Victory Garden Kicks Off Season Two With Organic Gardening Lecture

By Kendra Bobowick

Victory Garden organizers are anticipating the coming growing season.

“It’s not too early to start thinking about your vegetable garden,” said landscape designer Brid Craddock of Growing Solutions LLC. She and her husband and garden founder Harvey Pessin recently generated a flyer announcing a kick-off gardening meeting on February 29, with the lecture “Organic Gardening Simplified.

Regarding supplies and seeds especially, she said, “Order and prepare now; you don’t want to hear, ‘Sorry, sold out.’”

The upcoming meeting will run from 3:30 to 6 pm at the Newtown Municipal Center for all Victory Garden volunteers and others interested in participating. Available will be signup information; a brief permaculture lecture from Sheila Torres; a longer lecture from Westport resident, gardener, and author Nick Mancini; followed with a question-and-answer session.

Newcomers can learn how to “own a row” in the community garden that was designed to provide fresh produce for Newtown’s food pantries. The garden is entering its second season. Participants can volunteers to harvest, water, deliver produce, or join a team. The deadline to own a row is March 10, but new members are welcome at any time.

All ages and skill levels are welcome.

Ms Craddock said two things prompted her and Mr Pessin to organize the meeting later this month.

“We need a succession of produce from spring to summer to fall,” she said. Last year’s garden got a late start, with the result being, “We had a glut of produce in July and not much before or after.”

She is also hoping for a variety of items from this year’s plantings. “Last year we had 900 pounds of tomatoes,” Ms Craddock noted. She would like to see some peas, carrots, and more. The lecture will help participants learn about succession, planting, and variety, she said.

The kick-off meeting to talk abut gardening is just “part of the process,” Ms Craddock said. “Every gardener knows you’re never done.” Changes to beds, planting plans, and more can always take place. “It’s a lot of fun,” she said. “Anyone who thinks this is boring just isn’t paying attention — and it’s a social thing.” Those who worked the garden together last year enjoyed a harvest party when the season ended.

For anyone who is reluctant about the garden, she reminded them, “It’s a unique thing: you’re gardening in a fenced in, animal protected, irrigated garden with prepared beds.”

Mr Mancini will have a PowerPoint presentation on topics including soil preparation, how to maintain a garden, weed control, fertilization, knowing how to plant the right types of plants together, and how to make a nice looking and substantial crop.

A flower gardener as a child, Mr Mancini has spent many years growing organic vegetables and fruit.

“I like it because I do not like to eat produce grown chemically, and this is the only way that I can be 100 percent sure I get organic product,” he said. “I value my health and one way is to control what I eat and I use as little pesticide as possible and I use strictly organic fertilizers.”

Regarding the Victory Garden, he said: “Their efforts are beautiful.”

When Mr Mancini first started lecturing, he said that only a few people were interested in organics. But he recently addressed a group where he counted 16 out of the 32 members who were interested. “It’s truly beautiful,” he said, that people are taking more interest in organic gardening.

He said, “I still have shrubs around and I love it, but I am interested in my health…” Learn more about Mr Mancini at OrganicGardeningSimplified.com.

The Victory Garden, which supplies produce to the town’s food pantries, is located in Fairfield Hills and is administered through Newtown’s Parks and Recreation Department. The Victory Garden delivered 2,800 pounds of produce in 2011.

Ms Craddock asks that residents please RSVP. Contact Volunteer Director Harvey Pessin at 203-241-0301, or e-mail him at Harve9@yahoo.com. Parks and Recreation Director Amy Mangold can be reached at 203-270-4340.