Submitted
In early spring school children worked diligently to get the garden growing; they marched over and helped weed, paint planter signs and fill multiple garden boxes with the plants they started in their own indoor garden.
The momentum continued with community volunteers cleaning the space, adding fresh paint where needed and claiming individual garden boxes to grow veggies.
Volunteers helped plant and maintain the outer garden boxes, which grew spinach, lettuce, kale, onions, peas and beans—all of which were free to community members to come and pick when they desired.
With the hard work of Aimee Venor and Lee Onslow, a large, beautiful rock flower garden was created. This took many rock foraging trips, days of shoveling dirt and understanding of the beauty that could be created on the pavement.
There were many posts on social media about the community garden providing updates as to the garden’s growth and transformation, as well as inviting community members to help themselves to fresh food.
Onslow, who was instrumental in the revitalization of the garden has worked with volunteers to create a vision for the space. This year money was spent to purchase all the materials needed to build many more garden boxes, which will surround the outer edges of the garden.
These boxes will be used to house flowering vines, as well as many boxes dedicated to producing organic food for the community. A watering system has been purchased to provide drip hydration to the outer boxes and a sprinkler system for the inner garden boxes both of which will be on hydration sensing timers.
Onslow has the goal of seeing a beautiful greenhouse on the back third of the garden space. The greenhouse will extend the growing season and enjoyment of the community garden for many months on either side of winter.
She would love to see the greenhouse built within the next five years and will begin fundraising initiatives in the near future. Onslow is working with greenhouse builders and garden volunteers to determine a style of greenhouse as well as the initial cost estimate.
If you’re interested in contributing in any way to the Blue River Community Garden please contact blueriverca@gmail.com
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