Do you grow a food garden in your front yard? Do you have neighbors within walking or biking distance who also grow a food garden? Then it’s time to get your tomatoes together and apply to be on the 2014 Edible Front Yard Garden Tours sponsored by the Food Action Team Garden Group of the Corvallis Sustainability Coalition.
This summer will mark the third year for the tours, which take place in July and August. Each tour is held in the early evening, features five to six gardens, and lasts approximately two hours. Tours are free and attendees are encouraged to walk or bike if able.
Owen Dell, chair of the Garden Group, has been with the Corvallis Sustainability Coalition since last year. His two standards for being included on the tour are short and sweet: edible and beautiful. Not that this is an easy task. To help with design and management of the gardens, this year they are offering a coaching program. “We are going to have a coach for each individual garden, so the person working with one home is familiar with their garden and can help it through the whole process,” said Dell.
The topic of sustainability and community is vital. According to Dell, “In Corvallis, we have a three-day food supply. Most cities do. What do we do on the fourth day?” He wants the tours to be an inspiration for a change in society. “We want to build a resilient community.”
Dell has a vast knowledge of landscape and sustainability. He owns Owen Dell & Associates, LLC, a Corvallis landscape architecture firm. He is the author of Sustainable Landscaping for Dummies, an instructional book on various ways to create your own sustainable landscape, and How to Start a Home-Based Landscaping Business.
Dell moved to Corvallis from Santa Barbara, California. “The Corvallis Sustainability Coalition is a big reason—a specific reason—why I came to Corvallis. This community in particular gets things done.”
For more information about the Edible Front Yard Garden Tour or to sign up to be a garden host or garden coach, email owen@owendell.com or call 541-602-3575.
By Mandy Clark
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