Discover Ferndale recently spoke with Ferndale Friendship Community Garden Coordinator Gloria Perez and learned about several happenings at the community garden located just south of Pioneer Park and next to the Bergsma House on Ferndale Road.
Perez told Discover Ferndale a plot of land adjacent to the garden that had been donated by the city, is the site of an Eagle Scout project by Nathan Pringle who was building a hoop house garden. The plan is for S.H.I.F.T. Foods volunteers to manage this garden which will extend the availability of fresh produce at the Ferndale Food Bank.
There are also plans to install a patio at the garden entrance. Perez is looking for a donation of pavers and volunteers to install them. In addition, the deer fence surrounding the gardens will need to be extended to include the new hoop house garden. Volunteers are needed for that project as well.
In addition to the new hoop garden, there is an existing “Giving Garden” which supplies fresh produce to the Ferndale Food Bank. One or two volunteers are needed to take over managing it. In 2014 over 1,200 pounds of fresh produce was donated from the Giving Garden to the Ferndale Food Bank.
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Click for more informationAnd Perez, who has been a garden volunteer since 2008 and coordinator since 2010 is looking for someone to take over her responsibilities. Perez says it is time for someone with fresh ideas and energy to step in. An optimum candidate, according to Perez, will be a “people person” who is able to manage volunteers. Some gardening experience would be helpful. Having two people take over is something Perez says is being considered.
Ferndale Friendship Community Garden offer gardening plats for people who want to grow things but have no or limited yard space. According to Perez, people in apartments and shared housing are the ones most likely to rent spaces.
The cost to rent one of the 25 garden plots for a growing season is based on a sliding scale of $10 to $20. There is also a $10 refundable cleaning fee and gardeners are required to put in 15 hours of volunteer work at the garden during the season.
Perez can be contacted at 223-3836 or rainglo@comcast.net to reserve a garden plot and to volunteer.
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