MOORPARK : Panel to Discuss Public Garden Site

Moorpark residents who don’t have yards to grow vegetables may soon be able to till a plot in the city’s first community garden.

The city’s public works committee is scheduled tonight to discuss allowing residents to establish a community garden on part of the 69-acre site for Arroyo Vista Community Park, Director of Public Works Kenneth C. Gilbert said.

The undeveloped park site is adjacent to the Arroyo Simi flood channel just east of Tierra Rejada Road.

The city became involved after residents approached Councilman Bernardo M. Perez and asked if the city had access to land that could be used for a communal garden plot. The City Council recently directed staff to look for a site.

About 10 families have expressed interest in participating in the enterprise, said Robert Vickers, one of the project’s organizers.

A community garden would be an inexpensive source of fresh vegetables for families who have been hurt by the recession, said Vickers, who was laid off from a computer sales job 1 1/2 years ago.

In addition, the effort could feed a sense of community spirit, he said.

“This would be a perfect way . . . to get people together, to slow down the pace of life,” Vickers said.

Vickers, who is working toward an associate’s degree in environmental science at Moorpark College, said his dream is for a pesticide-free garden that is fertilized with compost made from food scraps and yard waste.

He hopes that the group can get at least a half-acre plot for planting tomatoes, radishes, onions, eggplant and possibly fruit trees.

Organizing the project, such as deciding what to grow, will take time, Vickers said. But residents could plant this season if they are able to start soon.

“The key is getting the land,” he said.