HOULTON, Maine — The Houlton Community Garden started out as a local business volunteer opportunity. The upcoming season will expand to include anyone who wants to plant and grow organic vegetables.
Initially, former Houlton Regional Hospital CEO Shawn Anderson envisioned the garden for local businesses to adopt a plot or two, where employee teams could plant and tend the gardens as a way to promote healthier lifestyles.
But over the past four years, community interest has flipped. People are interested in volunteering to work in the gardens, while business interest is waning, said Nancy Putnam, a master gardener who coordinates the project each season.
“This year we are opening it up to anyone interested in gardening,” she said. “They sign an agreement that this is what they will do and the plots are free.”
The all-volunteer, 100-square foot Houlton Community Garden is located on fertile land at the hospital that was previously the site of generations of potato growing. In keeping with its rich growing heritage, the garden has produced more than 2,000 pounds of produce that has been donated annually to the community.
“Its a very rewarding project to hand vegetables to someone who has come to ask,” Putnam said.
Across the nation, there are an estimated 18,000 community gardens, according to the American Community Gardening Association.
Unlike personal gardens, community gardens bring people who may not know each other together as they plant, weed and cultivate growing plants, promoting a sense of belonging and community, Putnam said.
“It is a wonderful space to work and grow,” she said.
Planting typically begins at the end of May and then the real work of weeding and tending the plants begins, Putnam said.
Prior to planting, Putnam and other volunteers prepare the soil for the gardeners, including rototilling the plots, and there are even tools available on site. All a gardener needs to bring is seeds. And many times, those are also available because others are willing to share, she said.
Also new this year, growers may give some vegetables away and take some home.
The community garden space is divided into small plots, with a potential for 16 growers and up to 16 plots, Putnam said.
Some gardeners may only want a small plot, while others may want two, she said, adding that the plots are on a first come, first served basis.
The land, once owned by potato farmer Fred Putnam, was donated years ago for the hospital.
During the community garden’s first year the Houlton Rotary Club and the Northern Maine Agricultural Foundation donated a combined $4,500, which helped purchase tools and other items, said Putnam.
The first employee teams who planted, tended and harvested the foods for the community worked at FA Peabody Company, Bangor Savings Bank and Katahdin Trust.
For those interested in a plot for the Community Garden’s fifth season, there is a planning meeting at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, April 14, at Houlton Regional Hospital Education Center.
To reserve a plot, contact Lisa Keely at lkeely@hrhospital.org or 207-532-2900.
