By: Edir Coronado
After a year and a half of planning, and one cancellation due to rain, the New Providence Community Garden’s long awaited opening ceremony and ribbon cutting occurred Monday August 22nd. A crowd of New Providence residents gathered at the Community Garden, located behind the tennis courts on Springfield Avenue, to witness Mayor Al Morgan read the garden’s declaration.
The idea of opening up a community garden is credited to Sustainable New Providence, an advisory committee of the borough. The work that led up to the garden’s completion was arduous, with several factors needing to be secured beforehand. Funding for the garden was a major part and a collaboration between BASF, PSEG, and public grant ,monies. The remaining balance was covered by the New Providence Borough. Other factors that needed to be addressed were deer fences, plumbing, layout, shed, tools, and composting.
The Community Garden proved to be a collective effort, with different departments within the town getting involved. The Department of Public Works helped secure the material and organize the planning. Town Administrator Doug Marvin, Sustainability Liaisons Gary Kapner and Bob Robinson helped move the project from the planning stage to construction
While the process of creating a community garden began a year and half ago, construction began in early July, leaving little time to fill the 28 plots available. News about the community garden spread quickly throughout the borough and at the time of the grand opening 26 of the 28 plots had been filled. Gardeners were hard at work and during the short period of time garden members were able to start growing eggplant, squash, tomatoes and beans, and possibly lettuce in the fall. The regular season for the fall runs from March through October.
To acquire a plot, residents need to visit the New Providence website and fill out a form. Plots are 25 dollars a season. The garden might see an expansion if it is deemed necessary.
