The Land Connection
September 2019
The Georgia Piedmont Land Trust (GPLT) protects land where you live, work and play.
We protect land that supports healthy habitats where wildlife thrives and people can connect with nature.
The Wonder of Nature

Have you ever been a part of a child’s discovery of nature? That wonder and curiosity that comes with discovering those critters that live in our yards and gardens? It is more important than ever that we protect and nurture those places that serve as sanctuaries and micro ecosystems in our growing urban/suburban environments. Not only is it important for the health and well-being of the natural resources around us but also for our neighborhoods and communities.
The Benefit of Community Gardens

Community gardens are collaborative projects on shared open spaces where participants share in the maintenance and products of the garden, including healthful and affordable fresh fruits and vegetables. They allow for the creation of social ties and build a greater feeling of community. These connections help reduce crime, empower residents and allow residents to feel safe in their neighborhoods.
 
GPLT believes that community gardens can be beneficial to the environment, to the health and well being of community members, and to promote education and understanding about the nature around us. Community gardens can mitigate some of the problems that plague urban/suburban areas. They can be a beneficial addition to many communities by increasing the availability of nutritious foods, strengthening neighborhoods and community ties, and reducing environmental hazards such as water runoff. Humans, plants and animals can all benefit from community gardens since they create habitat and improve the ecology of the area.
 
Gardens may offer physical and mental health benefits by providing opportunities to:
  • Eat healthy fresh fruits and vegetables.
  • Engage in physical activity, skill building, and creating green space.
  • Beautify & improve vacant lots which increases property values.
  • Revitalize communities in urban/suburban areas.
  • Help improve air and soil quality.
  • Increase biodiversity of plants and animals.
  • Can replace impervious structures and improve water infiltration.
  • Can reduce neighborhood waste through composting.
  • Positively impact the urban/suburban micro-climate.
 
Gardens have been an important aspect of many cultures in history. In the past, community gardens were commonly used to provide food for families year-round. During WWII, victory gardens were an important source of food for American families. Recently, there has been a resurgence of community gardens to help mitigate the impacts of food deserts and as a use for the increased number of vacant lands present in urban areas.
Spotlight on Mulberry Fields

Mulberry Fields is a unique oasis in the rapidly developing in town neighborhood of Candler Park in Atlanta. This green space is located down an old city alley. When walking through the gate one is presented with an eclectic mix of art, gardens and farm animals. It’s like discovering the Secret Garden. This acre of open meadow, mulberry grove and towering old pecan trees offer an accessible green space for neighborhood recreation, environmental education, community building and organic growing. It shelters hawks, owls, bluebirds and a variety of woodpecker species.
 
One hundred and fifty years ago this land was part of the sweep of historical activity in the Battle of Atlanta as advancing troops moved down this ridge line near the main east-west railroad line, setting up camp throughout this Dekalb Ave Corridor. Historical markers throughout this area preserve the rich history of the land. In the later part of the 1800’s Mulberry Fields was part of a dairy farm. The oldest farm house was built on the west end of the property and still stands today.
 
In 1906, a house on the North side of the property was built as the farm family expanded and the original neighborhood of Edgewood was developed. By the mid 1900’s the acre of dairy farm was surrounded by residential growth on three sides and the beginning of commercial growth on the South end.
 
In 1992, Mr. Talbot, who had grown up on the farm, put it up for sale, including his family homestead on Candler Street. Fearing a development plan which would have torn the house down and created density development three households bought the undeveloped acre for community use.
 
At that time Jesse Harris and Richard Bathrick created a small in town farm with goats and chickens and began creating an organic garden with the intention to open access to the neighborhood. Children and their families soon flocked to the animal pens to visit the goats, discover the wonder of fresh eggs, and play in the meadow and on the basketball court.
 
In 1999 Mulberry Fields received a Great Ideas grant from United Way to begin a community garden. With the help of Fred Conrad, from the Atlanta Community Foodbank’s Community Gardening Project six large raised beds were built and six families signed on to join the garden. Today, approximately 25 to 30 households garden here.
 
Mulberry Fields was named after a beloved goat, Mulberry. Mulberry Fields has hosted Easter egg hunts for children, community potlucks, Guitar Performances, Bonfires, Peace Circles, Piano Recitals, Rehearsal Dinners and Theatrical Performances. Play groups for mothers and toddlers regularly meet in the meadow. A classroom at the Atlanta School and another at Mary Lin elementary have had growing space in the garden in the past, Other classes ,Girl Scout and Brownie Troops have visited, grown food and assisted in taking extra produce to the Clifton Night Shelter. Children discover the wonder of growing their own food and learn about the life cycle of plants insects, bird’s trees and flowers. A neighbor’s beehives supply the growing garden with pollinators and in turn the flowers supply the pollen for honey production. Woodpeckers nest in the winter in bird houses, bats are attracted to bat houses and assist in mosquito reduction, dogs play, and children play basketball and swing on the rope swing.
 
In 2007 Mulberry Fields partnered with the Georgia Piedmont Land Trust by placing a conservation easement on the property thereby securing its continuity as green space and protecting it from development in perpetuity. The hope is to encourage other in town communities to protect urban/suburban natural open spaces.
 
On July 1, 2016, Wylde Center took over the management of Mulberry Fields, making it Wylde's fifth garden. Wylde Center's staff and volunteers manage all aspects of the community garden including maintenance, field trips, garden plot rentals and special events.
 
On September 7, 2019, Mulberry Fields celebrated its 20 th year with a big neighborhood party featuring live music, food, games, and great company. Jessie Bathrick was honored for her vision and leadership in bringing the neighborhood together and establishing this jewel of a green space in a very special urban community.
How can I support GPLT?
Protecting important lands is all we do. But we cannot do it without you. Please support our mission with a donation today.
Photos taken at a local suburban wetland.
Top: Great Egret.
Bottom: Beetle hiding in a curled leaf.
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Photos Courtesy of Hank Ohme, Carol Hassell & Dale Higdon