By Caitlin Coyle, News correspondent

How far does your food travel before reaching your plate? In some cases, your vegetables may have traveled farther than you would for a vacation. But some students and community members said they are looking to neighboring parks for alternative ways to get their goods by gardening to avoid produce coated in pesticides and the sky-high prices of some organic fare.
Alice Waters, who mothered the internationally known Slow Food movement, said quality food should be a right, not a privilege. In Boston, this right is in close reach, as there are close to 450 gardening plots around the city. In the past year, Bostonians have taken up gardening in increased amounts.
‘This is the first time in a while that we have had a wait list for garden plots,’ said Victoria Stock, senior vice president of administration at the Fenway Victory Gardens located in the Fenway area of Boston.
Former President Franklin’ Roosevelt established the Fenway Victory Gardens during World War II, nearly 60 years ago. Given the international hardships of war, Roosevelt called upon Americans to start growing more vegetables. Our local installment of the national initiative is a relic:’ one of the last originals still standing. And though President Barack Obama has not yet asked Americans to reap their own harvests, the First Family set up their own vegetable garden on the South Lawn of the White House. This is the first vegetable garden since the victory garden, started by Eleanor Roosevelt.
On Friday, Michelle Obama dug up the White House lawn with a group of fifth graders to make room for the First Garden.
Julie Crockford, president of the The Emerald Necklace Conservancy and longtime gardener, said she hopes more people will follow suit, converting home lawns into gardens.
‘It would be great to see more people doing what the First Lady is doing ‘hellip; We would be much better without lawns and the pesticides they bring,’ she said.
At Northeastern, the Students for Environmental Action (SEA) are trying to do just that. SEA has been trying to get Northeastern to sign on to starting a student garden on campus.
In Boston, Stock has been gardening in the Fenway Victory Gardens for years, she said.’ During that time, she said she has noticed that more and more people are planting and sustaining vegetables.
‘There are gardeners who have begun growing more of their own food as food prices continue to increase,’ she said.
Students have also taken interest in fresh, locally grown produce. Jessica Dervin-Ackerman, a senior environmental geology student, said she’s in the process of organizing a local farmers market on campus.
‘I’m trying to work on a farmer’s garden to raise awareness for students about where their food comes from,’ Ackerman said.
The major concern for Ackerman is that there is a real disconnect between Americans and their food, she said. Starting a garden and farmer’s market is one of the ways in which Ackerman said she hopes to educate students and improve their food supply.
‘I want to make fresh local produce available to students with the intention of involving the community,’ she said.
Ackerman’s efforts to change the way Americans obtain and think about food are mirrored by efforts nationwide; Slow Food founder Waters recently founded the Edible Schoolyard, an organic garden and kitchen classroom for urban public school students in Berkeley, Calif.
This weekend Northeastern University hosted a Gardeners Gathering sponsored by the Boston Natural Areas Network (BNAN). Community gardeners came together to in a number of workshops to kick off the upcoming gardening season.
First year Northeastern law student Johnny Enterline had spent time working on an agricultural farm prior to graduate school. Now in Boston, Enterline hopes to be able to start a small garden of his own.
‘I think gardening is not only relaxing, but its nice to be able to see the fruits of your labor,’ he said.
Other gardeners, such as Caroline Roszell of the Gardening through Refugee Organization (GRO), attended the event to network with other local gardeners while promoting her cause.
‘ GRO is a grant project that helps refugees become involved in urban agriculture and community gardening. For many refugees living in Boston, gardening is a medium for resettlement.
‘Community gardening both provides a way for immigrants and refugees to meet their neighbors, practice English and use their skills,’ said Roszell. ‘It is a way for refugees to be a part of their community in the same way as they were in Haiti, Liberia or Vietnam.’
For some veterans, gardening has become a therapeutic hobby. Ian Lavallee of the Iraq Veterans Against the War, has become a strong supporter of gardening programs such as the Farmer-Veteran Coalition. The organization pairs veterans and farmers together providing training, employment and a process for healing on American farms.
Lavallee describes gardening as the antithesis of war. In combat, Lavallee said he felt destructive. On the other hand, gardening has given him a chance to rebuild a small part of the environment, and since returning from Iraq, he has found comfort in doing just that.
‘Creating something and being so close to the most basic thing in life helps me stay grounded,’ Lavallee said.
Though every gardener has his or her own reason for gardening, its popularity is demonstrated across the city. Marketing director of the Boston Parks and Recreation Department Mary Hines said every community garden on park land is full, and there continues to be waiting lists for hopeful gardeners.
‘People love doing it,’ she said. ‘And they keep doing it.’