Columbus community garden

Garden will benefit residents, food pantry

* For $30, gardeners can secure a plot for growing vegetables while agreeing to donate 10 percent of what they harvest to Helping Hands.

By LAURA ENGLEHART

Published: Wednesday, March 3, 2010 4:47 PM EST

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Gardeners in Reynoldsburg have less than a month to wait before they can get started working with their neighbors in a community garden project.

Plans for a community garden were made official with the approval of a memorandum of understanding in January between the city and Truro Township.

The site is behind Truro Township Fire Station 162, 6305 E. Livingston Ave. The land is owned by the township, but the city is responsible for promoting and operating the garden.

Jason Shamblin, Reynoldsburg's director of parks and recreation, said the garden project has been in the works for some time.

"(The city) has been interested in creating a community garden for a while, and, through the Brice-Livingston Task Force, this area (on East Livingston Avenue) was identified as a good possibility for that. We had several discussions and meetings with the township and they were very excited and enthusiastic," Shamblin said.

Plots for gardeners will measure 10 feet by 20 feet with 16 plots available, although Shamblin said there is room at the site to expand the garden to 40 plots.

The fee per year to secure a plot is $30. The deadline to request a plot is March 22, and the garden will open in April.

Mark Waite, a member of Sustainable Reynoldsburg, said he is excited for the community addition.

"I hope it will be a nice, high energy community feature," Waite said.

"It's also an opportunity for people that live around the garden to use a piece of land productively. What better way to use it than to grow vegetables to put on the table?" he said.

Waite said gardeners will be asked to donate 10 percent of their harvest to Reynoldsburg Helping Hands, a local food pantry.

"We'll make it as easy as possible for people to do that by setting up drop off points close to the garden from where volunteers will be able to take it to the food pantry," Waite said.

Local churches, such as the East Livingston Baptist Church, have offered to help in that capacity, he said.

Other area organizations plan to get involved with the garden, including Sustainable Reynoldsburg, Fisher's Gardens, Crossroads United Methodist Church, Girl Scouts of America and Reynoldsburg High School students.

Shamblin said overhead costs to get the garden started are minimal and require fencing and healthy soil for the ground. The city plans to amend the soil at the site by tilling it with compost material and top soil to get it ready for planting.

Livingston Seed Co. agreed to donate packets of seeds, and some classes will be offered at the site for beginners.

To request a plot, call the city's parks and recreation department at 614-322-6806.