Borough to welcome community garden

[admin]

www.app.com/article/20081218/COMMUNITY/812180383/1285/LOCAL09

FREEHOLD — Borough residents soon will have a garden all their own.

The Borough Council took a large step this month toward creating a community garden, which is meant to help strengthen community ties and foster neighborhood pride.

On Dec. 1, council members authorized a lease agreement between the borough, the Neighborhood Pride Committee and Joseph and William Stavola Inc., which owns property on Ford Avenue in the borough.

The company has agreed to lease 200 square feet of that land to the borough for $1. The lease runs until Nov. 30, 2009, but can be extended, according to the resolution passed earlier this month.

The garden is expected to open between April 1 and Oct. 30, according to the resolution.

The borough intends to open the land up to residents interested in tending their own gardens.

The first 20 residents to apply will be given their own 10-by-10 foot plot, which will be located behind Rug Mill Plaza. Residents will be charged a seasonal rental fee of $20, according to the resolution.

The garden could be expanded at a later date, Councilman Marc LeVine said.

"The thing can grow," said the councilman, who serves on the Neighborhood Pride Committee, a new civic-minded group of borough residents.

Gardeners can grow whatever they like, as long as they keep the gardens free of weeds and pick any produce promptly. Fertilizer and pesticides will be allowed only on the plots closest to the plaza's businesses. The lots closest to First Street must remain organic, according to the resolution.

LeVine said he would like to set aside lots specifically for growing flowers.

An additional plot also will be open to children who want to pick flowers or produce, according to the resolution.

The Neighborhood Pride Committee has been authorized to manage, maintain and govern the garden.

"It (the garden) is a good activity," LeVine said, adding that the space reclaims unused land, allows residents to grow their own food and encourages people to get outside and to get exercise.

"There are so many good reasons for having this," he said.

Kim Predham:

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[admin]

I like this idea and hope it does well. Projects like this bring people together for the right reasons. When I was on the Human Relations Committee, I suggested something similar. The FCP has an adopt a pocket park program. I thought it would be good for the HRC to participate in that and bring people in the community together. I didn't stick around on the HRC long enough to see it through.

What ever happens, people showing some pride or care in their town helps out a lot. Those pocket parks look better and make the town nicer to look at as a result. I am sure the community garden will have the same effect in an area of town that really does need some improvement.

[novillero]

a lot can be grown in a 10x10 plot. Residents that are interested should read Mel Bartholomew's book "Square Foot Gardening."

[Bermuda98]

How delightful! More Nature, more green! A blooming addition......

[adefonzo]

This is a great idea, and as Brian said, it's things such as this that help make the Boro a prettier place on the eyes. I hope this is a project that really takes off and stays strong for years to come.

Of course, I would not be my normal self without a couple of questions though. I am sure it's just a typo in the article, but "200 square feet" is only 2-10x10 plots...and the article mentions that the first 20 residents who apply will be given 10x10 plots. That's actually 2000 square feet, not to mention any paths that may be included in the layout of the area. Again, I'm sure it was just a typo.

The other thing that jumped right out at me is that the current lease only goes through November 30th of next year. The article mentions that the lease can be extended...but for the same $1 price tag? And then, I noticed that the park isn't open until April 1st...a bit of a let down for people who might have thought about planting some bulbs or other roots for flowers and other plants...but I am sure that will get addressed in the future as well.

Again, this is a great idea...and I really hope it spreads like wildfire through the community...and then through the rest of the town as well. I know we have done quite a bit of planting around the house the last couple of years, and the best part about it is that when you do it right...a couple of years down the road, as different flowers and plants come back stronger and larger east year, the yard just looks better and better.

[novillero]

Dec 18, 2008 13:33:59 GMT -5 adefonzo said:

And then, I noticed that the park isn't open until April 1st...a bit of a let down for people who might have thought about planting some bulbs or other roots for flowers and other plants...but I am sure that will get addressed in the future as well.

Most people plant bulbs in the fall for the following spring, right??

April 1 is a good time to start getting the garden bed ready, and is good to start planting spinach, peas and a few other spring veggies.

Agreed that it is a great idea. I really hope that it works out.

