Since about 2011, Raymond residents who don’t have the right environment to have a garden at their own home have found a plot at the Raymond Community Garden located at 3 Meadow Road, across from the Raymond Village Library.
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| The Raymond Community Garden is in full swing this year with participants planting both vegetables and flowers for themselves as well as fresh produce for the local food pantry. SUBMITTED PHOTO |
Plots are 8 by 15 feet “and most people do double plots,” Walker said. “Regardless of how many plots people want we provide them with a 2-foot row to grow food for the food pantry. Everybody who’s at the garden participates in providing food for the Raymond Food Pantry.”
There is also a children’s garden where young ones are welcome to play in the dirt and develop their green thumb.
Funding for the garden comes from two sources, Walker said. The Cumberland County Extension Seed Grant provides a few hundred dollars in garden needs each year. And gardeners pay $15 pay per plot per year, the same price that they’ve been paying since the beginning. However, she said, “if someone has a challenge with that donation, they should still come talk to us. We will always try to find a space for someone to garden if they want to and we have space.”
While many of those who make use of the community garden have been doing so since the beginning or very near so, Walker said, each year there are a few newbies.
“I have long-term gardeners who have been with us for a long time, and we always pick up two of three new gardeners a year because some people get involved and then they realize that it’s a little bit more work than they thought,” she said.
“We love to have new gardeners.” Walker said, adding that she does her best to find everyone a plot for all those who are interested. “Even if we’re full I can usually find places for people,” Walker said.
For those new to gardening, she said, “we can help in all ways, from choosing what to grow and what they can do to minimize the work that needs to happen in a garden. I will say, people who want a garden will have much more success if they are willing to be engaged in their garden throughout the summer and fall. Gardening is not a plant it and forget it activity. But we are here to help along the way. With the Master Gardeners (there are three who participate at the community garden) and the strong sense of community that we have with our wonderful gardeners, all gardeners have as much support as they would like. All they have to do is ask.”
The community garden, which was formerly under the umbrella of the Raymond Village Library, was taken over by the town two years ago and it is located partially on town land and partially on private land.
Both vegetables and flowers are planted at the garden. “Some examples are tomatoes, lettuce, kale, eggplant, cabbage, green beans, zucchini, cucumbers, and many more,” Walker said. “Some who have been gardening with us for years grow perennial plants like asparagus and put in garlic in the fall for harvest the next summer. We have a ton of sunflowers and people often put in marigolds and other insect-repelling flowers.”
Gardeners use organic practices. “Everybody has to be committed to that,” Walker said.
Having an organic garden comes down to using products that provide beneficial nutrients to plants and animals that do not harm them or the soil they grow in, Walker said. “Examples are using manure and compost to give your plant nutrients and not using chemical fertilizers and pesticides. At our garden, we make sure that only organic seeds and plants are used. No chemical fertilizers, pesticides or weed killers are used.”
The garden is open from dawn to dark. “Most of our gardeners have a tendency to come in the morning or evenings when it is cooler, but they can come any time,” Walker said.
If someone is interested in participating in the community garden contact Leigh Walker by email at Lwalker4@maine.rr.com or by phone at 207-310-0741. <
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