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Community Gardens November Update

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Wallisch Gardens

This was a banner year for Wallish Garden’s Community Gardens. Some of our accomplishments this season include:

Securing a lumber donation from Kuiken Brothers, which allowed us to build eight new plots: 

  • 2 plots for Ample Harvest

  • 2 plots for Culinary Herb pilot

  • 4 plots to clear the wait list

We continued building community connection with the Wallisch Homestead leaders: 

  • Luke from Nature Connection West Milford began attending monthly board meetings

Mark L secured a plot to partner with John & Wendy on Culinary Herb pilot 

  • Jim, Sandy, Kathy and Wendy started culinary herb plot and completed two deliveries of basil and parsley to the Vreeland Store

We reapplied for a DigIn Grant to continue to improve operations for next year

Thank you to everyone we may not have mentioned who volunteered their time, money and other donations to keep the gardens running this season. We couldn’t do it without you!

Our goals for 2024 include:

  • Building a partnership with Apple Acres Community Gardens

  • To continue garden education workshops to increase gardener engagement

  • Host a public seed swap in January or February

  • Revisit the potential for kitchen scrap composting program

  • Secure manure and compost

  • Map out a plan for Culinary Herbs in 2024, perhaps building a hoop hut depending on demand


Apple Acres

We had our final work day at the garden on the 15th. It was a light showing but everything we needed was accomplished by hard working volunteers.

Norma and Karl began prepping the compost piles for the winter.  Our next step is to apply lime and then cover it for the winter.

Tom has disassembled the water supply and he and Patrick will be moving the tote to winter storage in the next week.

The infamous "Joh's hole" has been filled and the weeds cut down around the fence, both inside and outside

We expect the gardens to be cleared in the next week or so.  We have a garden or two we may have to clean out—they have been mainly no shows for a large part of the season.

We have one more social to plan for, that will be the Winter Solstice, no details at this time.

Sue