Those who rode their bicycles last Thursday had a different experience than those who took the bus or trolley for the annual community garden tour. Those using motorized transportation went to the Watkinson Community Garden after departing from the Niles Community Garden*, while the cyclists opted to visit some alternative locations.
The human-powered transport group visited the Niles, Huntington, West End, Evergreen, Church of the Good Shepherd, and Affleck community gardens. Those riding bikes were asked for input during the trip regarding where they would like to go and what routes they wanted to take to get there. No riders were left behind, and even with one flat tire, the group made good time.
We saw that some new gardeners at the Affleck Community Garden have brought much-needed love and attention to the spot. A communal sitting area has been added. One of the new gardeners there has something of an art-installation happening in his plot, with a castle, solar lights, and several fake animals arranged near the basil and hot peppers. This garden as a whole appeared much cleaner, now that a few trash cans have been placed there.
The group lingered at the Church of the Good Shepherd Community Garden. One of its gardeners took a vacant space and turned it into a common seating area — made from stone. Grapes were trained on an arbor. While in recent memory gardeners seeking to grow corn in their community plots were often told they would have no luck, this season, corn appeared to be a popular item.
At the Huntington Community Garden, sunflowers, tomatoes, and okra grew in abundance.
Both groups intersected at several points along the tour, including at the Church of the Good Shepherd Community Garden, where lemonade and iced tea were available, along with free packets of non-genetically modified seeds.
After visiting a fraction of the 292 plots that exist in Hartford, we returned to the Niles Community Garden for entertainment and dinner. A vegetable soup was one of the dishes made from food grown in the community gardens.
If you missed the tour, you can visit community gardens on your own, but keep in mind that some gardens are locked and your trip probably won’t end with hearty soup waiting for you.
*The Niles Community Garden was renamed the Aetna Wellness Community Garden at Niles; the company donated $10,000 to help this garden expand.