By Donna Lane

If you’ve ever been part of a community project, you well know the many challenges, required dedication, compromises, and frustrations that often accompany the satisfaction of the completed project. 

This year’s expansion at the Norwood Community Garden brought numerous challenges, changes, and the furtherance of community that’s been growing there since its inception in 2011. And, thanks to a grant from the Norwood Conservation Commission, 16 new plots were added to the existing 72, allowing for a total of 88 households to garden on the former pasture land. 

Norwood’s Department ofPublic Works prepared the new area, amending the soil and installing new piping for additional water access as well as helping to install new fencing that was needed to keep the animal population at bay. Blue Hills Technical High School also contributed by making new numbered metal markers for all 88 plots.

Susan Clare, spearheaded the garden initiative in 2011 and has acted as its managing director since its inception.

“I am grateful for the collaboration with the Commission and the new Garden Committee in taking responsibility for making garden decisions going forward,” Clare said.

Gardening as a community is not always easy. Since it’s on conservation land, the  garden must be totally organic. In addition, there is no killing, trapping or moving critters that may have invaded the space. One of the biggest challenges is the proliferation of weeds, especially in the aisles between plots and along the perimeter of the garden. Gardening as a community and the challenges it presents were considered when Garden Committee responsibilities were being formulated. 

According to Seamus Johnston, a nine-year community garden veteran, the new committee is making a demonstrably positive difference. The Garden Committee comprises six task teams: Joe Barrett is responsible for the team that maintains the new fence and garden perimeter; Suzie O’Donnell and John Churchill are responsible for the pathways team; Dave O’Carroll is responsible for tools and equipment team including hose and tool repairs; Ann McGrath is responsible for the administrative tasks team who prepare announcements, handle applications, collect fees, etc.; and Susan Clare’s team is responsible for community-building and outreach as well as Food Pantry donations.

“Each person who works a plot at the garden must be active in one of the six task teams, according to their interests and abilities,” Clare said. “So far this season, everything is working well.” 

Since the garden’s inception, Clare’s personal mission has been to promote sustainability and collaboration. She is happy to see that her vision has taken root.

Each household gardens is on an 8x16 foot plot. Some of the gardeners are old hands while others have never used a trowel. And while there are two wide gaps of knowledge, all come together in relative harmony and a desire to grow food, pass on their knowledge to their children, or to others in the garden.

The 16 new plots proved to be a challenge with its formerly unworked hardpan soil, but many of the more experienced gardeners helped the new gardeners to work the soil, forming new friendships and gaining new knowledge as a result.

Barrett, who oversaw the installation of the new fence, is a relatively new member of the garden. Although he has been gardening and landscaping his own Norwood property for decades, he joined the community garden two years ago to try his hand at growing vegetables. He primarily grows Italian green beans (Roma), snap and snow peas, tomatoes, sweet basil, and radishes in his plot. Barrett said the rabbits were rampant last year and the new fence has helped tremendously. He is also an active member of Norwood’s Trails Committee.

Teresa Petrucci initially joined the Community Garden in 2013 to help her then 14-year-old daughter to grow tomatoes for the Norwood Food Pantry as part of a girl scout project. 

“What began as a project to help my daughter has become a passion,” Petrucci said. “She is currently growing tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini and yellow squash, as well as a few eggplants, which she says don’t seem to be thriving. 

Petrucci is also growing a row or two of zinnias to attract the pollinators. Last season, she planted the zinnias that greeted gardeners upon entering the main gate. That area was no longer available due to parking renovations, but she continued them in her garden this year because they are so cheerful and again, an added bonus of attracting the pollinators. Petrucci also wanted to do a community event in the new area so she teamed with McGrath and planted pumpkins, intending to donate them to the food pantry. Since there aren’t enough to distribute, she is rethinking what to do with them – stay tuned!

Petrucci answered quickly when questioned about what she liked best about gardening.

“The abundant sunshine!” she responded. 

Her least favorite response took some discussion, but it turned out to be the constant weeding. 

“It’s a lot of work,” Petrucci acknowledged. “When you factor in all the time you spend, it probably costs about $600 to grow a tomato! It’s not inexpensive, but it’s very rewarding!”

As a long-time gardener at the Community Garden and here at home, I couldn’t agree more. Health issues the past couple of years have curtailed some of my gardening activities, but I’ve been fortunate to have friends who have helped so I could continue to grow my beloved dahlias and vegetables, both at home and at the Community Garden.  The friendships I’ve made through gardening have been some of the strongest and most enduring in my life. I guess the seeds my grandfather planted in me as a kid really did take root.

Donna Lane is a Master Gardener, founding member of the Norwood Evening Garden Club, Norwood-based writer, lecturer and designer who maintains a plot at the Community Garden. You can reach her at [email protected].