Garden party taking root in Abington
Carolyn Bates of Abington is looking forward to a healthy harvest of chives, green peppers, lavender, basil and sage, all grown on a small dirt square marked as Lot 8 at Griffin’s Dairy.
“I came up today to see what I need to bring to get (the soil) to do what I want it to do. It’s going to be a learning experience,” said Bates, who maintains a small home garden as well.
Saturday marked the official opening of the Abington Community Garden, a 21-lot section of fertile soil located at Griffin’s Dairy off Plymouth Street. There, residents will have the opportunity to plant whatever they organic edibles they desire, and reap what they sew.
The garden is a spin-off of the annual Farmers Market, sponsored by Saving Abington with Green Energy, a volunteer organization dedicated to promoting environmental awareness in Abington.
SAGE co-chairmen Daniel and Marilyn Brielmann said the 100-by-40-foot garden is meant to encourage organic gardening in a community setting. The Board of Selectmen recently endorsed the budding project on the pristine, 64-acre Griffin’s Dairy property, purchased by the town in 1997.
“We thought it would be a great place in town, especially for people who don’t have a place big enough” for a home garden, Marilyn Brielmann said.
All but four of the 21 plots have been reserved at no cost. Saturday’s hot, sunny weather was perfect for planting seeds in the moist soil.
Abington resident and volunteer William Davis tilled the soil and found that after years of non-use, it was as fertile as ever.
“The soil is so rich down there. The tiller went through it like it was butter. This is a primo time to get started,” said Davis, an expert home gardener.
The garden is open to all Abington residents on a first-come basis. There is no fee for the plots, and each 10-by-10-foot plot has been plowed, leveled and marked with posts.
Once the available plots are allocated, all other applicants will be placed on a waiting list, Daniel Brielmann said.
The rules do allow fencing on individual plots. Plots can have flowers, herbs and vegetables. Organic seeds and plants are preferred. Inorganic fertilizers and chemicals are prohibited.
The hours of operation are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Brielmann said everyone is welcome to sell their extra produce at the farmers market in July and August.
Bates said she has set aside a small spot for planting marigolds and the herbs she grows will add spice to her cooking.
“It’s wonderful. It’s a way to have people from the community to be involved in something that is worthwhile and positive,” Daniel Brielmann said.
