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Montgomery Community Gardens
 Montgomery Community Gardens was formed in 2006 to educate and encourage people in Montgomery and surrounding towns to grow their own food. Although many people in our rural town enjoy growing their own vegetables, far too many residents either lack the knowledge and skills to garden or do not have access to a good site for a garden. Montgomery Community Gardens will establish community gardens throughout the town and promote food education in the school and elsewhere in town.
As interest in gardening in the United States has increased enormously over the past 15 years, so to has our dependence upon foods grown thousands of miles away from where we live. Montgomery has been loosing its connection to agriculture since the 1960's. As the number of farms in town has dwindled, so too have we lost the farming culture and our understanding of what it means to grow our own food.
Just as people have turned to organic foods for a healthy diet, consumers now understand that locally grown foods support small scale diversified farms, stimulate local economies, reduce transportation costs, and put fresher foods on the tables of more people at lower cost.
Some goals of Montgomery Community Gardens include:
1. identify and develop potential garden sites throughout Montgomery.
2. create partnerships around gardening among neighbors and civic organizations.
3. increase interest and participation in gardening throughout Montgomery.
4. create educational opportunities around gardening for children and youth.
If you are already growing your own food, congratulations ! If you want to start, get in touch with us and we'll help you get on your way.
Breezy Acres Farm
Community Garden
Mark Brouillette of Breezy Acres Farm in Montgomery generously invited the Montgomery Community Gardens to establish the first community garden in town at his farm.
Sharon and Rolf Anderson met with Mark and his uncle William Cabana to plan the garden during the Winter of 2005-2006. Their conversation revealed Mark and Billy's commitment to farming and their desire to play a part in educating people, especially children, about the importance of locally grown foods.
Through grants from the Vermont Community Gardens Network and other private foundations as well as donations made by individuals and area businesses, Montgomery Community Gardens has been able to establish family gardens at Breezy Acres Farm in Montgomery Village and education programs at the High Ponds Farm in Hazen's Notch.
Breezy Acres Farm
Community Garden
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Gardening Education
The Hazen's Notch Association has been providing gardening education programs to many children since 1994. Beginning the summer of 2006 the HNA partnered with Montgomery Community Gardens to expand gardening and food education to include a teaching garden at High Ponds Farm and Farm to School Agriculture in the Classroom programs for Montgomery Elementary School students.
High Ponds Farm
Community Teaching Garden
In 2007 the Hazen's Notch Association expanded its gardening education programs to include the gardens at the High Ponds Farm in Hazen's Notch.
Gardening education programs for parents and their children ages infant to 12 are offered twice each month from June through September. Families learn from experienced gardeners and educators about soils and seeds, transplants and compost, garden structures, weeding, watering and maintenance, garden pests, nature's garden, harvesting, cooking and other uses for plants.
See Calendar of Events for a list of education programs and other gardening related activities.
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The Friends of Montgomery Community Gardens thanks everyone who through their donations of time, energy, materials and money support community gardening in Montgomery.
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Farm to School Program
The Farm to School program utilizes the Agriculture in the Classroom curricula developed by the Vermont Department of Agriculture and partner with Montgomery Elementary School, Montgomery Community Gardens, farmers and other food producers to bring food education to students in Montgomery Elementary.
Food education programs will initially focus on 5th and 6th grade students in Spring and Fall 2006. Construction of the school garden started in the spring of 2007 after the landscaping associated with the new adddition to the school was completed.
The Farm to School initiative continues throughout the summer with education programs sponsored by Montgomery Community Gardens at both the High Ponds Farm and the Breezy Acres Farm Community Garden.
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Community Gardening Resources
If you are contemplating a community garden project for your town, there are many good resources for planning, organizing, starting and sustaining your garden.
Many established and successful community gardening programs exist throughout Vermont and in other states. Several of these provide helpful information through their websites and publications.
In Vermont a great place to start is the website of the
Friends of Burlington Gardens.
Outside of Vermont visit the
American Association
of Community Gardens.
For more information
For more information about gardening in Montgomery visit the websites of:
the
Covered Bridges
Garden Club
the
Hazen's Notch Association
Gardening Programs
Montgomery
Community Gardens
is a member
of the
Vermont
Community Garden
Network
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It is a powerful act to galvanize people in a community around food production in this era of globalization.
Mary Niles
Montgomery, Vermont
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Montgomery
Community Gardens
Steering Committee
Rolf Anderson,
Site Coordinator
Mark Brouillette,
Farmer
Sara Marshall,
Montgomery
Elementary School
Mary Niles,
Success by Six
Colleen Pratt,
Treasurer
Advisors
Sarah Cushing,
Agricultural Consultant
Kate Riley,
NOFA
Farm to School Mentor
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