BREWER, Maine — The temperature might not feel like spring yet; however, that isn’t stopping the communities in Maine from planning for gardening season.
Shelly Lizotte is the coordinator of Maple Street Community Garden in Brewer. She was inspecting her 30 wooden beds, looking for any winter damage.
“It’s all the pressure from the soil pushing out when it freezes. It just pops those screws out,”
She said 13 garden beds need repairs before they can be used this season, and once fixed, they’re quickly claimed.
“We have even had some people come in mid-seasons, we’ve repaired the beds, and they will take advantage of you know, at least the second half of the summer,” Lizotte said.
The garden currently has a wait list, which is common. The Bangor Community Garden also has a wait list with over a dozen people on it.
“With the amount of people that are on a wait list, we are putting in more beds,” Jenny Blackstone, the organizer of the Bangor Community Garden, said.
Blackstone said they currently have a little over 250 beds and aim to reach 300 by the end of the season.
She’s also checking to see what survived this winter because the garden is now open. However, the soil hasn’t had enough warm weather for proper planting.
“Unfortunately, a majority of the beds are still frozen,” Blackstone said.
With warmer weather, Lizotte says the beds thaw quickly.
“It’s exciting, as soon as the snow is gone, everybody wants to get out and get their hands in the dirt,” said Lizotte.
The Maple Street Community Garden will be open on May 1st. For more information, you can visit the Maple Street Community Garden Facebook page.
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