They join because it’s healthy and it lowers the cost of feeding their families. They join because there’s full sun, excellent soil, a shed full of tools and a community of people who love organic vegetables and get a thrill out of growing them.
They are the gardeners of the Gateway Park Community Garden, and new members are invited to apply now.
Beds are available for planting next spring, either full-size (5×20 feet) or child-size (4×12 feet). Apply at GatewayGarden.org, and click “Application.”
Since its start in 2010, Gateway has become a well-known oasis of green in Huntington Station on the corner of Lowndes and New York Avenues. Everything from tomatoes and hot peppers to kale and collards fill the more than 125 raised beds with each gardener working in their own bed and deciding what they want to grow.
Gateway is also a certified Monarch Butterfly way station and is in the process of building composting systems to educate the community about this method of sustainably recycling of organic waste.
There is no fee for a bed, but donations are invited to help support the garden, which is managed by a non-profit organization lead by volunteer gardener/trustees. All gardeners are expected to keep their beds tidy and weed-free and to participate in the life of the garden. This means contributing their labor throughout the growing season for maintenance, organizing educational workshops for children and adults, or hosting gatherings in the garden. Every week, gardeners also help harvest vegetables for donation to food shares and food banks.
Parents and grandparents are encouraged to apply for the children’s gardens, bearing in mind that they are committing to season-long use and maintenance of the bed they are allocated.
Frances Whittelsey is a Trustee of Gateway Garden