by: Emily Ramelb, Communications + Development Manager
ID: City Sprouts staff members renovating the City Sprouts South garden space in 2023, leveling the ground, filling fresh soil in new raised beds.
[Omaha, Neb.] - After nearly ten years of growth at the City Sprouts South Community Garden (1815 N Street), the Latino Center of the Midlands will take the lead in the garden’s next chapter.
Historically a landfill, City Sprouts began cleaning and cultivating the space in 2015. Over time, and with the help of dedicated community members and volunteers, City Sprouts South grew into what it is today - a community space for folks to enjoy the great outdoors, grab healthy snacks straight from the vine, and connect with one another.
“My favorite memories revolve around the conversations, laughs, and time I got to share with the garden crew volunteers and visitors,” says Edgar Romero Gonzalez, City Sprouts South Manager & Assistant Educator, “The smiles and positive energy they brought into the garden taught me the importance of teamwork, caring for one another, and the great things we can accomplish when we work together.”
Within the last year, City Sprouts has revitalized the community garden space by redesigning the central garden layout, replacing the original wood-raised beds, revitalizing the soil using regenerative soil health practices, and adding native perennials to build and protect local pollinator habitats.
Those improvements created a more open concept welcoming visitors to enjoy the space, learn various growing techniques and sustainable practices, and harvest their own fresh, organic produce throughout the growing seasons.
“I am proud to say that we helped grow the Latino Center’s Siembra Salud program by sharing our garden space and resources, teaming up for greater community impact,” says Romero Gonzalez. “I taught the Siembra Salud interns basic gardening principles to carry back to their family gardens, hosted materials and tool distribution events, and offered raised beds to the families interested in sharing ownership of the space.”
ID: City Sprouts South Manager & Assistant Educator, Edgar Romero Gonzalez, teaching a raised bed building workshop at City Sprouts South, 2023.
As City Sprouts continues to grow on their new 6.8 acre urban farm in northeast Omaha and community garden on 40th and Franklin streets, the Latino Center of the Midlands will carry the torch and continue to build on the foundation laid there all those years ago.
“City Sprouts continues to look for ways to maximize our impact within the Omaha community as we focus on tackling food insecurity with urban agriculture,” shares Marissa Jensen, City Sprouts Executive Director. “We continue to increase our efforts and the amount of produce grown at our urban farm which directly relates to the impact we can have on community members. We are excited about the passing of care of the Dorothy Patach Environmental Center to the Latino Center of the Midlands and look forward to watching the continued growth of that space and offering support where needed."
To learn more about current City Sprouts happenings and ways to get involved, please contact the City Sprouts team at info@omahasprouts.org.
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