[admin]

Dec 18, 2008 14:22:55 GMT -5 novillero said:

Dec 18, 2008 13:33:59 GMT -5 adefonzo said:

And then, I noticed that the park isn't open until April 1st...a bit of a let down for people who might have thought about planting some bulbs or other roots for flowers and other plants...but I am sure that will get addressed in the future as well.

Most people plant bulbs in the fall for the following spring, right??

.

There are many bulbs that should be planted in spring. Canna and Dalia are two good examples. That is done when the danger of frost and freezing is past. Often these are bulbs that produce during the summer and autumn months and may be plants not suitable to our winter environment.

Some daring people will also force fall bulbs ( tulips, daffydills, etc)during the winter by starting them inside late and then transplanting them in the spring when they are just about to bloom.

Anyway, Andrew, brought up good points. A first year program is bound to have a question or two attached. I am sure it will work out just fine and become a popular activity. I mentioned the pocket parks and most of them had been adopted. I am sure he community garden will do well.

One point I will make a guess about is the lease. I guess that the time frame is just so we can see how this first season goes. If all goes well, I bet the lease next year will be more accommodating and long term. Considering the lease is for a dollar, it is a good deal.

[admin]

And of course, we have to get the News Transcript article up. Most of the same stuff, but a good read. The NPC is really going full steam ahead with great ideas like this.

newstranscript.gmnews.com/news/2008/1223/front_page/011.html

Community garden has a place to bloom
20 plots to be available at Ford Avenue location
BY CLARE MARIE CELANO Staff Writer



FREEHOLD BOROUGH

FREEHOLD — Residents who do not have room to grow their own vegetables and colorful flowers will have the opportunity to do so in the first community garden sponsored by Freehold Borough.

Municipal officials recently passed a resolution that authorizes a lease agreement for the garden to be executed among the borough, the Neighborhood Pride Committee and Joseph and William Stavola Inc.

Councilman Marc Le Vine said the community garden is expected to be developed on Ford Avenue in the spring of 2009. It is one of the projects being spearheaded by the Neighborhood Pride Committee.

Neighborhood Pride Committee member Donna Koloski was happy to hear that the community project is moving forward.

Koloski, of Bennett Street, brought the idea for a community garden to the committee. She said she was very excited to hear that the council had taken action on the resolution and said, "It's been a long time coming. So many people have put in so much hard work on this."

Koloski, a longtime gardener, said Le Vine, Borough Attorney Kerry Higgins, Borough Administrator Joseph Bellina, and George Conway, who is the corporate secretary of Trap Rock Industries, all helped to make the community garden a reality.

Le Vine said Trap Rock Industries is owned by Stavola Inc.

"My hope is that this project will bring the community closer together," Koloski said. "This community is so diverse and this garden is something that everyone can work on together."

The council's resolution states that the goal of the community garden is to "foster neighborhood pride, provide an opportunity to grow vegetables and flowers for individuals and for charity, teach children the beauty and benefits of gardening, and strengthen community ties."



The borough will use part of a parcel on Ford Avenue for the community garden. According to the resolution, the members of the Neighborhood Pride Committee will take on the job of managing and maintaining the garden and the site.

Le Vine said a total of 20 plots (each 10 by 10 feet) will be offered to the first 20 residents who apply. A seasonal rental fee of $20 will be charged. The plots will be arranged in two lines separated by a walkway and running parallel to and behind the Rug Mill Plaza retail center, which fronts on Jackson Street. Gardeners will be able to enhance their plot with a small fence as long as the fence is portable and temporary.

According to the resolution, fertilizers and pesticides will be allowed on the plots closest to the Rug Mill Plaza, while the plots closest to First Street are to remain organic.

Gardeners are free to grow what they wish in their garden, but are required to keep the area weed-free and to pick produce promptly. The garden will be open between April 1 and Oct. 30 during daylight hours.

In addition to the 20 plots set aside for personal gardens, there will be two more

plots — one where children will be free to pick flowers in bloom and produce in season, and one which will grow produce that will be donated to a local food pantry.

Le Vine, who is the council's liaison to the Neighborhood Pride Committee, said

the area has access to a water source. He said the community garden is a Neighborhood Pride Committee project which hopes to bring residents to "work the land together" in tandem with the Center Street project the committee spearheaded. That project includes events such as the Center Street block party.

Le Vine said representatives from the Monmouth County Master Gardeners program have been invited to take part in the community garden and will till the soil and prepare it for growing.

