Windsor creates community garden
Published: Monday, December 21, 2009 at 6:00 p.m.
Last Modified: Monday, December 21, 2009 at 6:00 p.m.
In the dark of winter, a group of Windsor residents is already looking to next spring, anticipating the day ground will be broken for the town’s new community garden.
A vacant lot next to Town Hall is set to blossom in the coming year with plants and produce that will help feed families and stoke social interaction.
Last week, a 10-year lease was finalized for the Windsor Garden Club to take over a section of public land next to the Civic Center.
“We are extremely excited about getting started and getting ready for a spring planting,” said Thomas Eddy, president of the Windsor Garden Club.
“It’s a way for families to grow food during tough economic times,” said Brad Sherwood, vice-chair of the town’s Parks and Recreation committee and member of the garden club.
“Now that we have the lease and insurance lined up, the Windsor Garden Club will go out to the community seeking volunteers to make the project come to fruition,” he said.
Community gardens have multiplied in recent years. They are seen as a way to produce nutritious foods, stretch grocery budgets, cut the distance that food travels from farm to plate and reduce greenhouse gases. They also are viewed as a way to build social interaction.
“It’s a social outlet,” said Community Services Director Donna Legge. “It allows for networking. It promotes good health.”
People can grow their own produce, free of pesticides, she said.
The Town Council allocated $15,000 in redevelopment funds this fiscal year toward the garden, which will occupy about 5,000 square feet.
About one-third of that money has already been spent to install an irrigation system and a fence, Legge said.
But backers of the garden say donations are still needed from businesses and individuals to help subsidize the costs of water, planter boxes and other materials.
One goal is to help make it more affordable for low-income families.
There will be room for roughly 50 garden plots, according to Sherwood, who said the specific cost of each space is still being determined, depending on what the town charges for water.
But he said fees in other gardens are typically $30 to $50 per year and he expects it will be about the same in Windsor.
Organizers are hoping the garden will produce sufficient bounty to donate to food banks and family shelters.
“We will see tomatoes, bell peppers, pumpkins, melons, whatever this region can sustain in terms of gardening,” Sherwood said of the anticipated cornucopia.
Master gardeners already planted a smaller demonstration garden earlier this year in the civic center that replaced a patch of lawn. They will lend their expertise to the new garden.
The growing conditions are also excellent, according to Sherwood.
“It’s great sun exposure, morning and afternoon. It’s the perfect garden location,” he said.
More information on the garden is available at 838-5947, or www.telcs.com/cgarden.
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