Scott County Community Garden set to open April 1 ~ Gate City, Virginia. - News Article Locations on Waymarking.com

Scott County Community Garden set to open April 1
MARCI GORE • MAR 21, 2016 AT 9:23 AM
mgore@timesnews.net



GATE CITY — The Scott County Community Garden saw participation from about 75 area gardeners during its first year in existence in 2015.

And, with plans to expand, organizers hope to see even greater participation this year.

The garden, a project of the Southwest Virginia Community Foundation, has nearly 50 raised beds available for folks in the community to grow their own crops. Carol Dixon, chairman of the foundation, says organizers are better prepared this year.

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“So many things were new last year. We know more about what to expect this year.”

The garden, located on a 75-foot by 100-foot section of fenced-in property adjacent to the First Presbyterian Church in Gate City, will open for the season on Friday, April 1.

In true community garden fashion, individuals, families and groups are encouraged to “sponsor” one of the raised beds and maintain it themselves.

“We will have our spring planting day from 9 to 11 a.m., on April 1,” Dixon said. “We will provide plants, free of charge. You’re welcome to bring your own or you can use the ones we provide.”

Because April 1 is still a bit early in the planting season, Dixon said “cold weather” plants will be provided — crops such as lettuce, broccoli and potatoes that can withstand the colder temperatures.

There will be two additional planting seasons later in the year — one in June and another in August.

“Our big news this year is that we will have a sister garden right next to the existing garden. It should be up within the next couple of months and will be approximately the same size as the existing garden,” Dixon said.

Like last year, once the produce starts coming in, those who sponsor and maintain the garden can take what they’ve grown or donate it to county food banks.

“Several of the gardeners had never had a garden, so they didn’t know what to plant or how to plant it. They learned how to plant vegetables and then, once the vegetables came up, they had never eaten fresh vegetables before. We shared recipes and talked about ways to make the various dishes that are local to our area,” Dixon said.

And, also like last year, Dixon said garden boxes placed on a pedestal will be available to the residents of nearby Gatewood Apartments.

“We put four garden boxes in Gatewood,” she said. “Residents there who were unable to make it to the community garden because of their physical limitations could still participate thanks to these garden boxes.”

The garden boxes do depend on donations, however.

“It’s about $100 for all of the equipment and soil and the plants to start one box,” she said. “We’re really interested in seeking donations and volunteers who are interested in assisting us with this part of the project.”

For more information on the Scott County Community Garden, call the project manager, Brent Virts, at (276) 594-0223.

Applications to sponsor a garden are available at Gate City Town Hall and the Scott County administrative offices on Water Street in Gate City.

Type of publication: Newspaper When was the article reported?: 03/21/2016 Publication: Kingsport Times News Article Url: [Web Link] Is Registration Required?: no How widespread was the article reported?: national News Category: Arts/Culture

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