Garden season in Springfield kicks off with community spirit

After a long winter, many Springfield gardeners sprang into action over Memorial Day weekend, planting not only their own flowers and veggies, but joining their neighbors in community gardening projects around town.

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Garden season in Springfield kicks off with community spirit BY KAREN ENGDAHL, The Shopper June 1, 2018 SPRINGFIELD, Vt. – After a long winter, many Springfield gardeners sprang into action over Memorial Day weekend, planting not only their own flowers and veggies, but joining their neighbors in community gardening projects around town. Members of the Springfield Garden Club set the pace as they began their annual civic beautification campaign May 23, filling planter boxes along Main Street and adding annuals amongst the perennials in gardens in front of the Town Office building, near the iron bridge and on the traffic island by the Springfield Plaza. gardening Flower boxes at Union and Park Streets. Photo by Karen Engdahl. “I have no idea how many plants we’ve put in – I’ve lost count!” laughed Glenna Richardson, and she set another bright pink petunia in the traffic island flowerbed. Richardson and other Garden Club members will continue to nurture their plantings throughout the summer, watering and deadheading the flowers to keep them healthy and vigorous. Meanwhile, on a quiet side street, a new community gardening project had begun. The Freedom Park Neighborhood Association joined forces to design, build, and plant raised beds at the base of the hill in Freedom Park. In its first year, the Freedom Park garden features a variety of veggies and is tended by local adults and kids alike. In another part of town, members of the Union Park Neighborhood Association set up planters on the traffic island at the corner of Union St. and Park St., as they have for the past several years. Festooned with small American flags over the weekend to commemorate Memorial Day, the planters will be watered and tended by community members throughout the growing season. Just up the street from the neighborhood association plantings are the gardens at Union Street School, which serve as inspiration for student projects in many areas of study – nutrition, art, math, and science. “The gardens help kids learn where their food comes from,” said Vanessa Stern, the teacher who has spearheaded the gardening effort for several years. “We plant veggies that will be ready to harvest in the fall when the kids return from vacation. They’ve also started a composting project as part of the science curriculum.” Stern, who with members of the Union Park Neighborhood Association advocated for expanding the garden to the vacant space in front of the school, says the expansion will occur in other areas of the school grounds instead. “We’re planning a small orchard and we’ve added several raised beds,” she explained. Students at Riverside Middle School also have the opportunity to learn more about food production through the use of the newly refurbished “Greenie’s Garden.” Summing up the sentiments of many community gardeners, Stern concluded, “Any day you can spend outside in the garden is a good day.”