Community members and students in Phoenix no longer have to visit a garden in order to learn how gardening works.
Instead, a pickup truck with produce growing in its bed can travel to them.
Downtown Phoenix community garden Roosevelt Growhouse recently finished creating its own truck farm and displayed it for the first time at the Roosevelt Row Community Development Corporation’s Pie Social in early November.
This mobile gardening device was first created by Ian Cheney in 2009 after he wanted to grow his own food in New York City but found the community gardens were already full.
Utilizing green roof technology, Cheney created a farm in the bed of a truck and began using it as a way to educate people about farming. He then went on to encourage the project nationally.
Headed by nine student interns from Bioscience High School, called “greenterns,” Growhouse’s truck farm will be brought to other community events and local elementary schools in order to teach the community about gardening and where food comes from.
“It’s like a mobile Growhouse. You can’t really lift things from out of the ground, like the Growhouse itself, and take it to people, but with the farm truck you definitely can,” greentern Samanta Arroyos said.
Co-founder and director of Growhouse Kenny Barrett said the greenterns are in charge of making contact with schools and leading classroom instruction on the truck farm.
Arroyos and fellow greentern Gladys Arce explained that they will plant sunflower seeds in cups or water bottles with students as they teach about the truck farm.
“We definitely wanted something that would be hands-on because if you’re just there lecturing them … you’re most likely going to lose their attention,” Arce said.
Arroyos emphasized how the project allows them to teach about harsh chemicals used in growing many store-provided produce and how to be more self-sustaining by growing one’s own food.
“Showing people that they can be self-sustaining not only helps our environment, but it helps people as well,” she said. “It helps promote healthy eating … because you know, you put all that hard work into something, obviously you want to taste it.”
Arroyos and Arce said they want to encourage others that gardening is possible.
When they took the truck farm to the Pie Social, Arroyos said, “What I noticed was most people are really impatient or insecure with their gardening abilities.”
She cited an example of a community member who was discouraged after buying a potted flower and having it die two days later.
“It’s really hard at first, but once you plant everything and water it … it’s super easy and you see the little plants starting to grow and it’s really exciting,” Arroyos said.
The greenterns admitted that constructing the truck farm was no easy task, but once made, it is easy to maintain.
The project began after Growhouse received sponsorship from Chipotle for the current spring growing season and the following fall season.
With the organic-minded restaurant chain’s funding, Growhouse was able to purchase a farm truck from a farmer in South Phoenix and cover the vehicle’s registration and insurance costs, Barrett said.
After finding the truck, the layering of materials began.
Barrett said the truck bed was first sealed to prevent leaks and then a layer of milk crates was laid to create an air buffer.
Next, a layer of soil fabric was placed to prevent soil from falling onto the crates. Six inches of soil mixed with a filler to help maintain and keep the soil light then filled the bed.
The team planted starter plants in half of the bed “for instant gratification” and seeds in the other half “with the idea that we would kind of cycle them,” Barrett said.
This decision allows observers to see the growing process in both early and late stages at the same time.
The truck farm is currently growing lettuce, cabbage, peas, herbs and strawberries and will likely be ready for its first harvest in a couple weeks, Barrett said.
“I honestly never thought I’d be planting plants and vegetables on a truck, so it’s a pretty memorable experience,” Arce said.
The greenterns are currently in the process of planning visits to local elementary schools and developing their teaching strategies while bringing the truck farm to community events.
Contact the reporter at madeline.pado@asu.edu
