Shovels in the dirt as E.B. opens garden
Eighty plots sold out quickly for inaugural season
BY MARY ANNE ROSS Correspondent
After two years of planning, East Brunswick's Community Garden opened Saturday with plenty of good will, a few laughs and lots of digging and planting.

ERIC SUCAR staff Ten-year-old Gil Wyman of East Brunswick works on his plot in the township's Community Garden, which opened at the township-owned Kelemen Farm following a dedication ceremony Saturday. The 80 spaces, each 10 square feet, are all sold out for the season, according to the Friends of the Environmental Commission.

About 50 enthusiastic gardeners carrying rakes, shovels and young plants joined township officials and members of the Friends of the East Brunswick Environmental Commission at the township-owned Kelemen Farm, where the 80 garden plots are located. The land backs up to the municipal complex, off Ryders Lane.

Mayor David Stahl spoke to the crowd, which included parents and their kids, grandparents, homeowners and apartment dwellers.

"In a sense, this is an experiment, and I'm hoping that next year we will be able to expand it," Stahl said.

The garden encompasses about a third of an acre, and each plot is 10 feet by 10 feet. The spaces, at $10 each for the 2009 season, sold out quickly after being announced last winter. In fact, the Friends of the Environmental Commission had to turn away about 40 families. The group hopes to expand the garden next year.

PHOTOS BY ERIC SUCAR staff Above left: Aliza, 10, Tiana, 8, and Louis Vacca work on their plot in the first-ever East Brunswick Community Garden, which opened at the township's Kelemen Farm following a dedication ceremony Saturday. The township gave the Friends of the Environmental Commission a quarter acre of land for the garden, which was divided into 80 spaces and leased out to local families. Above right: Gardeners prepare the soil in their respective sections.

Stahl has been very supportive of the project both officially and personally. He donated the chicken wire for the fence that surrounds the garden. It's unlikely, however, that anyone will find him planting tomatoes.

"My idea of gardening is vicarious. I'll enjoy watching you all do it," he said with a laugh.

The garden, where renters can plant whatever fruits, vegetables, flowers and herbs they choose, was conceived in part to serve East Brunswick residents who can't have a garden at home, whether because of poor soil, too much shade or because they live in an apartment or townhouse with no room.

"Even though many people have backyards, it doesn't mean they're good for growing. I have a lot of shade in my yard," said Tony Riccobono, a former township councilman who is leasing a plot. "My tomato plants only grow this high," he said, indicating about 2 feet. "They tell me they can grow 6 feet and each produce 25 pounds of tomatoes. I can't wait to see what comes up."

Liti Haramaty who is one of the founders of the Friends of the East Brunswick Environmental Commission, handled calls from interested residents.

"Many of them have poor soil or shade or their yards are too small," she said. "A lot of them live in apartments or places where they don't have their own yard."

For Gene and Susan Ryan, gardening seemed like a fun activity to do with their three children — Jack, 6, Quinn, 4, and Mackenzie, 3. "It's outside, and we thought this was a great thing to do as a family," Gene said.

Although Lawrence Brook School fourth-grader Gil Haramaty said he only likes gardening when he is not in the mood for video games, he was happy to spend his Saturday morning breaking up clumps of dirt while his mother Liti Haramaty supervised.

"I'm going to plant cucumbers, cauliflower and scarlet runner beans," Gil said proudly.

David Moscowitz, a longtime member of the East Brunswick Environmental Commission and co-founder of the Friends of the Environmental Commission, said the initiative is not just about gardening.

"It's about community. We don't have a downtown, but this is a great place for people who have a common interest to get to know each other," he said.

Moscowitz is credited with coming up with the idea for the Community Garden, but denied being any kind of expert.

"I don't have a green thumb," he said. For that, he referred people to master gardener Jennifer Chapman, who he described as "a great resource."

"We are asking everyone to keep it organic," said Chapman, who also sits on the Environmental Commission. "People have had a lot of questions. They want to know what to plant, when to plant and how to fertilize." She said she is happy to answer them all.

The Community Garden has been a joint effort of the Friends of the Environmental Commission and the township's Department of Parks and Public Works. But Richard Wolfert, vice president of the Friends group, noted that many more people were involved.

"There are so many people to thank for completion of this project," he said. Wolfert spoke about Mike Rutkowski of Ferris Farms who donated lime and gave discount cards to the gardeners.

"We especially want to thank him for his endless patience and all the time he took answering our questions," Wolfert said.M

ike Landis, operating manager at the Lowe's store in East Brunswick, had the store donate fence posts and supplies to the group. Harold and Aviva Weinberg also gave posts and slats from their old redwood fence. "Redwood lasts very long in the ground, without requiring any preserving chemicals," Wolfert said, adding that Chapman wisely insisted that the group not use any treated lumber in the garden area.

Route 18 Lumber supplied a garden gate and cedar posts that also do not have to be treated.

"Tom Williams, the head of the [township's] parks department, did an incredible job. We really appreciate him getting everything done quickly, including tilling the soil, making our sign, bringing in the picnic bench and table, and the bike rack," Wolfert said

He also thanked the township's water department for producing a water line with two field hydrants that Wolfert said will make it possible to keep the produce growing through the heat of summer.

"We appreciate the mayor's unwavering support. He inherited this project from the previous administration and just took the baton and ran with it," Wolfert said. Wolfert encouraged the garden users to share phone numbers with their fellow gardeners. "In August, when you're on vacation, you're going to want to be able to ask them to water," he said.

But community isn't always about just helping each other; sometimes it's also about friendly competition.

"I think we should have a contest and see who can grow the biggest tomato," one of the gardeners said during Saturday's kickoff. "And maybe one for the smallest," he added, much to everyone's amusement.

To keep up with the Community Garden, visit the website at www.njnaturenotes. com.