In Philadelphia, Doris and Mary from the Penn State Urban Gardening Program worked with volunteer Lisa to conduct Garden Mosaics. They partnered with the summer Park Management Program for Youth at the Cobbs Creek Community Environmental Education Center. Nine youth worked with gardeners at the Senior Citizens garden and at Cobbs Creek Neighbors garden. Both gardens are in Fairmount Park in West Philadelphia, and together they encompass about ¾ acre. Although the gardens share a common water source, they operate independently. The Senior Citizens garden was founded in 1985 with the help of the Korean Community Development Services. The following year, a group of African Americans started the Cobbs Creek Neighbors garden adjacent to the Senior Citizens garden with help from the Pennsylvania Horticulture Society.

Senior Citizens Garden
If you visit the Senior Citizens garden, the first thing you will notice is the raised beds and neatly arranged paths. When you look closer, you will see that the paths are lined with buried half-gallon buckets, each one filled with gardening tools. The paths are covered with small sections of upside-down carpet. This keeps the gardeners from slipping and prevents weeds from growing between the beds. Each raised bed usually has one type of vegetable or flower, and the individual plants are grown close together. The gardeners' methods of reusing materials and saving space, as well as the plants that they grow, reflect their Korean heritage.

The youth learned about many plants from gardeners Kyong, Jin Yu, and Dae Yong. Young, a Korean-American teenager, translated what the gardeners said for the youth. The gardeners grow a variety of vegetables, herbs, and flowers, including pumpkins, edible chrysanthemum (or Ssukat in Korean), scallions, hot peppers, cucumbers, eggplants, sesame (wild sesame), tomatoes, "dulkay" (Korean basil), Asian melon, peas, taro, green beans, corn, okra, and "ginseng" (Chinese bellflower or balloon flower). The taro, peppers, ginseng, and other herbs need to be started indoors in February as they require a longer growing season. Taro, for example, is a tropical plant, and the gardeners use its root in soups.

The gardeners save seeds from the garden as well as obtain seeds from Korea. When it's dry, they use hoses to water their plants in the morning or evening. By pulling weeds and then leaving them on the soil to decompose, they recycle nutrients. The gardeners also add fertilizers such as cow manure and compost from their large compost pile. Bugs are controlled with an insecticidal dust. The gardeners use sticks and bamboo to make trellises that support climbing plants, and they recycle old crates to keep pumpkins off the ground. Each fall, the gardeners have a harvest festival to celebrate the growing season.

Cobbs Creek Neighbors Garden
Mr. Addison, the garden manager, introduced the youth to gardeners Moody, Isaac, Charles, and Mrs. Stepteau. Many of the gardeners grew up on farms in South Carolina and their garden plots resemble farm fields. The plants are grown in rows separated by wide spaces. This makes it possible for a rototiller to cultivate and keep the soil loose and free of weeds. Many of the gardeners' crops reflect their southern heritage and they continue to get some of their seeds "down south." For example, Mrs. Stepteau grows cowpeas, climbing and bush beans, okra, and turnip greens. Other gardeners grow collards, butter (or lima) beans, black-eyed peas, lima beans, sweet potatoes, mustard greens, kale, and sweet corn. The gardeners also grow common vegetables such as tomatoes, eggplant, cucumbers, bell peppers, onions, squash, cabbage, beets, and lettuce. Because of vandalism and a lack of space, they do not grow many fruits, but there are some strawberries. They also grow several flowers and some mint.

The growing season generally begins in April and ends in October. Some greens, such as collards, kale, and turnips, are started in beds in the early spring. These hearty greens survive a light frost and continue to grow into November. During the growing season, the gardeners use a hose to fill large barrels, and then use buckets to water their plants. Lime is added to the barrels to keep mosquito larvae from growing. The gardeners often water in the early morning and evenings. Wood chips and mulch also help to keep the soil moist. All the gardeners add fertilizer or manure to their plots. They weed by hand because they feel weed killer would harm their vegetables. They then place the weeds on the soil to decompose, thus adding nutrients back into the soil. To control insect pests, such as army worms and leaf hoppers, the gardeners use an insecticidal dust that they sprinkle directly onto a wet plant.

The gardeners visit the garden nearly every day. They work hard at keeping their plants healthy and their plots free of weeds. They share their harvest not only among friends and family, but also with their community and fellow church members. They also find time to socialize in the garden and enjoy each others' company by the benches and picnic tables. Last summer, the youth often sat in the shade with the gardeners and listened to the their stories. While listening, they sampled tomatoes and other freshly picked vegetables, as well as a slice of Master Gardener Mary's zucchini bread (made with zucchinis from the garden!). At the end of the season, Mr. Addison organizes a large picnic and barbecue for friends and family of the gardeners. Up to 200 people come to the garden for this event!

By spending time with both the African-American and Korean gardeners, the youth learned a lot about culture and gardening. They found that both groups of gardeners gain satisfaction from their work and enjoy the social aspects of gardening. As one gardener noted, "there's always a party going on." All of the gardeners share their produce among themselves and the broader community. They also appreciate the help that they receive from community organizations. Although the two gardens may look completely different and reflect unique approaches to growing food, the youth were able to observe many similarities. At the end of their program, the youth shared their experiences with others at the Cobbs Creek Environmental Education Center.