Village Gardens take root
Within the community gardens, many plants are grown. It is up to the renter to decide what they want to grow. This tenant decided to grow cabbage, beans, lettuce among a few other things.
April 6, 2015
Green thumbs in the area have the opportunity to garden for fresh produce in one of the 55 private beds, seven larger community pantry plots, or the small orchard in the Village of Fairview community garden.
“Our garden is open for anyone in the area. Some gardeners live in apartments and do not have access to their own land to grow on,” Village of Fairview marketing assistant Ayanna Estelle said. “Or they have access to land but do not want to go through the process of preparing the land for gardening or building a bed. Our community garden is popular because the separate plots have been built, we also have a tool shed on property and it is a good place to meet other like-minded people with a passion for gardening.”
Anyone can join for an annual fee of $10 and a filled out adopt-a-plot registration form.
“There are currently 10 people on the waiting list for a plot. We constantly have people waiting because we have loyal gardeners who love being a part of the community,” Estelle said. “Occasionally, a gardener will give up their plot because they do not have time to keep up with their garden. Depending on what they are growin
g it can be a big time commitment to maintain a garden.”
The rules and guidelines to stay a member are on The Village’s website. Regular meetings are also held and all members are encouraged to attend.
“My family was going to buy a plot but then we looked at the rules and they were way too strict and had too many small details so we decided to grow our vegetables at home,“ freshman Devin Werner said.
There are certain deadlines for each season and weekly pick-ups at 10:00 a.m. on Saturdays for the community pantry.
“We recommend gardeners donate any surplus produce to the Allen Community Outreach food pantry,” volunteer garden coordinator Marilyn Barnes said. “Usually gardeners who grow too much for their family will donate their surplus instead of trashing it. The food pantry is for families in need living in Allen.”
For more information contact Ayanna Estelle.
