Some of you guerilla diners are familiar with the back lot at the Werehouse. Tucked behind the parking lot fence and hidden from the bustle of Krankies and the traffic on Fourth Street, it's a quiet oasis of green in an otherwise concrete part of downtown. It's the kind of rough hewn "secret" locale that inspires the whole Supplement experience and has been the site for shows, parties and meals for years.

Throughout the various stages and renovations of the building it has also been a way station for construction waste and other detritus, and the course of time has revealed particular landscape design challenges such as an eroding hillside and poor soil quality. Despite these challenges there has and continues to be willingness on the part of the Werehouse community to have a garden in the back lot. Over the years, efforts to build up the soil and plant herbs, trees, and shrubs have produced some positive results and now a more intensive garden design is under way.

The garden is a collaboration of Werehouse residents, Krankies Coffee, Supplement, and Camino Bakery. Using the principles of Permaculture design as a reference point, the garden will feature raised beds of annual fruits and vegetables as well as perennial fruits, flowers, and herbs. To support the soil on the bank we will plant a succession of edible grasses, shrubs, and trees. On the north side of the lot we plan to have a chicken coop, a greenhouse/bioshelter, and a compost system. Designed to evolve and mature over time, the garden will provide several services to the building and all its tenants as well as the larger community.

Smack-dab in the middle of downtown Winston-Salem, this garden has the potential to inspire other greening projects in the city and its suburbs– whether it be increased tree plantings to offset CO2 emissions or a boom of community gardening where once there was just a bunch of lawn grass.

Supplement is excited to be a part of this progressive, autonomous move toward food security, increased urban biodiversity, and "greenification". In an effort to raise awareness and understanding about the Permaculture design aspect of the project, we are planning a Saturday workshop to introduce the principles of Permaculture. The workshop, led by Werehouse residents, Eric Jackson and Jay Dunbar, will take place in mid-March in the performance space at the Werehouse/Krankies. Stay posted for more details!