DAYtrip

The Well at Oxon Run

By Jamie Oberg

“It’s a resource and it’s a healing space,” says farm manager Kenneth Bridgers. “People come in with things that they need to let go and they leave with the things that they needed to have fulfilled.” The Well at Oxon Run is 50,000 square feet with 20,000 square feet of growing area powered by DC Greens, an organization dedicated to creating a stronger food system in DC. It’s at the intersection of Congress Heights, Washington Highlands, and Bellevue in the Ward 8 area of Southeast Washington, DC. The Well aims to build “a channel for resources to flow into this community…so that neighbors have what they need to define and create wellness on their own terms,” according to the DC Greens website (https://www.dcgreens. org/thewell). Food accessibility and education is their goal. An area of The Well is set aside to be a permanent market stand where food can be given out. While The Well currently travels to various markets and areas, they are hoping to use this stand to host things like “Meatless Mondays” and “Soul Food Sundays.” On “Wellness Wednesdays,” people can come by and pick up however much free produce they need and eventually the stand will aid in this process. “Our main focus with the food right now is as long as we can harvest, we actually promote [the food] as free produce,” said coordinator Melanie Guerrero. The Well’s front entrance, also known as the ceremonial entrance, is anchored by a large sycamore tree where libations are poured at seasonal changes. The tree, called the “Memory Tree” for the years of things it has seen in this neighborhood, sits right outside the entrance. The first thing inside the gates is a meditation garden. When construction first started on The Well, a “ground opening” ceremony was performed at the meditation garden. Bridgers tilled the grass while children gathered water from Oxon Run Creek. A symbolic planting proved the land was fertile when the expired seeds used that day led to a harvest. “You normally have shovels and hardhats [at a ground opening]. It’s a very violent thing that happens. We try to be very intentional and deliberate with everything that we do here,” said director Jaren Hill Lockridge. Originally, the meditation garden was meant to be outside of the gate along with the tree, but was brought inside after the importance of the ground opening was seen. Now, the area serves as a place to ground oneself before continuing into The Well. Across from the meditation garden is one of the farm’s garden beds. This bed features a method of companion gardening indigenous peoples on this continent called Three Sisters Gardening. Each plot has corn, beans, and squash. The corn grows tall with sturdy roots, the beans use the corn as a trellis and provide nitrogen to the soil, and the squash use the corn and beans as shade. “[It] maximizes growing space and food efficiency,” said Lockridge. Other plants are grown traditionally in different plots across the farm, including melons, pumpkins. and okra. Each month, The Well chooses a theme such as “food is fuel” and “food is community.” This month is “food is medicine” and the okra teaches this through its use in managing diabetes and fatigue. To further education, The Well includes an outdoor classroom and raised gardening beds for children to learn about growing their own food. The outdoor classroom has a blackboard filled with colorful chalk drawings in the unmistakable penmanship of children and strong tomato plants filling the garden beds. Waders are set aside in a shed so children can explore the nearby creek. In the middle of The Well is a large netted area. Inside are 12 trees, mostly figs. Eventually, Lockridge hopes to have butterfly releases and a “gallery in the garden” event under the net that shields the fruit trees from birds. While Lockridge considers most of the plants at The Well to be her children, she calls those in the net her adopted children, because each of the trees originated at DC Greens’ first farm. Before The Well, DC Greens ran a farm on K Street, about 15 minutes from the current location. The farm closed in 2018 after eight years to make room for a Pepco substation, kicking off the long process of finding a new location. A large portion of this process was spent gaining community trust. Community leaders like Absalom Jordan of Friends of Oxon Run, who eventually helped the farm come into existence, originally met the plan with skepticism. Some residents neighboring the farm’s location were also antagonistic to the new area, but Lockridge said they were able to win them over. “It was four years of building trust. A lot of community committee vision meetings [were had] outside the gates,” said Guerrero. “A lot of families came and a lot of elders and commu-

nity members really took part in creating the space.” When the farm was on K Street, Bridgers dreamed of two things: farming 10 minutes from his house and chickens running around in the city. The first dream has already become a reality. The second is well on its way. Nestled beneath the netted trees— which Lockridge has named after the Jackson 5 (or the Temptations, “depending on what day it is”) and Destiny’s Child, along with Duke Ellington and Marvin Gaye—is a chicken coop. Lockridge said as soon as they are able, avian flu permitting, it will be filled. Right outside of the trees is a large board. In the center is The Well’s logo surrounded by wooden leaves. Each leaf contains the name of a person or organization that contributed to The Well’s creation. “This is the wall that showcases how many hands make light work,” said Lockridge. While The Well is powered by DC Greens, it was made in partnership with The Green Scheme, The Friends of Oxon Run, Soul of the City, and the DC Department of Parks and Recreation. Directly working the land is a team of five, each with their own specific expertise: Lockridge, Bridgers, Guerrero, Andrea Talhami, and Abby Bluestone. With each citing The Well as their dream job, Lockridge calls them the “dream team.” Alongside them is a dedicated crew of volunteers. “It’s not light work, but we love the work and it’s a blessing to be in this kind of space because we know what it means to have this in the community,” said Guerrero. It is impossible to fully capture The Well through words. There is an atmosphere of serenity and passion carried by both the land and every person working it. The Well currently hosts three classes: yoga in the garden, chi gong, and touch therapy. They also give tours of the area and are open to bigger events such as field trips. If you are able to visit, the experience is incredible. Still in its first season, The Well is actively changing. Things are being added, better ways of doing things are being found, and what will happen in the winter is still a mystery. “No day is like the day before. If nature teaches us nothing, it’s that everything changes,” said Lockridge. Even with the uncertainties, the impact of The Well is already more than apparent. It brings a versatile space of peace to its community and increased access to that which should be given to everyone: fresh food and the land, resources, and knowledge to grow it. “It’s a combination of inner strength and outer resources. The community has never lacked the inner strength. It’s the outer resources that have been a bit of a challenge. And so we unapologetically use this as a conduit for resource transfer,” Lockridge said. The Well is a project that Lockridge, DC Mayor Bowser, and most involved hope to expand to other cities and states, but for now, it will serve its community to the best of its ability. “[The Well] means generational wealth. It means abundance. It means a legacy piece,” said Ronell Wellman. “This farm is going to be here for the rest of time.” o

Ward 8’s community farm and wellness space is finally open to the public after years of planning and construction.

Jamie Amadea Oberg is a rising senior at the University of Maryland (UMD) and an intern this summer session with Washington Gardener.

There is an atmosphere of serenity and passion carried by both the land and every person working it.