For those of you who, for one reason or another, can't have a garden on your own property, here is a wonderful opportunity to have one nearby.
SHANDAKEN COMMUNITY GARDENS GARDEN PLOTS AVAILABLE NOW FOR 2014 SEASON
Contact: Juliet Greenwood, Membership Coordinator (845)-202-1117 shandakencommunitygardens@gmail.com
Shandaken Community Gardens volunteer steering committee and members spent the 2013 season building a 26-plot garden from the ground up, growing a bountiful harvest, enjoying and donating that
harvest, hosting arts and gardening events, and preparing the way for future seasons. Now is the time for you to get involved and claim one of the beautifully prepared plots for your 2014 garden!
Within the organic, non-GMO, community-run garden located at Phoenicia Elementary School there are a number of available 10ft by 10ft, raised beds with beautiful compost soil. For annual membership dues of $25.00 per year and a one-time infrastructure donation of $25.00, you can join the group of gardeners from Shandaken and the surrounding area who shared in the creation, maintenance, and community spirit of Shandaken Community Gardens.
The infrastructure that SCG gardeners can now enjoy includes an eight-foot deer fence with lockable gates, a shared tool shed with room for your personal tools plus many available shared tools, two sets of compost bins, water barrels and spigot for convenient "water wise" irrigation, lovely seating, a group-tended community circle flower garden, and available advice from our Cornell Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners and other experienced gardeners on the steering committee. In other words, first-time gardeners are welcome! There are also many opportunities to participate in food activism on the local level, and further growth of the Gardens as a community resource for "the shared experience of growing food, flowers and herbs", as the mission states.
The Shandaken Community Gardens' relationship with and support from the Ulster County Board of Education and Phoenicia Elementary School staff and PTA makes many of our efforts and programs possible. In the 2014 season, we are looking forward to building on our educational programs for gardeners, families, and children. We are also dedicated to making participation in the garden possible for everyone, regardless of circumstances.
The available plots are assigned by lottery to all paid applicants after the returning members make their commitments to renew. The deadline for returning members to renew their membership and pay their annual fee is February 14. After February 14, all remaining plots become available to the community, one per person. Plots which remain unclaimed after March 15 - if there are any - will be assigned by lottery to anyone who requested a second plot. We officially start the season, breaking into the winter-rested ground at the end of April!
Information and membership forms are available at www.shandakencommunitygardens.org, or by contacting the Membership Coordinator, Juliet Greenwood, at 845-202-1117 or shandakencommunitygardens@gmail.com.
