Bellingham Community Garden Receives Donation
Shown, Micky DeFosses and Jack DeDominici, of Bellingham Garden Club of MA, with a copy of a Dean Bank donation that will help fund raised beds for the Youth in Agriculture (YAG) program at the Bellingham Community Garden
By J.D. O’Gara
Spring is officially here, and to mark the season, the Bellingham Community Garden opens for the season this month.
“The garden will be open up fully April first,” says Micky DeFosses, Bellingham Community Garden manager and member of Garden Club of Bellingham, MA. “We are growing as a garden club, being very active focusing on membership and making sure the word gets out there. We also got a nice donation that came in, from Dean Bank, for $500.”
The new funds will pay for some raised beds in the community garden, says DeFosses, explaining that the raised beds will benefit the garden club’s Youth Agriculture Program.
“Last year, we had a pumpkin patch specially dedicated for that purpose,” says DeFosses. “We had some kids come in the garden and learn the power of seeds, and we’re expanding on that.”
Early this month, the garden club will install the raised beds for that program.
“We will welcome kids from the community, and we’ll have seeds, or have them bring their own seeds so they can learn to eat healthy, learn job skills for agriculture and to also appreciate the power of the seed and how it can affect their lives by helping their families to have nutritious food,” says DeFosses, adding, “We also have the town raised beds that will be going in as well.”
The beds will be an addition to the greenhouse put up last season.
“Our greenhouse is fully functional, and it’s actually housing currently our delicate seedlings,” says DeFosses, noting that chard and spinach were being grown.
Speaking of seedlings, mark your calendars for the garden club’s annual seedling sale, which will take place on May 13th, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., site to be determined at press time.
“We’ll have very affordable fresh healthy veggie seedlings, floral seedlings and delicious healthy herbs,” says DeFosses, explaining, “We’d love to have it at the community garden, but if the weather is poor, we’re kind of stuck.”
As soon as a location is finalized, information will be posted on the “Bellingham Garden Club of MA” Facebook page, as well as the group’s website, bellinghamgardenclubofma.com.
The Bellingham Garden Club of MA has nearly doubled since last year, but DeFosses explains that membership is always open.
“We’re a small group, but we are welcoming and would love to have individuals be part of the membership,” says DeFosses. Anyone who loves gardening is welcome to come join the group that works to beautify town spaces, such as Daigle Way in Bellingham, gives back to the community with food donations to local pantries and food fridges in Boston, and presented a horticultural festival last year.
The Bellingham Community Garden farm stand, fully renovated and functional now thanks to an infrastructure grant last year to the town of Bellingham, will open on June 10th, at 9:30 a.m. and continue Saturday mornings throughout the season.
The Bellingham Community Garden is located at 200 Center Street in Bellingham. For information on plots and raised beds in the community garden, contact [email protected].
