Shiloh Garden Renovates New Brunswick Neighborhood

This past week I was driving down Neilson Street towards the soup kitchen. As I drove past the old Shiloh Cemetery on the corner of Neilson and Tabernacle Way I slowed to take a look up the hill at the Shiloh Community Garden and enjoy the sight of the lush landscape. Sunflowers peeking out over the garden beds and fence line, and the apple trees neatly lined up next to the garden are signs of life and beauty in the city. But what caught my eye was the little girl playing in the upper corner of the lot near the garden fence.  She must have been about four. She had a little wagon and some play things out and she was clearly having a wonderful time.

When I first came to New Brunswick over 20 years ago, this lot was an overgrown eyesore, with litter and broken glass strewn about.  It was where addicts came to shoot up. No one stopped to admire, and certainly no children ever played here. It was a vacant lot…it was urban blight. But now, this is an oasis and a gathering place. Seniors come to garden and visit. Children from the neighboring preschool come to tend their beds and learn about where their food comes from.  Neighbors grow food for their tables and swap seeds and lessons.  And children come to play. Community gardens and urban farms are opportunities for people to grow fresh produce and flowers, enjoy the recreation of gardening, improve their neighborhoods and make community connections.

The Shiloh Community Garden is a wonderful oasis in New Brunswick, and a partnership of many groups. From the United Methodist Church who owns the property, to the City of New Brunswick who developed the site, to the neighbors and gardeners, to the Rutgers faculty and students who planted the apple trees and are making other improvements at the garden, to the Elijah’s Promise staff who keep everything running smoothly…The Shiloh Garden is another example of how food changes lives, and gardens can change cities. Stop by and visit.  Who knows, maybe you’ll want to stay and play a while.