PORTLAND (WGME) — There’s nothing like freshly picked fruits and vegetables, and that’s what community gardens throughout Portland provide to residents.
Volunteers are working hard at the Casco Bay Community Garden, alongside the Eastern Prom, building new beds for the upcoming season.
New garden beds at the Casco Bay Community Garden will soon be filled. (WGME)
“There was a grant that Cultivating Community and the city worked on that gave us money to do an official rebuild. So we’ve laid down a barrier on the ground and as you can see, we have these nice, new beds made out of hemlock,” Casco Bay Community Garden Volunteer Garden Coordinator Matthew Day said.
These garden beds will soon be finished and ready for planting.
New garden beds at the Casco Bay Community Garden will soon be filled. (WGME)
“It’s been a lot of work, but it’s been a lot of fun. The soil that these beds get filled in with is from Benson’s Farm Earth Products out in Gorham. It’s terrific soil, and after the gardens get all planted, they look great,” Cultivating Community Director of Urban Agriculture Janel Knightly said.
New garden beds at the Casco Bay Community Garden will soon be filled. (WGME)
In addition to the 88 beds inside the fenced-in area, there’s a separate spot known as the common share garden with 22 beds.
“The difference is, instead of having your own individual plot, there are 18 different families that go in together and decide what to plant. Then they have communal work days, and they divvy up the harvest,” Day said.
Portland has 11 community gardens throughout the city that provide opportunities for people to grow healthy and local food.
New garden beds at the Casco Bay Community Garden will soon be filled. (WGME)
“I also feel like there is quite a bit of need for food security in our city. So, one of the things we do as an organization is try to make sure that the folks who are food insecure are able to access a plot to grow food for their household,” Knightly said.
Those who are food insecure will be bumped to the top of the waitlist.
If you are interested in learning more or signing up for the waitlist, click here.
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