Ross Township Sustainability News and Programs
COMMUNITY GARDEN : PLANTING THE SEEDS OF COMMUNITY GROWTH
A community garden is a single piece of land gardened collectively by a group of people . That definition of a community garden does not fully encompass what the Ross Township Community Garden team encompasses . That single piece of land , located on the property of Christ Lutheran Church on Peony Avenue in Ross Township , not only grew fresh produce but also community unity , pride and charity .
Michael Miller , a Ross Township teen , chose the Community Garden as his Eagle Scout project .
Miller completed his Eagle Scout project “ in 2016 , thanks to the opportunity given to me by Director Eloise Peet , Commissioner Lana Mazur , and the Congregation at Christ Lutheran Church to build and maintain a community garden in Ross .” Miller said , “ With many volunteers from my family , fellow scouts from my Troop 368 , and my friends , I was able to get together 22 volunteers to devote a total of 243 hours between April and June to complete and maintain this community garden that donates produce to the food banks in Ross and West View .”
Flyers were distributed by Commissioner Lana Mazur to residents in the 4th Ward , inviting them to join the Community Garden Team – including Scout Mike Miller , Commissioner Mazur , Parks & Recreation Director Eloise Peet and many generous volunteers – in sowing the first seeds in the garden . Greg Fisher from Fisher ’ s Landscaping also donated the shed in April , according to Commissioner Mazur .
Now Eagle Scout Michael Miller said , “ The Church leaders offered a part of their grounds to build the garden , and let me have access to their water to keep the garden growing during the summer . My project took six weeks to complete . It included researching the best layout of the garden for proper sunlight and shade , learning skills about runoff , putting up a shed for storing tools and project materials , setting up inside the garden with rain barrels and gravel walking areas , securing a fence and gate around the garden , and organizing my volunteers for the work .”
“ We started planting at the end of April ,” Commissioner Lana Mazur said . The first seeds were carrots , beets , okra , potatoes and onions . “ The bunny decided to eat the carrots ,” Mazur said , “ so we put up a fence around the bed .”
“ There were some things that gave us a challenge ,” Eagle Scout Michael Miller said . “ The weather sometimes did not cooperate with our schedule ,” Miller added . “ On our first planting day , it snowed .”
She said , “ In May , we planted cucumbers , peppers , zucchini , squash , and tomatoes in the white buckets .” The tomatoes did very well , Commissioner Mazur said , and the “ okra surprised us that it did so well . It was almost five feet tall !” oss Township
ROSS TOWNSHIP NEWS
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