Work in Beauty, Inc. is a non-profit in Gallup, NM founded by muralist and activist, Be Sargent, for supporting environmental, ecological, and conservation-oriented jobs and livelihoods. Four years ago she saved a productive garden from being paved over when the land changed ownership. She sponsored the Demonstration Garden and helped relocate the old garden to her expansive back yard on Puerco and Logan in Gallup. Since the rebirth of the effort there we’ve experienced two growing seasons.
Steve Heil was the lessee on the previous garden site, and worked then and now again with Amy Halliday to maintain the vegetable plot next to his unprecedented greenthread herbal tea plot. Steve has been managing the long-view for the demonstration garden. Now there are five growers working together to plan, plant and harvest each year, including Andy Newell, Erika De Haan and Lizzie Philips.
Besides the demonstration garden at Be’s we have included in the 2008 season nearby plots at Amy’s house on Logan and at the garden of Audry Schuurman on Green, and plot at Pam Bell’s house on Logan. To the far west there is a several acre site Andy is working into vegetables, broilers and laying hens as well as a few four-legged grazers.
In 2009 we expect to expand the growing spaces and employ garden interns through a local youth workforce training and conservation organization. Look for our digging forks effects in the Community Garden on the north side and perhaps in a few more neighborhood backyards. Contact us if you have a nearby space you want worked into veggies and let’s negotiate.
We believe there is strength in the diversity of location and size of plots for growing veggies.
We hope to keep everyone involved in the harvest connected through this website.
