WNJ Exclusive: Highschoolers help community garden rise from empty ground in Edison
Current entrance to Triple C Ranch's garden.
All photos by Alison Botto
By Alison Botto, WildNewJersey.tv
When looking around the Triple C Ranch, visitors might expect to see the pony, goats, and pig. But they might be surprised to see a large garden filled with numerous native plants and a variety of vegetables. The bigger surprise, however, is that the garden is lovingly tended by teenagers.
I founded the G-Arden Unit teen gardening club. While I intern with the Edison Wetlands Association this summer, allow me to tell you my story of how an why this club was established, and why it means so much to the community.
In 2006, after several years of being abandoned, the garden was a mess of weeds and dead plants. This distressed me because I had seen the garden back when it was in its prime and diligently cared for by a group of adults who had moved on to other projects. About this time, I was looking for a project to help me become eligible for the National Honor Society so I saw a perfect opportunity to rehabilitate the dilapidated garden and show my leadership qualities. I knew that with the help of a few of my friends, we could make the garden flourish again.
In 2006, after several years of being abandoned, the garden was a mess of weeds and dead plants. This distressed me because I had seen the garden back when it was in its prime and diligently cared for by a group of adults who had moved on to other projects. About this time, I was looking for a project to help me become eligible for the National Honor Society so I saw a perfect opportunity to rehabilitate the dilapidated garden and show my leadership qualities. I knew that with the help of a few of my friends, we could make the garden flourish again.
My brother, Dan, and my friends Taras and Anthony from John P. Stevens High School joined me at the garden throughout that spring and summer, clearing wheelbarrows full of weeds and preparing the tired soil with lime and organic fertilizer. We carefully planted dozens of tomato and other vegetable plants, weeded and watered and then crossed our fingers. Although we had the help of my mother, Michele Lawrence, we weren’t farmers or even gardeners- we were just nervous teens willing to work hard and hope that our garden would grow.
The garden's 2010 vegetable crop.
Thankfully, the garden flourished and gave an excellent harvest yield that year which we shared with any families who visited the Ranch. Not only had the garden grown, but so did I. The feeling of accomplishment that I experienced encouraged me to help create the teen garden club that still exists. Now our small club of four has evolved into the G-Arden Unit, a high school junior group of the Terra Nova Garden Club. Teens from Edison meet every Sunday morning to tackle garden projects at the Triple C Ranch, while receiving community service hours they can use for various school credits. The teens also participate in the Garden Club of New Jersey’s annual flower show and have received numerous awards.
Last year the G-Arden Unit received a $5,000 grant from the Edison Wetlands Association and replaced the rickety, old vegetable fence with a new one, installed water lines to the garden, and lined all the pathways with stone pebbles. They also created a beautiful raised-bed native plant and butterfly garden with a solarized fountain, all surrounded by a white picket fence. The Home News Tribune covered some of that in a great story last year.
Native flowers and plants in raised beds.
This year is especially exciting for the club since it has recently grown to nearly 30 members, most of whom will be attending John P. Stevens High School this fall as freshmen. Upcoming projects will be again funded by that generous EWA grant, and will include installation of a rain garden and the creation of extra wildlife habitat within the flower and vegetable gardens. The G-Arden Unit also is donating some of the vegetable harvest to a local soup kitchen. They are always looking for new teen members and even adults to help out in the garden. Anyone interested should call Michele at 732-548-5565 or email ewainfo@edisonwetlands.org for more details.
Needless to say, I am so proud of how my National Honor Society project has blossomed into a productive vegetable garden and a beautiful flower garden which is enjoyed by both wildlife and humans. I also appreciate Edison Wetlands for giving me an opportunity as a teen to accomplish my dream to restore the garden to the lush one I remembered as a youngster.
Posted by WILDNEWJERSEY at 8/11/2010 6:00 AM 
Categories: WNJ Exclusives
Tags: triple c ranch edison wetlands association home news tribune gardening club g-arden unit john p. stevens high school garden
Categories: WNJ Exclusives
Tags: triple c ranch edison wetlands association home news tribune gardening club g-arden unit john p. stevens high school garden
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