Garden plots available to plant

By Gloria Austin
Staff Writer
    HOULTON – Tucked behind Houlton High School is an earthen treasure … a community garden.
    The garden is a tract of land roughly a half acre located on the Bird Farm. The land can be used by anyone who doesn’t have a place to garden.
    “Though anyone can plant there, we can’t take everyone,” said Jay Clark, overseer of the garden and Bird Farm committee member. “It’s a first-come, first-served basis. We can handle around 15 to 20 gardeners.”
    In the past, Clark said there has been around 10 to 12 people working the garden. The normal plot size with maximum gardeners would be divided into 15-foot by 20-foot sections. But, in the past, everyone has a little bit different plot size, depending on how many people take up the offer of using the land.
    Houlton High School was awarded funding through a Beacon Science Grant in the early 1990s. Clark said, “part of the grant, was the development of the community garden.”
    Usually each year, Francis Fitzpatrick plows the land in the spring, getting it ready for potential gardeners.
    The first thing a person must do before going ahead and planting is to call Clark to reserve a garden plot, which costs $10.
    “We have a tractor up there to rototill,” said Clark. “If we have 10 to 12 people for the summer, that fee covers the maintenance cost.”
    The garden also has its own water supply.
    “It’s a dug well and so far as we can tell, it’s an unlimited supply,” said Clark, “which makes it even better.”
    The community gardeners grow a variety of vegetables.    Carrots, zucchini, cucumbers (if a gardener can get them to germinate), string beans, broccoli, pumpkins, beets all grow well.
    “It’s a nice variety,” said Clark.
    But, some things that are hard to grow are peas and corn.
    “Some have grown peas, but it takes a couple of rows, anyway,” said Clark. “Some planted corn although the space is limited, you need three or four rows. I’ve never had much luck with either, but others have.”
    The two items that can not be planted this year are tomatoes and potatoes.
    “This year, we are not going to be able to allow either,” Clark explained. “We had a little trouble last year with late blight.”
    Before planting seeds, gardeners will need to do a little work on the land.
    “They may need to rake the rocks,” Clark said. “The picked rocks will be redistributed elsewhere on the Bird Farm.
    But, the real work begins when the enemy … weeds … begin growing.
    “It’s a full-time job,” said Clark. “The garden needs rather constant vigilance after it’s planted. Weeds can be overwhelming if you let them go too long.”
    In this economy, with prices up and income down, a garden seems like a natural fit, with fresh home-grown food, from field to fridge by one’s own hand.
    Houlton’s community garden will be open at the end of May. Gardeners come and go throughout the day and evening, when convenient for them to take care of their plots. Gardens will be even more valuable as time goes on.
    “Especially now, we are looking for fresh fruit and veggies,” said Clark. “Well, fresh veggies are right there in terms of being a dietary focus. Any excess we have goes to the local food pantry.”
    For more information on the community garden, call Clark at 532-7125.