2 minute read
New community gardens provide opportunity for families to grow fresh produce
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By Carole Wynstra, Resident since 1981
In mid-April 2019, The Gardens at Heather Farm opened a new community garden, providing 82 raised bed gardening plots for use by local families to grow their own food and garden with their children.
The City of Walnut Creek, who partnered with The Gardens at Heather Farm on the project, made possible the extensive grading of the site and multiple ADA access requirements. The project has been over two and a half years in the making.
The fencing around the garden and raised garden beds were constructed using furniture-grade lumber made from recycled food-grade plastic, such as milk cartons and water jugs.
The raised planting beds were constructed with the help of Eagle Scout candidate, Ben Smith, and Scout Troops #1994 and #168, as well as volunteers from multiple wards of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from both Walnut Creek and Concord, and numerous other community volunteers. Hundreds of volunteer hours were logged in the community effort to build the garden. Gopher wire was installed in the bottom of each raised bed, as well as around the perimeter of the garden which is adjacent to naturalized areas of Heather Farm Park. Irrigation was installed in the garden, with a dedicated hose bib in each box.
Since its opening, the new garden space has been buzzing with activity as the gardeners prepare for planting. The first challenge was to clear the copious amount of weeds that had grown in the space during the winter rains. Super Hero Veggie Mix, from American Soil, was moved into each bed by wheelbarrow, and then each gardener installed a timer and drip irrigation system in their garden.
Recycle Smart contributed to the project by building a 12’ three-bin composting system and shade cover to help the garden manage the large amount of green waste which will be produced. The composting system will not only produce quality compost for use by the gardeners, it will also keep a significant amount of green waste out of the landfill.
In April, the Lafayette Garden Club donated $3,000 for the construction of a tool shed, which will act as a tool lending library for the gardeners. As the majority of them do not have space at home to store items such as wheelbarrows, rakes and shovels, these items can be stored on site and borrowed when needed.
Now approximately eight weeks into the project, the new gardens are maturing, tomatoes and peppers are forming on the vines, zucchini and beans are already being harvested, and the garden is in production.
“Watching this garden take shape has been a satisfying experience,” said Joan Lucchese, Executive Director at The Gardens at Heather Farm. “The majority of the families using the community garden live in a near-by apartment or condominium where they have no access to green space. For many of them, this is their first gardening experience and their excitement is contagious. New friendships are forming and the gardeners are quick to lend a hand to help each other. This is community-building, at its best.”
