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Community gardens are a great way to get involved in local foods. Gardens don’t just produce good things to eat, they create fun summertime activities and add attractive greenspaces to Vermont communities. Hundreds of community gardens exist across Vermont, part of a modern gardening resurgence reminiscent of last generation’s Victory Gardens. The Friends of Burlington Gardens note that this most recent wave has been actively nurtured by non-profit organizations for over 30 years with dozens of new projects start each spring.
One initiative beginning this year is the Passumpsic River Valley Community Gardens in St. Johnsbury. The idea started with collaboration between St. Johnsbury Works! and the St. J. Food Co-op in September of last year. Melissa Bridges, St. J Food Co-op, reflected that the idea was appealing in “. . . an age when people are so removed from their food and suffering from an obesity epidemic caused in part by poor nutrition, children are experiencing ‘nature deficiency disorder’ and the price of food is skyrocketing. Gardening and community gardens provide a necessary solution for many of these issues and much more.”
The vision found a physical home when the owners of a field adjacent to the Lincoln Street School gave permission to use that space. In a town with many large hills and a lack of open, clean greenspace, several sites were initially considered and later rejected. The Lincoln Street School plot is level and sunny, and located behind a school building that currently serves as the offices for Northeast Kingdom Human Services.
Partners expanded to include representatives from the Vermont State Department of Health; Northeast Kingdom Community Action; Northern Vermont Regional Hospital; the St. Johnsbury Community Justice Center; University of Vermont Extension; other local organizations and community members, all supporting the core volunteer group.
On March 15, 2008, an Open House and Garden Party gave the community gardens plan its first public airing. Attendees had a chance to ask the organizing volunteers questions about the project, review the membership agreements, and sign up for a garden plot. The Garden Party component provided refreshments, live music and activities like seed starting and ‘pin the vegetable on the community garden’. The group also scheduled three workdays for the month of May to prepare the soil and assigning plots. Future tasks will include deer fencing, garden sign, bulletin board, and community area for social events.
Melissa reports that community interest has been strong. The twenty plots originally planned sold out early in the season so that organizers are already considering an expansion. The Passumpsic River Valley Community Gardens will provide more than a piece of land. Currently, Northeast Kingdom Community Action, University of Vermont Extension and the St. J. Food Co-op plan to utilize plots for gardening, cooking and food preservation workshops. Volunteers will also develop a schedule of educational workshops for the entire community, based on input from the gardeners. The first workshop, Basic Gardening, is scheduled for June 7, 2008.
Melissa reports that community interest has been strong. The twenty plots originally planned sold out early in the season so that organizers are already considering an expansion. The Passumpsic River Valley Community Gardens will provide more than a piece of land. Currently, Northeast Kingdom Community Action, University of Vermont Extension and the St. J. Food Co-op plan to utilize plots for gardening, cooking and food preservation workshops. Volunteers will also develop a schedule of educational workshops for the entire community, based on input from the gardeners. The first workshop, Basic Gardening, is scheduled for June 7, 2008.
The St. Johnsbury example is one of many gardening opportunities. To search for a community garden near you, visit the Vermont Community Garden Network at: http://www.burlingtongardens.org/welcome.htm.
Another source of gardening information is the Master Gardener program offered through UVM Extension. Visit them online at http://www.uvm.edu/mastergardener/
For information on the Passumpsic River project, contact Melissa Bridges, Outreach and Education Director, St. J. Food Co-op 802-748-9498, Melissa@stjfoodcoop.com
Do you have a community project, event, or local foods story that you would like to see in Agriview’s next Web Extra? E-mail Helen.jordan@state.vt.us |
