Noble Neighborhood Pocket Garden Project

This is a pilot project that attempts to rejuvenate community spirit and build property values through side-by-side front-yard garden installations approximately 6' x 6'..  By creating and maintaining beautiful spaces visible from the street, we hope to enable neighbors to communicate to themselves and passers-by that theirs is a viable, vibrant neighborhood.

The project tackles the main problem of such installations--long-term maintenance--at three levels.  The first, horticultural, calls for the installation of plants--trees and native perennials flowers--that thrive in NE Ohio, as well as soil preparation aimed at reducing weeds and the need to water frequently.. The second, homeowner commitment, calls for joint required classes on plant selection and participation in garden installation. The third, broad community, calls for participation by the wider community including high school student implementers and knowledgeable local consultants, who will provide assistance and advice for one yearr after installation.

The project is designed to become rapidly scalable.  If we succeed with 10 well-maintained garden plots, we can expand the model to 50 and 100 plots and so on throughout the Noble neighborhood. Final success will mean that we have established attractive gardens supported by a strong spirit of neighborhood cooperation as a signature attribute of the wider Noble Neighborhood.

1. Sept15-Sept 30: Two classes at the Home Repair Resource Center to select, design garden plots and to learn about maintenance.  Prepare final designs.

2. October 1-November 15 15: Initial soil tests. 10 garden installations.

3. November 2018-November 2019.  Continued followup as needed, especially during droughts.  We will be asking such questions such as: "Are the soil amendments keeping weeds at bay.?" " How is the compost maintaining moisture?"  "Which plants appear to be thriving and which not?"  "Have we  protected gardens sufficiently from deer, whether by correct plant selection or, in the case of trees, by appropriate fencing."  Our answers will help us determine how best to move forward into the rest of the community.

We believe that gardening, correctly done, builds community and property values. The Noble Neighborhood after a period of decline is now bouncing back due increased resident involvement and energy.  This project aims to accelerate that upswing by involving different levels of the community from home owners and renters to high school students.  We also believe in integrated communities, and the relatively high comfort levels between neighbors of different backgrounds and ethnicities remains one of the Noble Neighborhood's great strengths. The project aims to reinforce those comfort levels with a renewed neighborhood purpose.