Community Garden
A bountiful harvest of fun
Gardeners at Suwanee’s Harvest Farm, Georgia’s largest organic community garden, are beginning to see the fruits – and vegetables – of their labor. And, soon the garden’s home, White Street Park, will be open to others as well. A grand opening celebration is tentatively slated, depending on progress on trail construction, for Saturday, June 19.
Festivities will take place from 1-4 p.m. at the park, located at 752 White Street. However, plan to park at Town Center and ride the free shuttle to and from Suwanee’s newest park.
In addition to the official ribbon-cutting, select activities include:
- Cooking demonstrations using fresh, local ingredients (provided by Whole Foods). Time for a Chef will present on garden menu planning for everyday.
- Farmer D, aka Daron Joffe, will speak on thriving with an organic lifestyle.
- Monarchs Over Georgia and the Georgia Piedmont Land Trust will offer a presentation on growing your garden beautiful with native plants.
- Children’s activities will include face-painting, crazy hair, and a puppet show on healthy eating, hosted by the Miss Dacula Pageant Program.
- Make and take leaf-print ceramics with Creative Clayhouse.
- The Junior League of Gwinnett/North Fulton Counties will present a hands-on demonstration on children’s healthy snacks.
- Bird Watcher Supply Co. will offer tips for creating a backyard bird habitat. Also, chickens and rescued wild habitat birds will be on site.
See the full list of planned activities.
They came…they built…they planted
The plots at Georgia’s largest organic community garden are now planted and the 50-plus gardener-volunteers who built the plots over the last three days of April are beginning to see the fruits – and vegetables – of their labor. Working around soggy days and forecasts, the City scheduled – and rescheduled – the volunteer-powered plot-building at Harvest Farm three times.
“The way that it finally got done [mostly over three weekday afternoons/evenings],” says Assistant to the City Manager Jessica Roth, “is a real tribute to the Suwanee community.
“People came out with great attitudes,” she adds. “That was hard, hard work and it was really hot a couple of days. I never heard any complaining. Most nights, I had to kick people out of there because it had gotten too dark to work anymore.”
In all, construction of the community garden’s 76 initial plots required:
- more than 500 volunteer hours
- 3.5 days
- 2,940 linear feet of lumber
- 912 bolts
- 36 tons of slate chips
- 3 tandem loads of soil
Harvest Farm Managing Board
The managing board is responsible for maintenance and operation of Harvest Farm Community Garden. The board typically meets at 4 p.m. the first Wednesday of the month at City Hall, 330 Town Center Avenue. Check out board agendas and minutes.
Members
Chantez Daya – Vice Chair
Dan Foster
Jeanne Haynes – Secretary
Boo Kirsch Hynes
Sara Kleinfeld
Jessica Roth
Kim Thompson
Deborah Thornton – Treasurer
Rosalie Tubre – Chair