Last year, several gardeners were active in getting the Plant a Row for TCO campaign going, and many of us donated our excess produce to Tarboro Community Outreach. I, for one, took fourteen watermelons to the food pantry in one day (they all ripened at the same time).
In addition to providing fresh local vegetables to the needy, The Saint David Community Garden would like to make gardening accessible to those who are in poor health and/or can't afford to make a trip out of town to buy organic produce. Not only does gardening provide fresh, healthy food, it can also improve health by fostering a sense of belonging, community, and purpose. Gardening has been shown to beat depression and stress. It's great exercise, and the exposure to sunlight is good for Vitamin D levels. However, many people who would like to garden don't have the space, or they are physically unable to hoe, dig, till, weed, and haul water.
For the past four seasons, our gardeners have had to haul water in from outside sources when the rain barrels ran dry in the heat of summer. Not only that, but several of us, who were new to traditional row-gardening last year, found out what back-breaking labor it can be.
I have been using raised beds at my home for several years, and will continue to do so. I value my experience with the Community Garden last year, but I found that my raised beds at home were less work, needed less maintenance and weeding, and provided better harvests than my large in-ground garden at Saint David Street. Therefore, I will be moving two of my raised beds from my house to the Community Garden this spring.
We at the Community Garden, in order to make the Garden more accessible and more "do-able" for more people, would like to install some raised beds. These would require a nice-sized initial investment for materials, and we will donate labor to build the beds. We would also like to get a trench dug and hire a licensed plumber to run a water line for us, so we will have a reliable water source. These two things alone will make the Garden much more enjoyable and attractive to those people who really need to reap the benefits of organic vegetable gardening...our citizens.
If you'd like to donate a dollar or two, please click the link on the right side of the page and do so. Any amount will be much appreciated. Also, we are selling flower bulbs as a fundraiser through the end of March. Please call Jennifer at 252-578-3393 if you are interested in ordering summer bulbs. The bulbs we are selling will be in by the middle of April, can be planted right away, and will bloom this summer.
Do you know a Boy Scout who needs a service project? The Community Garden would be a great project!
