Pleasant Street Community Garden
There was substantial discussion about the demise of the lawn on Garden Rant recently. One question was what will replace lawns, especially on municipal sites. I’m not against all lawns, but some municipal space could very well be used for community gardens. This one in Greenfield (MA) is right in the center of town. It occupies part of the lawn surrounding an old elementary school that now houses the school systems’ administrative offices.
Eveline MacDougall found the site, originally a school playground with sandy compacted soil. Through her persistance and work with town departments the garden was born. Nine years of cultivation by all kinds of energetic gardeners with lots of compost have resulted in beautiful, lush and productive plots. In addition to personal plots, some of which have been important to new immigrants, there is a plot for the local food pantry, a communal herb plot, an experimental permaculture plot and a kids plot that are all tended communally.
It is not only the gardeners who benefit. Many local people find the community garden a pleasant place to walk, or to sit in the shade of a temporary pavillion to visit with friends. community for everyone!
It’s amazing to see what 9 years of conscientious cultivation will accomplish!
You might be interested in these other posts:
- Our Food, Economy and Community When I drove down the Greenfield Community College driveway last Saturday I passed ‘my tree,’...
- Community Support – Monday Record The Belly Bus came to Greenfield Town Common on Friday. When I dropped off my...
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Community Garden, Sustainability | Pat July 23, 2008
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By Michael, August 6, 2008 @ 7:08 am
Below are some basic gardening tips to get you started on creating your dream garden
Gardening Tip 1? Consider your plants health as well as your own. Ensure you keep yourself well hydrated whilst gardening. As most gardening is done in the sun, involves physical labor and is very engrossing, it is easy to work away for hours on end without noticing the time flying by.
Gardening Tip 2. Design your garden before you start digging. Your time and energy is precious so don’t start digging holes and planting plants without having a garden design first. You may choose to employ a professional garden design or you may just want to draw your desired garden on a piece of paper yourself, depending on your budget.
Gardening Tip 3. Make a list of the tools and materials you will need. After creating your garden design, list the tools and materials that are required to create your masterpiece.