New Rochelle small business consultant Hope Surpris and her mother Verna were at the Ward Acres Gardens Tuesday planting herbs and vegetables in her plot.
Hope is just one of the many community residents who believe strongly in organic gardening, sustainability, and eating foods that are grown locally. In renting her plot at the gardens, Ms. Surpris was looking for a way to get more involved in the city of New Rochelle and promote sustainability.
In its second full season, the Ward Acres Gardens have expanded from the original thirty six plots to eighty eight plots in just a few weeks. The gardens have truly been a community effort toward an increase in organic gardening and sustainability. Plots can be rented for fifty dollars with all proceeds going toward garden maintenance. There has been a huge show of interest by the community in supporting the gardens and following the principles of organic gardening.
A cocktail party fundraiser was held and five thousand dollars was raised to contribute to a water infiltration system into the gardens and the neighboring dog park. The local dog community has donated money, Bulfamonte Nurseries of New Rochelle has tilled the land twice in preparation for the gardeners, compost bins were donated by Westchester County and the local chapter of Habitat for Humanity donated a shed for the periphery of the gardens.
Six of the plots are rented by Hope Community Services, a local soup kitchen. The Ward Elementary School occupies eight plots, with each grade having its own plot to grow whatever it pleases and incorporate the garden into the science curriculum. Shoprite even provided breakfast for fifty on the opening day of the gardens.
Jean Haley, a teacher’s aid in Harrison is one of the newest gardeners at Ward Acres. Her garden plot is a family effort. Kathy Gilwit, a mother of nine and Communications Manager for the city, spent mother’s day planting seeds. There are even several families who are scholarship recipient at the gardens and use everything they grow for sustenance.
The purpose of the gardens was to create an opportunity for community involvement and to promote
awareness of organic gardening and sustainability. As is evident by the expansion and still lengthy waiting list of community members who wish to rent out plots, the gardens have clearly achieved their goal.
To CCF,
How fortunate for you that you have a backyard! Many Ward Acres Community Gardeners are apartment dwellers, and renting a garden plot allows them to use public greenspace for their personal use. Additionally, some gardeners are homeowners with shady properties, or are people who wish to be part of the community that the garden has created. It is standard procedure for gardeners to pay a fee in a community garden; it pays for the necessary fence installation and upkeep of the garden. Going forward, it will pay for water usage at WACG.
editrix thanks, WAG. Not only that, but the gardens plot are bigger than many people in this area with rocky landscapes have. And the gardening is all organic. I see them when I take my dog to the dog area at Ward Acres,and it looks like a lot of fun.
Growing organically and locally is the only way to solve many problems, from air pollution and oil demand (requiring fewer miles for food to travel and fertilizers are made from fossil fuels) to food safety and health (pesticides and processing). A child is more likely to try vegetables they grew than eat those same veggies from the store.
Having to pay to grow a garden in a public park….I don’t get it! I have a backyard why would I pay to use public dirt? Thant’s just crazy to me.
What a great asset to our community! Does the author or anyone else know how we can get involved?