Seeking green thumbs

By Mandy Coriston

It may still be winter, but the board of the Hudson Farm Community Garden is already thinking spring. There are open plots available at the garden, located on the Westby Farm property at 300 Roseville Road, and board president Katie Baron invites Byram residents to think about joining the group for the 2020 growing season.

Baron, who is entering her second year as president, said the space allows Byram residents the chance to be able to plant in full sun, something lacking in many of the wooded backyards in town, while being part of a community that cares about home agriculture and about each other.

“We really are putting the ‘community’ back in community garden,” Baron said, “Aside from being able to have a full-sun space to plant vegetables, which is hard to find when you live in the woods, we have great camaraderie here.”

Baron said that during last year’s growing season, other gardeners banded together to care for the plot of another gardener who was laid up with a leg injury.

“It’s nice to see people take care of each other like that,” she said, “We also had another plot that was abandoned, and so we planted a ton of little pumpkins and had a harvest festival in the fall, where we all brought food to share and painted the pumpkins together. It was great!”

There are several dozen 15’x15’plots, and there are also a few raised beds for those with mobility issues. Former Byram councilman Scott Olson has been utilizing the garden for the last seven of its fifteen years, and recently joined the board at the garden. Olson loves that the plots are more than large enough to produce a year’s worth of food.

“I’m still eating vegetables I grew and put up for the winter,” Olson said, “You can grow a lot in that space.”

Adding to the experience for him, Olson said, are the peacefulness of the setting and the amenities available on site.

“There’s convenient water access for every plot, and a community tool shed,” he said, “You can just bring yourself and your seeds and have a really nice garden. But I like to just come out here and relax and enjoy the wildlife and the scenery, too.”

There are currently six regular beds and one raised bed that are unclaimed for the 2020 season. Membership is open to all Byram residents, and a one-time $50 security deposit is required to acquire a plot. The seasonal membership fee is $35, which allows access to the garden from Apr 1 through Nov 1 each year. There are guidelines for gardeners, including courtesy rules about keeping shared tools clean and taking responsibility for weeds in and around their plots.

According to Baron, people don’t only use the garden for vegetables, but also grow flowers and herbs, among other items. Baron, who is a monarch butterfly educator, cultivates a milkweed garden to attract butterflies.

“The possibilities are open to grow whatever you like,” Baron said, “We have a lot of families that come in so children can learn about growing their own food. Some people like to grow flowers to attract pollinators. We’re really looking forward to a new season together, and we don’t have a waiting list right now, so people should get in touch to claim those open plots.”

For more information or to apply for an open plot at the Hudson Farm Community Garden, Baron can be reached by email at byramcommunitygarden@gmail.com.