BELLEVILLE, NJ — Belleville Township’s community garden — a place where residents are invited to grow their own produce — is now entering its second year at Fairway Park on Riverdale Avenue.
The 12 vegetable garden planters, each measuring 4 feet by 8 feet, are available to Belleville residents on a first-come, first-served basis for the 2022 growing season by online registration and a nominal fee. The application and garden rules are available online at https://tinyurl.com/5xpare87.
“The Fairway Park Community Garden allows people who don’t have access to a backyard an area to grow fresh fruits and vegetables,” community garden coordinator Gabrielle Bennett-Meany told the Belleville Post on March 18. “It’s also a place to learn what others know; I find people sharing ideas and tips on how to grow a better fruit or vegetable and maximize the space they are given. It brings the community together! This year we plan to host short lectures and classes at the garden.”
While the community garden is open to all residents, it is especially meaningful for residents who do not have any other place to put down roots.
“There are a few residents that are renters or own a condominium or townhouse, so unlike homeownership and a backyard, they have nowhere to plant and grow a fruit or vegetable garden, except maybe a smaller container garden on the patio,” Bennett-Meany said. “We also understand there are a growing number of people who don’t have access to fresh fruits or vegetables. Studies have shown that our health, eating healthier and getting outdoors is imperative to a person’s well-being.”
Bennett-Meany expects the garden plots for the 2022 planting season to be snatched up rather quickly, especially considering the exuberant response to the garden in 2021.
“The community garden is the first for Belleville — newly established one year ago. We have received an overwhelming response,” Bennett-Meany said. “Last year everyone from single to joint partnerships, even including organizations like the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, wanted a plot. The Department of Public Works donated to one, showing off their expertise by planting an array of vegetables and flowers in neat rows. The plots will be sold quicker this year, indicating the need to expand community gardens like this one to other parts of town. And we are already looking into the possibilities.”
Bennett-Meany herself enjoys testing out her green thumb at the community garden, where last year she helped tend the Green Team’s plot, where Green Team members grew tomatoes, cucumbers and pumpkins.
Even though Bennett-Meany spends most of her time outdoors anyway, she loves spending time at the community garden and loves seeing how this green space benefits all participants.
“My job is predominantly outdoors; I am a natural resource specialist and I oversee parks, trails and open space for a living. I spend most of my day working in native flower gardens along the walking trails. The benefits are amazing; I feel great,” she said. “Spending time outdoors boasts a number of positives for a person’s health. Growing your own vegetables without going through all the process of large-scale farming is another benefit. And of course, saving money is important. The satisfaction in the end is the reward of what you have grown.”
Photos Courtesy of Gabrielle Bennett-Meany
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