Now that the warm weather is finally returning, starting a garden is on many a mind. Planting a vegetable garden can help provide pride and gratification in raising food that is delicious and nutritious. It also helps individuals and families by providing a most pleasant distraction in the planning and building of a garden.
Some residents in North Royalton have found it difficult to plant a garden in their own yard, as sun requirements, deer, rabbits and other critters may be a deterrent. One solution is to obtain a plot at a community garden.
The North Royalton Community Garden was built in 2009 and started up in 2010. It is located at 14788 State Road in Memorial Park. The garden is an organic, not for profit garden that provides water and necessary tools to its gardeners. In 2010, the 75 ft. by 125 ft. garden was officially open, available to North Royalton residents, with forty plots available.
Since the garden’s inception, it has been very popular with residents. A waiting list has been continually maintained and updated. With its popularity, an addition of a new section of the garden started in 2019. After the planning phase, fencing of the new section was erected to the north of the original part of the garden. Water lines were installed and the additional plots were constructed. The new section added about 50% to the original footprint. At that point, the garden had 41 plots and 3 boxes in the original section. The new addition added 30 plots/boxes. The new section offers a variety of gardening opportunities, with plots measuring 4 ft. x 24 ft., 4 ft. x 12 ft. plots and 4 ft. x 10 ft. high boxes, complimenting the 10 ft. x 10 ft. plots in the original section, give a variety of gardening opportunities.
“Gardeners have been in the garden, getting their plots ready for planting. Many early spring vegetables have been growing in the garden for several weeks,” said North Royalton Community Garden Coordinator Karen Givens. “We have many gardeners that have been planting their Community Garden plots for many seasons. We are also welcoming new gardeners to twelve of our plots.” The North Royalton Community Garden is home to 111 adults and 23 children this season.
Gardens were a big hit in the 1940s. During World War II, the government rationed foods like sugar, butter, milk, meat, cheese and eggs, as part of the war effort. “Labor and transportation shortages made it hard to harvest and move fruits and vegetables to market. So, the government turned to its citizens and encouraged them to plant ‘Victory Gardens.’ They wanted individuals to provide their own fruits and vegetables,” according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac. “The National War Garden Commission promoted home gardening and food preservation. They inspired students—calling them “Soldiers of the Soil”—to help plant Liberty Gardens. When it started to look like the US and its allies would win the war, the name of the gardens was changed to Victory Gardens.”
You can utilize your garden as a supplement to groceries, which might help reduce the number of trips to the store. It also can be utilized to encourage the consumption of fresh vegetables for children. Those who are involved in the gardening process may be more apt to eat the harvest, which, by the way, is much better than anything you purchase at the store.
“Vegetables were the largest crop followed by fruits and herb gardens. About one-third of the vegetables grown during World War II came from Victory Gardens,” noted in the Farmer’s almanac. “The Victory Garden was made of easy-to-grow crops, including fresh vegetables in season as well as root crops and hardier crops that could be stored during the winter.” The following is a listing, broken down by season, of some things that were popular in Victory Gardens. You may want to include them in your plan:
Spring gardens: Lettuce, kale, parsnips, onions, peas, radishes, carrots.
Summer gardens: Herbs, such as basil, thyme, oregano, parsley and rosemary, cucumbers, tomatoes, beans, zucchini, corn, eggplants, melons, peppers, pumpkin, winter and summer squash.
Fall and winter gardens: Beets, carrots, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kohlrabi, parsley, spinach, parsnips, radish, Swiss chard, lettuce, turnips and garlic.
Many of these crops can easily be frozen, dried and/or canned to enjoy well into the fall and winter. There’s nothing like opening up a container of frozen or canned vegetables on a cold fall or winter day to bring back the wonderful flavors of spring and summer!
In North Royalton, gardeners, roughly, have between 150 and 160 days to plant and harvest vegetables. Located in Hardiness zone 5B, the average last frost date is usually just after mid-May and the first frost, early-to-mid-October. Many gardeners err on the side of caution with these dates, though, especially the last frost date, as Mother Nature has been known to bring frost late into May. With that in mind, many wait until after Memorial Day to plant. Either way, it is enough time to bring forth a plethora of fresh veggies and fruit.
At the time of this writing, there are a few plots available for this coming season. North Royalton residents interested can call 440-237-7212 or through email at nrcg2015@yahoo.com. Gardeners can also visit the garden’s Facebook page at North Royalton Community Garden for gardening tips and community garden information.
By GLORIA PLEVA KACIK
Contributing Writer
