Sam Fromartz is a Virginia Avenue community garden member and author of the book “Organic, Inc.: Natural Foods and How They Grew.” He is also involved with the Save Virginia Avenue Park initiative; the U.S. Marines are weighing plans to construct residential barracks on the park grounds in the Capitol Riverfront area in Southeast D.C.
How did the garden come about?
The park was pretty neglected by the city, and about six years ago a small group of people approached the Department of Parks and Recreation about creating a small garden. In the first few years, the park was really run-down. There was some drug activity — it was kind of a scary place to go. The garden was one of the first places to change that.
So the garden is popular?
[There’s a] multiyear waiting list. There are obviously a lot of people wanting to get into it.
How’s the progress been in its development?
Business leaders got into a ‘renovate the park’ movement. In the subsequent six years, the garden has really expanded. Green space is especially important to this neighborhood as it develops and more people move in. There isn’t really park space in that [area] right now. [Recently], a dog park was constructed at the end of the park. A lot of public parks had been used as dog parks, which isn’t legal or appropriate.
How did the book come about?
I wrote a book about organic food — [the] expanding organic food industry, and that’s what launched my interest in farming and gardening. Toward the end of the book process, I got involved in the garden. In our household, we grow a good deal of our food from May to October. – David Sherfinski
