Green Thumbs Not Required

As he planted spinach, cabbage, broccoli and romaine lettuce in one of two raised beds at Falls Township Community Park, Joe Grabowski had one thing on his mind.

How could he keep the rabbits from nibbling on his garden-in-waiting? Would chicken wire keep them at bay, Grabowski wondered. 

"The rabbits are going to be an issue," Grabowski said after weeding and turning the soil in the first plot. 

In all, 46 raised planting beds are situated beneath a fence inside the 60-foot-by-100-foot plot, located next to the playground in Phase One of the park. Grabowski, a first-time user of the 2-year-old community garden, considers himself lucky to have been able to snatch up two plots.

All 46 of the plots have been claimed. 

Finding a new garden area was a necessity for Grabowski, who said he had had a garden at home until his neighbor's 1,800-square-foot addition blocked all of his sunlight.

"I was still trying to grow stuff, but it wasn't growing that well," he said. 

All of the plots at the community park are free, but it is up to the caretakers to plant and manage the beds, according to the Falls Community Garden Club. The committee asks that all seeds are planted by June 1.

If his first batch of plantings bear fruit, Grabowski said he intends to plant tomatoes and carrots–another favorite of rabbits–over the summer.