One way to ensure the quality of food is to grow it yourself. That’s a challenge for would-be gardeners who live in apartments, dorms, or homes without sunny yards. To meet their needs, community gardens have sprung up around the region, proving successful in connecting gardeners with gardens … and with each other.
Houserville Community Garden
The idea for the Houserville Community Garden began in 2014 with discussions on the social media website Nextdoor Houserville. Renewed interest and discussions in 2016 inspired community members to ask Houserville United Methodist Church if it would host a community garden on its property. The church agreed, and the garden began in 2017.
Initially the garden had 10 plots; then it doubled to 20 plots, coordinator Steve Stilson says.
“In twenty-first century life, it seems like we don’t depend on our neighbors for anything,” Stilson says. “I want neighbors to act like neighbors and have reasons to get together.”
He says three of the gardeners live next door to each other and walk to the garden together.
“I myself am not really a gardener,” Stilson says. “My wife is. My interest is in neighbor relationships. The spring workday is a big piece of social glue.” The Houserville gardeners also have monthly bring-your-own picnics, and potlucks may return this year after their pandemic hiatus.
The garden requires a ten-percent donation of fresh produce to charity, which became more difficult when State College Food Bank wasn’t taking donations because they had enough, Stilson says.
“Since then, it’s become trickier due to lack of an outlet. We’ve gone to an honor system. Figure it out yourself. We’re looking for more options for donations to nonprofit organizations,” he says.
Michelle Fanning-Hursh has also served as coordinator for the Houserville Community Garden. “We ask that everyone sticks to organic farming,” she says. “We purchase mulch for the paths between the gardens and usually have the soil tested each year. We chose as a group to do a donation toward the church for water and space.
“I used to garden with Dad growing up, and I just love watching things grow,” Fanning-Hursh says. “It’s my way to relax and have an enjoyable time.”
Tudek Park Community Gardens
Tudek Park Community Gardens was created in 2005 from the cooperative efforts of Ferguson Township, volunteer Joe Banks, and the Tom Tudek Memorial Trust.
Centre Region Parks & Recreation manages and maintains the 107-plot garden, which is located near Tudek Dog Park.
CRPR Office Manager Jada Light administers the garden plot rentals. “It’s great because we have so many people from out of town living in apartments … who don’t have a place to garden. A lot of them are staying in the nearby apartments and want a place to grow vegetables.”
She says that one extended family has six plots for different family members and has been growing crops there for years.
“I’m not a gardener,” Light says. “I definitely have learned so much. I do the weed checks to make sure everyone’s keeping up with everything.”
She says gardeners are not required to be Ferguson Township residents. They can rent a single or double plot in the organic or conventional section. CRPR provides water, compost, and wood chips for paths and schedules group workdays for needed projects.
Penn State Community Garden
On campus, the Penn State Community Garden, founded in 2009, is a student club and part of the Sustainability Institute. The club requires “50% plus 1” of the ninety-eight plots to be held by students. The remaining plots can be rented by university faculty and staff and State College community members.
The club provides access to gardening tools, a rototiller, compost, mulch, straw, and water pumps at the garden, located near Medlar Field.
“You get to eat what you grow. You know what you’re putting in the soil,” says the club’s president, Jonathan Balog, a doctoral candidate in nuclear engineering.
He says the club bylaws require no pesticide use except truly organic ones. “We try to be as sustainable as possible.”
The club offers educational workshops and group workdays. On workdays, Balog says, there’s a lot of good communication and sharing of best practices.
He grows his grandfather’s Big Pink heirloom tomatoes in the garden and shares the seeds and seedlings with the other gardeners. “My family has gardened for several generations,” he says.
Inspired by one of the Penn State gardeners who grows vegetables for the State College Food Bank, garden Vice President Isabella Petitta is setting up a program to help the other gardeners donate their surplus produce. She designed flags they can display if they are interested in donating.
Petitta is pursuing a master’s degree in the ecology department, studying rare plant conservation. “I absolutely love growing plants, experimenting with them, and making bouquets. Spending time in the garden brings me such peace, especially as a grad student. It’s also great to meet people,” she says.
After graduation, if she moves to an area that doesn’t have a community garden, she plans to start one.
Treasurer Anthony Anet Taylor, a doctoral candidate in plant biology, says, “I decided to join because I’ve always liked to garden. My PhD program is largely lab-based. I appreciate the chance to get my hands in dirt and grow things instead of killing them with plant viruses.”
He says the community garden has helped him socialize with others and expand the types of people he meets, including graduate students from other areas of study, like rural sociology.
Secretary Megan Pietruzewski Norman, a doctoral student in mass communications, agrees. “It’s helped me meet more people at Penn State. The workdays are kind of a fun way to get to know other people, to get your hands dirty working on a project together. I’ve always really loved plants and being outside.
“The community aspect is really important, and the food,” she says. “It’s kind of sad how expensive fresh food can be.”
Haugh Family Preserve Community Gardens
Patton Township manages the Haugh Family Preserve Community Gardens, located beside Circleville Park.
“The Community Gardens opened in 2011 with 61 garden plots, and has since expanded to 137 plots,” says Nicole Harter, the zoning officer and open space property manager. “You do not need to be a Patton Township resident to rent a garden.”
Patton Township purchased approximately 466 acres from the Haughs in 2006, now known as the Haugh Family Preserve, she explains. “When ownership was transferred, a conservation easement was established to protect water, forest, wildlife, and scenic resources within the property. The Patton Township Open Space Stewardship Committee recommended the idea of community gardens as a way to give back to the community.
“Patton Township has received feedback from gardeners that they enjoy having the opportunity to have a plot,” Harter says.
The township provides water, compost, wood chips, and tools for the gardens.
Harter does her gardening at home but enjoys offering that opportunity to the community. “I find gardening to be relaxing, but it is hard work. Gardening is a great opportunity for children to learn responsibility, and also learn about growing produce and benefiting the fruits of their labors. Gardening can also be a great project for children that are interested in 4-H.”
Trinity Bellefonte Community Garden
In Bellefonte, the missions and outreach committee of Trinity United Methodist Church started the Trinity Bellefonte Community Garden five or six years ago, says Linda Boone, the church’s outreach coordinator.
The eight garden plots are raised beds with cinder blocks around the edges. The church prepares the soil in the spring and provides compost and access to tools and water.
“There’s no cost to adopt a garden plot, and no residency requirement,” she says. “It’s open to all.
“Individuals or groups can adopt a plot to grow vegetables and flowers,” Boone says. “We’d like to encourage everyone to work together to weed and water.
“The absolute favorite to plant is tomatoes,” Boone says. “It’s pretty amazing how much you can grow in these small plots.
“The reason we started the garden is we’re a downtown church. A lot of people downtown live in apartments above stores and have no place to garden. Let’s give them a place to garden,” she says.
“Originally, we put door hangers all over town in apartment buildings. We don’t do that now,” Boone says. “People keep coming back and they just sign up.” T&G
Karen Dabney is a freelance writer in State College.
