GROW YOUR OWN: WORKSHOP ON GROWING FOOD IN SMALL SPACES
The Grind is a locally owned cafe in Chicago’s Lincoln Square neighborhood. Amanda co-founded a design-build firm called Grow Here!, LLC that focused on the integration of sustainable food systems into the built environment to increase access to healthy food. Collaborating with The Grind Owner, Grow Here! designed and installed food landscaping on the back patio.
Repurposed flower boxes were repaired and planted with basil and tomatoes, ingredients to be used in the soups served at the cafe. Ivy was installed to grow over and cover an old A/C unit. Water thirsty plants were installed around a leaky downspout. Thyme, lavender, and mint were installed around the HVAC unit that exhausts warm air, releasing lovely scents to the patio.
Once the plants had been established, Grow Here! used the patio to lead a community workshop on how to grow food in small urban spaces. Participants learned how to test their soil, small scale vermi-composting techniques, and were served drinks and appetizers made from ingredients harvested in the patio garden.