|
|
Vol. LXII, No. 18
|
|
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
|
|
|
|
Vol. LXII, No. 18
|
|
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
|
No backyard or space for a garden? No problem. The Princeton Recreational Department has seasonal garden sites available for those herbs, flowers, or vegetables you may have been wistfully thinking about.
With approximately 20 plots at the John Street location (near the Public Works Garage), and 40 plots at Barbara Smoyer Park off Herrontown Road, the “Community Garden Plot Sites” is one of the department’s most successful summer offerings, according to Program Supervisor Katie Herlihy.
People grow “anything and everything,” she reported. “It’s a great form of recreation. You can take that flat piece of land and create a lush garden,” although, she said, some folks “stick to a pumpkin patch, and that’s it.”
The success rate is high, according to Ms. Herlihy. The Recreation Department cleans up, rototills, and marks the plots. They also provide water and hoses.
Gardeners who participated in previous years get priority on the garden plots, which will become available around May 1. The John St. site, the smaller of the two, has approximately 20 plots, and an almost 99 percent return rate. The encroaching Township public works limits the space available for gardening, said Ms. Herlihy. The newer and larger site, Smoyer Park, which is shared with the Township nursery, has between 30 and 40 plots for public gardening and has grown in popularity during its four-year existence.
“It’s a nice chance to try your hand at planting things,” Ms. Herlihy observed. “We’ve had good luck with the weather and water. If it isn’t your cup of tea, well, at least you tried.”
The fee for the plots, which are approximately 10’ by 10’, is $20 for the season. As noted above, returning gardeners get priority. The remaining plots will be rented on a first-come, first-served basis, and are limited to one per family. Registration forms will be available at the Recreation Office after May 1.