This team broke ground with one raised bed on church property 10 years ago, realizing that in a town called Rockville, the rocky ground itself was not going to support a garden. Their goal was to grow food for local people in need, and to manifest a sustainable (hence, organic) interaction with God’s Creation at the same time. With gifts and grants from Interfaith Power and Light, the Connecticut Department of Public Health, the North Central District Health Department, the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut, and two Eagle Scout projects, they have now expanded to 7 raised beds for vegetables, two for fruit, a butterfly pollinator garden, a number of cold frames, and a water line right inside the sturdy fence!
Each spring, Bill hauls compost over from UConn, the town drops a load of mulch, and Letty and Sarah get started planting seeds (donated from Hart’s Seeds) and seedlings (donated from parishioners galore). Waterers come by during the week (thanks, Lois, Walter, et al.) and there’s usually a work day every other Saturday or so. Harvesters on Sunday mornings include Debbie and family, Sue, and Jon, with the harvest always brought to the altar for a blessing before distribution. And then couriers bring the produce to the Cornerstone Foundation soup kitchen for cooking and distribution (thanks Palmers and Maria and Skylar!).
Excitement builds in church from the first harvest of radishes in May, through the (usually plentiful) beans and tomatoes and eggplant in the summer, until the last pumpkins are brought in in October. Pies are made of the pumpkins, which are then sold to parishioners and the proceeds used in next year’s garden.
2019 was a challenging year because those pesky woodchucks figured out a way to get into the garden, and happily ate their fill of the broccoli, beans, peas, and greens for almost a month! Finally, Jim took matters in hand—installing good fencing—and essentially sealed the critters out, so while the beans and cucumbers and kale will be late, they’ll produce!
Standout vegetables this summer: Radishes early, then eggplant galore and finally beans and greens!
Plans for the immediate future: Nurturing the newly planted raspberries, blueberries and asparagus, keeping the butterfly garden from getting too overgrown.