"They will also test the soil for nutrients and make sure it is ready to grow vegetables," he said.

Debbie Keelan, who chairs the Neighborhood Pride Committee, is already thinking about planting tomatoes, broccoli and string beans on her piece of land in the community garden. Keelan said she thinks the garden will make the community "better" and "give people the opportunity to know one another."

She believes it will be more than just a garden.

"I think this project will help people to do things together, you know, like in the olden days, before air conditioning when people spent more time outside together, Keelan said. "Instead of one person working on a garden, people can help one another with the planting. And this will allow some people who may never have had the opportunity to meet to get to know one another. The community has really taken to things like this, more than anyone can imagine. They really want it."

[novillero]

the hardest part about a garden, and especially gardens like these, is keeping the enthusiasm up. I see that people are required to keep their areas "weed free." Most people are gung-ho in the spring, and then slowly lapse in their gardening chores.

Master gardeners will hopefully put some life into the group, and the organizing group may try to have some classes not only in the spring, but later in the season as well.

I wonder if they have reached out to Home Depot, or Burpees for donating seeds.

Good luck and merry Christmas.

[admin]

Dec 25, 2008 11:39:53 GMT -5 novillero said:

the hardest part about a garden, and especially gardens like these, is keeping the enthusiasm up. I see that people are required to keep their areas "weed free." Most people are gung-ho in the spring, and then slowly lapse in their gardening chores.

Master gardeners will hopefully put some life into the group, and the organizing group may try to have some classes not only in the spring, but later in the season as well.

I wonder if they have reached out to Home Depot, or Burpees for donating seeds.

Good luck and merry Christmas.

You bring up some good points about momentum. The advantage here is that we have organized groups who are there to keep that momentum going.

My suggestion, and I know the right eyes read this, start a "Saturday Morning Club" or something along those lines. Pick a certain time and day when people know there will be others there. Grab a cup of coffee and go take care of your plot with others doing the same with theirs. It is a great way to meet people, bring them together for good reasons, and socialize.

Something like that can definitely keep the momentum going.

[novillero]

Dec 25, 2008 20:43:23 GMT -5 admin said:

Dec 25, 2008 11:39:53 GMT -5 novillero said:

the hardest part about a garden, and especially gardens like these, is keeping the enthusiasm up. I see that people are required to keep their areas "weed free." Most people are gung-ho in the spring, and then slowly lapse in their gardening chores.

Master gardeners will hopefully put some life into the group, and the organizing group may try to have some classes not only in the spring, but later in the season as well.

I wonder if they have reached out to Home Depot, or Burpees for donating seeds.

Good luck and merry Christmas.

You bring up some good points about momentum. The advantage here is that we have organized groups who are there to keep that momentum going.

My suggestion, and I know the right eyes read this, start a "Saturday Morning Club" or something along those lines. Pick a certain time and day when people know there will be others there. Grab a cup of coffee and go take care of your plot with others doing the same with theirs. It is a great way to meet people, bring them together for good reasons, and socialize.

Something like that can definitely keep the momentum going.

I mentioned square foot gardening before on this thread. It's a pretty neat way of planning out your garden. And, best of all, if followed, weeding is very easy.

[admin]

Dec 25, 2008 11:39:53 GMT -5 novillero said:

Master gardeners will hopefully put some life into the group, and the organizing group may try to have some classes not only in the spring, but later in the season as well.


Good luck and merry Christmas.

Novillero, You really hit a good idea in reference to classes. The NPC should run with that idea. Besides organized classes they could do and "Idea Garden" concept similar to the one at Longwood Gardens. I don't know how to apply it to fruits and veggies, but with flowers there is a lot of potential.

They could set up a bunch of themes that tenders to each plot could voluntarily employ. Themes such as: shade gardening, native species for home use, drought resistant plants, use of accent plants, cool colors, warm colors, and others.

Once the themes are established, the NPC could post a printable brochure on their web site. Now we have an educational element that the entire town could use at their leisure. People who do not have green thumbs of much back round in gardening could get some neato home ideas.

And yes, the NPC does have a web site for this brochure idea.

www.bettertheboro.com/index.html

[cloris]

This community garden is a great idea. There are a lot of people who live in apartments and can now do some gardening. I see some good ideas in this topic. Some of you should get involved.