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Resting within the boundaries of the city’s concrete jungle is land typically found inside a rural paradise.
Hardworking individuals carefully cultivate fenced-in parcels while animals roam free. Many gardeners forego substandard produce found at supermarkets to grow a bounty of their own. Their blood, sweat and tears are evident in the literal fruits of their labor.
Seven days a week, Sal Bruno of the 800 block of Tasker Street travels to his plot in the backyard of the Philadelphia International Airport. On his own, Bruno removed massive trees from the parcel some 10 years ago to make room for his own garden.
The site, equipped with a shed, now grows tomatoes, eggplants, leeks, broccoli rabe and artichokes, to name a few. Bruno even planted fruit trees to accompany the healthy eats that emerge from the ground.
"I just enjoy growing vegetables," said the 74-year-old while showcasing his beloved parcel. "I love seeing the plants grow healthy. It needs a lot of attention, but I enjoy it."
Since ample amounts of food are grown, Bruno and others share it with family, friends and churches. But this may soon change.
Last month, a stunned Bruno received news his home away from home might be gone forever. The city has sent some plot caretakers notices to vacate the premises by April 10, forcing them to remove personal property and demolish any gazebos or sheds on site.
"I don’t think this is right," Bruno said. "We come over here not to make a profit, just to enjoy."
Dubbed the Penrose and Fort Mifflin Road garden plots – or Victory Gardens – by the city, these tucked-away parcels have become a way of life for people – many of whom are seniors.
Unfazed by the winter wind or summer sun, the gardeners tend to the area. Family activities also are rampant and include Easter egg hunts or spending quality time together.
During the summer, "these guys are out here all day, everyday," said Thomas Meagher of the 2800 block of South Alder Street, who cultivates a plot with two friends. "You talk about benefits? It keeps them alive."
LEASE AGREEMENTS FOR the plots were made with some of the gardeners as far back as the 1940s. These fenced-off areas range in size from 100 square feet to 500 square feet. The city’s Department of Public Property could not confirm the land’s actual size by press time, but gardeners estimate it to encompass more than four acres.
Senior Joseph Maitino of the 800 block of South 10th Street, for example, acquired his plot in 1955 after the city wanted to utilize his original one at 25th Street and Packer Avenue for other purposes.
According to a letter dated Feb. 10, the department is terminating the lease agreements at the Southwest Philly site specifically "to pursue other opportunities."
John Herzins, the department’s deputy commissioner, said there were 24 lease agreements on file for 24 parcels of land on the eastern portion of the affected area, but could not provide a number for its western portion. The agreement also prohibited the creation of any permanent structures, he added.
The city has decided to sell the ground as part of its Surplus Property Initiative, which limits the liability of vacant sites and buildings no longer in use and brings in additional revenue, Herzins said.
The site is surrounded by industry, including an automobile impound lot and Vane Brothers Co., a supplier of tugs, marine navigation and bunker fuel.
Plot cultivators, like senior Joe Rosetti, who has maintained his parcel for more than 15 years, was displeased by the city’s decision and two-month timeframe given to clear out of the area.
"It ain’t so much what they did," said the resident of the 3200 block of South 17th Street. "It’s how they’re trying to do it."
The urban garden agreement typically provides a 30-day notice to vacate property, said Herzins, adding his department extended this one to 60 days.
But gardeners like Meagher said roughly 90 percent of the cultivators are seniors who do not have the ability to remove large structures even within that timeframe.
"It’s not fair. It’s not right and there’s no way it can happen without undue burden for senior citizens," he said.
Fellow gardener John Stipa, 38, said, like himself, others were handed down plots from deceased relatives or friends without a proper lease transfer. Since his name is not on file with the city, he heard about the land’s fate through word-of-mouth.
The resident of the 1800 block of Roseberry Street enjoys taking Allison, his 4-year-old daughter, to see the area’s wildlife, which includes deer, geese and rabbits.
"She loves to be outside and I want her to have an appreciation for animals," said Stipa, who began tending his plot at a friend’s request seven years ago. "Being in the city, there’s not a lot of that. Down [at the parcel], there’s a lot of it. I would have hoped she would carry on the legacy as I got older."
Meagher, who has an irrigation system installed on his plot, said he has spotted Leopard Frogs and Red-Bellied Turtles, endangered species in this state, frolicking in the area.
The cultivators have formed the Farmers Action Committee Team (FACT) to try to impede the city’s plan. They also have started a petition, which has acquired 1,500 signatures as of March 8, that will be sent to city officials.
"We’ll certainly listen to their complaints," Herzins said. "Our intent is to schedule a meeting with some of the people who have been down there."
The deputy commissioner added the gardeners also might choose to seek new urban garden agreements made every year through the city’s Redevelopment Authority.
A FACT member said Wednesday they have not heard back from any city official and that the group plans to hold protests at four different locations throughout the city in the upcoming weeks.
Meanwhile, gardeners like Dominic Mirarchi, 65, of the 1200 block of Wolf Street, continue to literally have sleepless nights over the fate of the green haven. He does not want his little slice of farmland, which he has cultivated for 38 years, to come to an end.
"We work hard for this piece of land," he said. "I don’t want to lose it."
