By Michelle Williams
Last year, the new Project Eden community gardens sprouted for the first time at 146th St. and Hazel Dell Rd. in Noblesville. This spring, the garden space has doubled to a total of nearly 6,000 square feet with room for up to 40 individual plots.
Unlike many community gardens that charge a seasonal fee for use of the space, Project Eden gardeners make a discretionary monetary donation each year in addition to donating half of the produce to a local food pantry through a partnership maintained by the organization. Several large general plots used exclusively for donations are also maintained by volunteers.
The nonprofit initiated in 2013 with a mission of reconnecting people with creation and restoring broken ecosystems. “We hope to grow in the coming years across central Indiana by partnering with local organizations, schools and churches to create organic gardens and promote ecological restoration,” said Sara Sterley, senior director of Project Eden. Sterley said she expects to receive word on the status of the organization’s 501(c)3 application prior to the end of the year.
Planting is scheduled for the weekend of May 16 or the following weekend, weather permitting.
Project Eden hosts several complimentary workshops throughout the year on topics such as composting and seed-saving in an effort to help the participating gardeners.
“I love how everyone can interact and grow together, feeding our family and friends as well as helping stock a local food pantry with nutrient dense foods,” said gardener Grant Sterley.
Crystal Morrison, a volunteer, recalls sharing some of the produce with the Wheeler Women and Children’s Center where one little boy discovered, for the first time, an ear of corn still in the husk. “I knew we’d done a great thing,” she said.
To find out more about the Project Eden community gardens, visit www.project-eden.org or email Sara Sterley at [email protected].
