Residents Watch Their Gardens Grow

Nancy Petschl ran her hands over the green leaves of her corn, squash and bean plants.

She pointed to a brown, withered patch of leaves.

"The caterpillars got to some of them," she said.

Petschl is one of the first members of the Temple Terrace Community Garden to have an individual plot at the group's Riverhills Park location. Although the crops aren't flowering yet, Petschl said she expects a harvest by late November or early December.

As of last week, the first quadrant of the Community Garden in the park is spoken for, said president Elizabeth Leib. There's already one person on the waiting list for the next quadrant. Construction on that section could start soon, depending on how much interest the group drums up.

"We just need enough people to collect the money to buy the wood," she said.

Gardeners have been working together since November 2011 to build a place where Temple Terrace residents could cultivate crops and a sense of community.

In January, they began working a communal garden that already existed at Riverhills Elementary Gifted Academy for Learning. Over the summer, they began building their second plot (the one with individual beds at Riverhills Park where Petschl has a garden). They're also working with Greco Middle School to build a garden there.

Last week, gardeners were installing irrigation in their second plot. On Nov. 3, they'll have a membership meeting, which will be open to the public. They'll talk about seasonal planting, building organic garden beds, and opportunities to volunteer at upcoming events.

Petschl said there was a strategy behind the crops she decided to plant in her garden. The technique is called "three sisters" gardening, and it provides long-term soil fertility. Each plant benefits the others, much like the gardeners in the Temple Terrace Community Garden.

"They all work off of each other," Petschl said.

To become a part of the Temple Terrace Community Garden, visit the group's website for an application.

See also:
Community Gardeners Share Expertise on Radio
Community Garden Branches Out
Community Gardeners Build Planting Beds
Community Gardeners Finish Fence
Community Garden Fence Set to Sprout Saturday
Community Group Finds Match in Riverhills Elementary Garden