Abundance Garden at the Union in Omaha

The Adundance Garden is a project we started at the Hyde Park Art Center in Chicago.  The concept is for the community to donate the plants that they are thinning from their garden and to donate them to establish a community perennial garden.  Once established, the garden can serve much like a library were people bring their excess plants and thin plants to take back to their gardens.

When we arrived at the Union for Contemporary Art in Omaha, there was some landscaping done by the front door.  Some of the plants grew large leaves that were overshadowing smaller plants below.

 As we showed in an earlier post, students helped us prepare the soil.

 People came and donated plants such as hostas, irises and ornamental grasses.

 As the plants came in, a wide variety of people from the community volunteered to put them in the ground.

Even after a good soak, the plants looked stressed, rightfully so with temperatures in the 90's.  But with some TLC, patirnce and some green-thumb luck, the garden will thrive.

One new friend was looking for a home for some "Superberries."  Unfortunately, the Union had not made raised beds yet, but this gentleman was quick to offer his resource for free composted horse maneur, his trailer to haul it, and some reclaimed lumber to build raised beds.

The Trading Post for GEEE at the Union in Omaha

With borrowed architectural elements and found materials, we built a Trading Post for the Big Dig Gig Omaha.

The awning was made from a tarp taped to the soil bags from the tomato trellis containers.  

We found these angular windows to use as a tabletop with mailboxes as legs.

We used a white door with 3 framed red panels to display pots, baskets and preserves.

The central display uses paint cans from the Union as legs supporting another of the shard-shaped windows..

A half-circle vinyl ventilation grill worked well as a tabletop, draining excess water from herbs.  Insulated flue joints served as the legs.

Matt, a member of the Union's community, built this table from a palette a few days before we arrived.  He

Tomato seedlings were displayed on salvaged pallets that were turned into tomato trellises after the event.

 The piggy bank steals the show in Omaha, just like the one in Chicago.

All purchases and donations benefited the Union.

People brought in pots and excess fencing to trade.

 People traded excess seeds.

And refreshments were supplied.