Jordan neighbors turn site of weeds, violence into community garden

"You couldn't even tell it was a garden," said crew leader Cortland Johnson as he and his crew loaded bag after bag into a truck bed. "Just looked like nothin' but weeds."

The Young Adult Conservation Corps crew spent three days on the corner of 26th and Knox Avenues North in Minneapolis whipping, pulling, raking and bagging weeds, tilling the densely compacted soil, laying down mulch and getting everything ready for the neighborhood to re-plant the Jordon Community Garden.

This corner lot has a history worse than weeds. On August 22, 2002, a riot broke out after police accidentally shot a boy during a botched drug raid at the adjacent property.

But on Friday, July 10, more than 20 volunteers - 15 of whom were North Minneapolis neighbors - came together to get their hands dirty and install over 200 plants where weeds and violence once ran rampant. Tree Trust partnered with the Jordan Area Community Council to plan and implement this neighborhood revitalization effort funded by the Pohlad Family Foundation.

Neighbors Bruce and Carolyn Pinke spent all day working in the garden. "[Volunteering is] just part of our lifestyle," said Bruce. "We just really like being part of the community." They worked with their neighbors to plant switchgrass, black-eyed Susans, purple coneflowers, limelight hydrangeas and more to renew the community space.

This isn't the first time neighbors have come together to turn this spot into a colorful gathering place for the community. In 2002, the neighborhood planted a community garden with flowers and vegetables on what was an unsightly vacant lot. Over the years, as neighbors moved away and interest waned, the weeds took control and the corner lot lapsed back into its unsightly state.

But the Jordan neighbors are committed to taking care of the plants they helped install this July. Bruce says he and his wife are not the only dedicated community members; many of their neighbors are very active in community activities and their block club and have a "desire to live in a community and work for renovation and revitalization."