

Once a week in February, Michelle Tencza would hop in her car after work and head down to Philadelphia for PHS’s Garden Tenders class. Although the two-hour trek from her hometown in northern New Jersey could be arduous at times, Michelle wasn’t willing to miss a single meeting.

Michelle’s enthusiasm is typcial of the 2,000 men and women who have become Garden Tenders. Now in its eleventh year, the PHS project hopes to add to its ranks with spring and summer sessions.

Initiation into Garden Tenders starts with the basic training course designed for community groups and individuals who want to improve their neighborhoods by turning vacant lots into community gardens. Participants attend five classroom sessions and take a tour of the city’s finest green spaces.

“We started Garden Tenders to serve those who wanted to beautify and utilize the vacant land in their neighborhood. If they have the drive, we provide the knowledge and resources to create something extraordinary,” says Sally McCabe, project coordinator at PHS and head instructor of the course.

Garden Tenders is as much about organization and networking as it is about horticulture. Graduates will have assembled all the portfolios, plans, and petitions that are essential in getting such a tremendous undertaking off—or in—the ground. Garden Tenders also stresses the importance of maintenance and appropriate care to ensure a garden’s sustainability.

As a result of this winning technique, nearly 100 community gardens have been established throughout the region, a fifth of the city’s total. Instrumental to these successes is the Neighborhood Gardens Association/A Philadelphia Land Trust. NGA helps community groups research the ownership of unused land and, in some cases, has purchased garden plots to protect them from development.

Incredible neighborhood improvements have occurred due to the gardens. Take, for instance, the Thompson Street Senior Peace Garden, established by Debbie Thomas in North Fairmount. To counter the drug trafficking and vandalism that was plaguing her neighborhood, Debbie decided to take Garden Tenders basic training, secure a vacant space, and be the catalyst for change. Now the lot is attracting the right kind of attention, and residents are reveling in the bistro-style seating, rows of fresh herbs, and stunning mosaics.

“Garden Tenders has improved the lives of so many of us, especially in the neighborhoods that have problems with drugs and violence. The gardens give us hope that things can and will get better,” Debbie says. “I go to each incoming Garden Tenders class to tell my story and let them know all they’re capable of.”

Debbie proves that even after training is complete, Garden Tenders remains an important part of the graduates’ lives. Alumni often call each other to pass on helpful gardening tips or news of a great plant sale. They also partake in the continuing education opportunities PHS offers, such as the City Gardening Series and Garden Tenders’ Third Thursday workshops, which run from March through December.

“I’ve made some really good friends at basic training. Together we visit parks and arboretums and help each other with our gardens. It’s a great support system,” says Garden Tenders graduate Corrine Fields, whose Lindenwood Gardens has done wonders for Southwest Philadelphia.

“I’ve been doing this type of work for nearly 30 years, and I’m still amazed at the good will it generates,” Sally says. “At Garden Tenders, we love to help people who are willing to help themselves, their neighborhoods, and the city.”

To get involved with Garden Tenders, contact the Education Services department at PHS. Please call 215-988-8846, or click here.