Community Garden @ Snellville Good news has come to the Garden

By Gretchen Schulz Councilmember Garden organizer

The garden recently learned that it has been awarded a $1,500 grant by the Food Well Alliance. In addition, the Gwinnett County Master Gardeners Association has awarded the garden an additional $450. These grant funds are much appreciated since the garden, located in Briscoe Park across from the Snellville Recycling Center, is selfsupporting. No city funds are budgeted for the garden. In addition to grants, the majority of funds to support the garden comes from the sale of vegetable and flower seedlings grown in the garden’s greenhouse at the spring and fall Snellville Farmers Markets.

The Atlanta-based Food Well Alliance is a collaborative network of local farming and gardening leaders who work together to build thriving community gardens and urban farms in the metro area. Their mission is to provide resources and support to local growers to build healthier communities. The Community Garden @ Snellville will use the Food Well Alliance grant funds for lumber to build and repair garden beds, to replace well-used tools and hoses, and for a temperature monitoring system for the greenhouse that will provide remote alerts if the temperature in the greenhouse is becoming too hot or cold.

The Gwinnett County Master Gardeners Association grant is to be used to grow tomato plants in 5-gallon buckets, which will be made available to clients of the Southeast Gwinnett Co-op to grow in their yards. The grant will also be used to evaluate growing tomatoes in straw bales and grow bags.

The garden has a few 4’ x 12’ beds available for rental for the 2023 garden year, which begins April 1st. For information and an application go to the garden website at www.snellvillecommunitygarden.com. The yearly bed rental for a 4’ x 12’ bed is $50 for those who live within the city limits and $65 for non-residents. Please do not send a rental fee until confirming the availability of a bed.

And for those looking forward to the garden’s spring sale of vegetable and flower seedlings at the Snellville Farmers Market, please watch the market’s or garden’s Facebook page for sale dates. The dates will likely be in late March and early April.

First column, from top: A young gardner helping to mature seedlings; and these seedlings will be ready to sell as vegetable plants at the Snellville Farmers’ Market. Second column top: Sowing seeds. Second column, from top, from left: Karen Hanley and Kathy Pittman are stepping up the seedlings to larger seed trays; Rob Stewart fills the seed trays with soil; and Ellen Hughes carefully tends the seedlings