Charlie

Urban Agriculture

You have an urban green thumb.

Tirelessly tending your crops…which happens to be a terra cotta pot of basil beside your kitchen sink.

Oh! But how you yearn for something more. A green space, bursting with lush plants and sun ripened tomatoes just perfect for picking. If only there were a downtown garden you could call your own.

Enter the Bogarden. A vacant lot turned urban agricultural oasis on the corner of Bogard and Rutledge.

Neighbors Matt Gregory, Jono Watson and Fritz Stine noticed the empty lot and, pardon our pun, let the idea for an urban garden grow.

“It is a private lot, so I just went onto the Geographic Information System on the county website and looked up the lot information. It told me exactly who owned it. All I had to do at that point was call the owner. He was way excited about the idea,” says founder Fritz Stine, sounding more like an agricultural super-sleuth than volunteer gardener.

Then there was the matter of what to name the newly created garden.

“I love to play with words, and with the location being on Bogard, it only seemed natural to add the ‘en,’” says Gregory.

Maintained by about 30 volunteers from the surrounding neighborhood, the Bogarden is an open community garden.

Meander through the well kept, mulch and brick paths which wind through the garden and it’s hard to remember a time when this space sat empty. Now, filled with plywood constructed vegetable beds and hand painted signs labeling each plot as either public or private (even local pizzeria D’Allesandros has one) the garden is truly a community space. All that, with a side of whimsy.

Since all supplies are donated, a few items stick out as a bit unexpected. This is definitely not your suburban mother’s backyard garden.

First there’s the boat. Although now it holds several happy vegetable plants. And, of course, the craps table which now also houses a few plants. If ever you needed reminding of what happens when creativity, recycling and a limited budget come together…take a second glance at this garden.

Striving for an “urban farm” feel, founders of the Bogarden chose to stick mostly to edibles – tomatoes, watermelon, okra, hot and sweet peppers, just to name a few – although plans are in the works to expand flower beds and add several herbs.

Neighbors and locals from across the city are all welcome to the garden. On any given morning, a handful of volunteers casually assemble to water the beds and keep weeds at bay. It’s all pretty casual around the garden – do what needs to be done, make sure the plants are healthy, and forget just for a moment that you’re in the middle of downtown Charleston.

Now, the next time your green thumb needs something more than a terra cotta basil pot? Wander to the Bogarden to help out for a few hours, and take home the best fresh veggies in the city.

To get involved, either stop by the Bogarden anytime or email thebogarden@gmail.com.

Looking for other Lowcountry community gardens? Visit Hyperlocalfood.blogspot.com.

Story by: Caroline Millard
Photos by: Wendy Mogul