Homeward Bound’s Garden in Full Bloom

The New Beginnings Center opened in Novato in 2000 to provide transitional housing for 80 homeless adults, operating as part of a nonprofit called Homeward Bound of Marin.

With donated compost, plants, fencing and irrigation supplies, nurseryman Bob Tanem (host of the popular Sunday radio show "Bob Tanem In the Garden" on KSFO 560 AM), led the charge to turn a former New Beginnings parking lot into a working garden for training and feeding people transitioning out of homelessness.

“The garden provides food for residents, job training opportunities for apprentices, volunteer opportunities for people in the community, and a chance for people to get acquainted with Homeward Bound and our programs,” said Maura Thurman, the agency’s development associate. “The garden also offers produce for the culinary job training and catering programs. It offers a nice space for residents, who often get involved in garden work days or just like gardening and being in the garden.”

Now, thanks to Tanem, the garden has gained a crucial ally: Bell Aquaculture, the nation's largest yellow perch (Perca flavescens) farm and pioneer in sustainable fish farming operations, is partnering with Bob Tanem's Enterprises to provide Fish Rich Organic Fertilizer to the vegetable garden at Homeward Bound.

Tanem began testing Fish Rich on his own personal garden and at New Beginnings last year after responding to Bell Aquaculture's outreach to gardening writers and program hosts. "I have had very nice results with it,” he said on his radio program.

Norman McCowan, president of Bell Aquaculture, praised Tandem’s efforts. “I think it's a great thing what you're doing with the New Beginnings ... teaching people how to garden and everything else. We want to continue to partner with you as long as you're doing it - just count on Bell to provide the fertilizer for you.”

Tanem explained his relationship with the nonprofit agency: “It was my suggestion that the residents of the New Beginning (Homeward Bound) have a learning experience with gardening. That evolved into what is a chemical-free organic garden that produces vegetables and eatables for the residence of the organization. It started off as parking lot and has become a very fruitful organic vegetable and fruit garden.”

“We are thrilled to receive such remarkable volunteer support from Bob Tanem for our organic garden,” said Paul Fordham, the agency’s deputy director. “He has donated hundreds of thousands of hours and helped us harvest thousands of pounds of vegetable and fruit crops to help feed the hungry and homeless. Bob initiated our garden project in 2001 and has overseen the apprentice-training program every year since then. What an amazing commitment! Bob is a true community leader in our eyes. Like our garden, he just keeps on giving.”

Tanem was named a Red Cross Local Hero for Marin County in 2012 for his service to Homeward Bound.

New Beginnings has an interesting backstory. When Congress passed the 1994 Base Closure Act, it put homeless services at the front of the line for using surplus federal properties. The Marin community wasted no time in making use of this provision. New Beginnings Center opened in 2000 as the first homeless shelter in the country built on a decommissioned military base. The distinction remains relevant as the rate of veterans among the country’s homeless ranks continues to measure more than 25 percent.

More than 50 former bases now house homeless services, ensuring that these properties graduate from swords to plowshares doing important work on behalf of their communities.

The garden came later … and flourished.

As a believer in the “Plant A Row for the Hungry” program originated by the Garden Writers of America, Tanem planned the garden to grow more than enough for New Beginnings Center. It succeeded in its first season by donating 400 pounds of produce to the Marin Community Food Bank.

The garden where “the homeless feed the hungry” was honored in 2001 with a Mantis Community Gardens Award, one of 12 recognized nationally as a charitable and educational garden that enhances the quality of life in the community. The National Gardening Association and Mantis, manufacturer of the Mantis tiller and other garden equipment, sponsor the award.

From the beginning, the garden was designed to flourish without chemical pesticides and fertilizers. It includes birdhouses and other features to attract natural predators for harmful insects. These efforts were recognized in 2005 with the Marin County Integrated Pest Management Award.

See more on Novato Patch:

• Novato and San Marin High Lag Behind Most of Marin in Latest U.S. News & World Report Survey
• Looking Back at Novato in 1955
• Downtown Parking Lot: Where Would You Put It?
• Comparing Rent in Novato
• Traffic Signal Work Begins on Redwood Boulevard at Olive Avenue

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