Bellingham Community Garden’s New Manager – Scott Rice

By David Dunbar

Ahhh… springtime!  Spectacular sunrises, surprising weather, butterflies, birds, magical flowers and colorful blooms. It’s the time of new beginnings.

And, so it is at the Bellingham Community Garden.  

Scott Rice is the new garden manager, taking over from Micky DeFosses, who resigned months ago. She is remembered for, among other things, taking the garden from a weed patch to a flourishing collection of garden plots and installing a greenhouse and storage shed.

 “Two years ago,” recalls Rice, “I drove by the garden and saw weeds that were six feet high! I decided to come to the garden to see if I could make a difference.”

The spring growing season is underway, and there are about 10 plots (10 feet by 20 feet) that are still available.  $40 per plot; two for $70. You may not see magical flowers, but there are obvious signs of new life in the garden.

“It’s a fun place to come, not only to grow vegetables but to make friends… sit down and talk,” according to Rice. He has posted on the greenhouse door a listing of quick-growing vegetables including radish, baby carrots, turnips, beans, spinach, lettuce, green onions, and kale.  They take three to eight weeks.

Barbara Weddeke is going into her third year as a plot holder. “I like the exercise,” she says, “it’s fun and I like the social aspect.” Weddeke gives away much of what she grows, including bags of fresh vegetables that she delivers to the Senior Center.  

Are you thinking about getting a plot? “Try it,” offers Weddeke, “you’ll learn alot, and creating fresh food will make you feel good.” Time for new beginnings. Maybe you will even see some butterflies!

“What we’re looking for,” explains interim Town Manager Denis Fraine, “is a good group of about two dozen who can participate in the garden. The Town takes care of all the basic maintenance and irrigation, soil, and fencing.”  

The Town owns the garden land, which is about an acre and is located on Center Street at the SNETT. It also collects the plot fees and maintains a garden budget. Fraine adds that “there are plans in the works for a Farmers Market this summer and, perhaps, a second one in the fall.”

Across the U.S., there are approximately 8,600 farmers markets each year according to the USDA.What’s the difference between a farmer and a gardener? Google provides this insightful explanation: “A farmer farms a farm and a gardener gardens in a garden.” Glad you asked?

For more (and even useful) information about gardening in the garden, contact Scott Rice at (617) 877-0585 or email [email protected]