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DESERT TIMES The Voice of Southwest Tucson
Desert Times, August 2023
Back to School Special Section Inside! INSIDE
Take a peek into the week ahead
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__________ Back to School Find out what your student needs for the new school year
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__________ Senior Resources End-of-life doula helps with the important and often overlooked details of death
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Volume 36 • Number 7
Senior Resource Guide Inside!
Las Milpitas farm bonds the community BY KAREN SCHAFFNER
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Tucson Local Media Staff
M
elinda Englert was riding her bike on the Santa Cruz River Trail on the west side six years ago. She noticed there was a surprising mass of green foliage along one side. Curious, she stopped and peeked over the fence. There she beheld a real Tucson treasure. “I saw all this green and trees and I said, ‘Wait a second, what is this?’” she recalled. Ai Nan and Melinda Englert look on while Chris Lowen inspects a growing “I looked it up online and found cantaloupe. (Karen Schaffner/Staff) a plot and that was it. That was in 2017. I had never been part of Even city dwellers may apply to ble from the community.” a community garden or anything be farmers at Las Milpitas. CurrentEnglert added, “The priority is like that, but I’ve learned so much. ly, there are two open plots avail- on people who live within a few Gardening has become such a big able for someone to create their miles of this garden, our farm, and part of my life.” own garden. They are not small, also people who have traditionalTucked away on the west side of coming in at 4- by 20-feet. Peo- ly faced barriers to gardening and the city is 6 acres of growing space, ple grow all types of flowers and farming and that kind of experinot just for a few, but for every Tuc- vegetables, including heat-loving ence.” son-area resident who is interested melons, which are coming in right She’s also a gardener there. in gardening and farming and in now, chile peppers, okra, corn, “That could be with regard to becoming a part of a community. beans, even tomatoes. income or other groups that have At Las Milpitas de Cottonwood It’s not just growing plants that is maybe faced those kinds of barricommunity farm, a part of the important at Milpitas, however. It’s ers. They have priority over these Community Food Bank of South- also about growing community. plots.” ern Arizona, anyone can learn to “Anyone is welcome to come on Gardening here is not free, howgrow flowers or food for their own our Saturday workdays, which is ever. It does not cost dollars but table or food to sell at its monthly usually in the morning,” Ai Nan, a something even more precious: farmers market. Milpitas gardener, said. “It’s open time. Gardeners give three hours Its three key goals: increase ac- to everyone, so they can come and of labor every month to the farm, cess to healthy food, develop lead- help with our different projects, though it can be three people in ership skills among volunteers and come see the garden. We try to get a group who each work one hour workers, and teach others how to as many people involved as possi- every month. This meets the obligarden.
gation. Englert sees Las Milpitas as a kind of door to the growing experience. “There are different entry points for different people, and there is a lot of space if people just want to learn about gardening and be in this space and community before they’re ready to take that step,” Englert said. “The best way to get involved if you’re not sure you want a plot yet, if you’re not sure what this space is, and you want to learn more about it, is coming to a Saturday work day,” said Chris Lowen, Las Milpitas operations coordinator. “It’s a great entry point. Even if you are not as easily mobile or have a harder time moving around, we can find activities for you.” Working at the farm does not necessarily mean field labor. It might mean making labels for the plants in the greenhouse or other seated tasks. One of the lessons new gardeners will learn is how to keep pests under control, because pesticides are not used here. “The way we do it is we do companion planting,” Nan said. “We have all sorts of different plants that attract all sorts of different things that eat all different things so it’s more of a balance. We don’t really have a lot of pest
see LAS MILPITAS page 4