Community gardens planned

A few spots around Sparta will get a bit greener this year, as community gardens are planned at three locations.

The community gardens will be located at the Senior Center, Alleghany Wellness Center and on a county-owned lot on Moxley Street.

The gardens are being funded via a grant that the county received. The $7,000 grant, which is being administered by Alleghany Cooperative Extension Service, was awarded through the Communities Putting Prevention to Work Program, which is in turn administered by the Appalachian District Health Department.

A master gardener program that began in January will provide needed help for the project as well. Master gardeners are required to do community service work as part of their training. Master gardeners go through a 12-week, four-hour a week program. The program began in January and will conclude in March of this year.

Even though a number of new master gardeners will be involved, community members are also welcomed to come and help and learn how to better grow garden produce.

In fact, the gardens are designed to show people how to efficiently grow and maintain a produce garden for home use. Some may even want to grow extra to sell through the local Farmers Market. "Ma

ny people have forgotten how to grow a garden," said Extension Agent Teresa Herman. "Our older folks and previous generations always grew their own produce and many were involved in subsistence farming. Everyone grew enough to share with their neighbors.

"Now, most families buy their vegetables, which are often trucked in from other areas or even shipped here from other countries," Herman said. The community gardens will be planted beginning in April with cool season varieties. The three locations that have been selected for the gardens—the Alleghany Senior Center, Alleghany Wellness Center and a vacant lot off N.C. 18 South—each will feature a different growing method. The Senior Center was chosen as a location because of its space limitations. "We wanted to prove to people that gardens can be grown in places where there aren't wide-open spaces," she said.

Containers will be used to maximize the space for the production of easy to grow vegetables. The agriculture classes at Alleghany High School are constructing the containers, said Herman.

The site at the Wellness Center was chosen so that the produce can be taken from the garden to the commercial kitchen on site, where it can then be prepared. A traditional garden spot will be created there, with one exception: A demonstration of raised plastic-covered beds will be included. The process, called plasti-culture, has been tested successfully at the Upper Mountain Research Station in Laurel Springs and has been proven to increase yields. Soil is heaped up in long mounded rows, known as raised beds, which are watered and fertilized from below. Agriculture Extension Agent Brad Edwards, who also is involved in the community garden project, said the method helps prevent weeds and fungi, as well as allowing for more efficient use of water and fertilizer. Plans and sources for supplies for that gardening method are available by contacting Edwards or Herman at the Extension Office. Educational materials will also be provided at the AWCI demonstration garden. "Programs are going to be offered there in which the participants will be shown how to preserve garden produce and then will be allowed to take the canned or dried goods home for themselves," Herman said.

The Moxley Street site was chosen because of its visibility and the availability of water on site, via a creek. At that site, a combination of traditional gardening methods and raised beds, like the ones that will be used at the Wellness Center, for comparison purposes.

Herman said she hopes that residents at the apartment complex nearby, Highland Village also will have an interest in the garden. "Everyone in the community is invited to take part and learn more about gardening," said Herman.

The garden initiative is a cooperative effort between a number of local groups and organizations, including those who control the locations of the gardens, the school system, the health department, extension, master gardens and the Upper Mountain Research Station. Those who are beginners can learn the basics of preparing, planting, maintaining and harvesting a garden.

Those who are more advanced in gardening techniques can learn more detailed information about plant varieties, succession planting for extending harvests, season extension and alternative growing methods.

A production workshop is planned on Feb. 28 at the Extension Service Office from 1 p.m. until 5 p.m.

Those interested in taking part in the workshop may call Herman at 372-5597 to register, while those interested in the garden project may call either Herman or Edwards.