The lure of fresh fruits and vegetables is one major reason the Carmel Farmer’s Market has blossomed over the years. So, it should be no surprise that a group of Carmel citizens is carrying the farmer’s market concept one step further. September 15th of this year will mark the beginning of the Carmel Clay School Community Garden. Now, don’t let the name scare you and jump to the assumption this is just for school kids. The School Corporation is providing the land, but the garden is truly a community project designed for everyone.
Located behind the soon to be razed Coop building on the grounds of Clay Middle School, 63 plots of land will be available to any Carmel resident willing to let Mother Nature be the boss. You or you and your best friend or your bridge club or your son’s Boy Scout Troop or your church choir could all fill out an application and take over a piece of rich, black Carmel soil. Should more applications be submitted than plots of land, a lottery will determine who will garden and who will watch the gardeners.
A community garden offers an opportunity for people with common interests to come together and create. They will together, navigate the challenges of weather, nature and time. As a community, they will decide how the person who wants to grow a mighty oak tree does not infringe on the precious sun rights of the person one plot over who is trying to grow arugula. As a community they will organize, plan and dream about what can be.
But someone has to dream about what can be today. The CCS Community Garden Dreamers are MaryEllen St.Angelo, Marcia Roberts, BJ Massa, Chris Cruzan, Sandie McLaren, Margot Gibson and Linda Hynes. Randy Sorrell of Surroundings by Natureworks donated a plan which includes phase 2 of the dream; a community gathering space perfect for ceremonies, picnics and concerts.
A website explaining all of the details and how to apply can be found at www.ccsgreenteam.org. The dream will soon be sprouting in our very own community backyard.