Growing together: Interest in Luzerne County community gardens takes root

While the fresh vegetables alone are great, Pittston Mayor Mayor Michael Lombardo expects an even greater bounty from the city’s new community garden.

Residents of all ages will get to know each other while tending to the plants and benefit from the exercise and nutritious harvest that will be left out for the taking, he said.

The garden beds also brighten the Pittston City Authority-owned parcel in front of Infantino Towers near the Christopher Columbus statue, he said.

Creating opportunities for people to peacefully connect in person is essential in a world often dominated by politics and social media, the mayor said.

“I don’t know that there’s a Democratic or Republican way to garden. If it’s fruits and vegetables we come together on, so be it. You have to start somewhere,” Lombardo said.

Local gardening also is a tradition that must continue, he added.

“I think the way forward is backward, to get back to some of the things we did before, and this is one of them,” he said.

Inclusivity

While he admittedly is no expert on plants, Daryl Lewis has witnessed the value of the Wilkes-Barre Area Community Garden at 445 S. River St. in the city.

“Just the other day we had NAACP youth here, and I personally appreciated watching them running around and enjoying this space,” said Lewis, who is actively involved in both the garden and Wilkes-Barre Chapter of the NAACP.

All food grown is donated to the community through drop-offs at local organizations and social media alerts inviting the public to select items that have been placed at the garden or that can be picked following tutorials from the master gardener, Lewis said, adding that “100% goes to support the community.”

Luzerne County Council’s $40,000 federal American Rescue Plan Act earmark is funding the addition of pavers and a covered area with raised beds that will open up access to residents in wheelchairs, he said.

The county funds also may be used to acquire the parcel from the city to ensure it can remain a community garden in perpetuity and, if funds are remaining, to buy another lot for an additional garden, Lewis said.

He is trying to create a nonprofit to support this community garden and, hopefully, add others in central locations with foot traffic throughout the county.

“I have been promoting this garden on social media, and the response shows there is a growing desire for this type of garden,” Lewis said.

“Everywhere needs this,” he said, noting even shady land slivers can be used to grow mushrooms.

Wilkes-Barre Mayor George Brown said there are two other community gardens in the city — one at Restored Church on South Meade Street and the other at New Roots Recovery Center on Water Street.

“They’re wonderful projects. The beautiful part is that it’s helping people who may be struggling to buy groceries,” Brown said.

The lot occupied by the Wilkes-Barre Area Community Garden had been vacant for a long time, and the volunteers are also helping the city by taking care of it, Brown said.

“We’re 100% behind them,” the mayor said.

County Manager Romilda Crocamo supports council’s decision to earmark American Rescue funding to the Wilkes-Barre garden, saying such green spaces “provide a platform for neighbors to come together, share knowledge and collaborate on growing fresh, healthy produce.”

“Community gardens are an invaluable asset to our neighborhoods, fostering a sense of community, promoting sustainable living and improving the overall wellbeing of residents,” Crocamo said. “By supporting community gardens, we can create a more resilient and connected community, enhance food security and contribute to a greener and more sustainable future.”

On the flats

Nanticoke resident Paul Kinder has been gardening for 15 years at a community garden provided free by the nonprofit Earth Conservancy in the agricultural swath off Route 11 near the Susquehanna River known as the Plymouth Flats.

Kinder used to grow a variety of vegetables because his late father enjoyed passing out the produce to fellow veterans at his American Legion.

These days, Kinder sticks to sweet corn, which he would not have the space to grow at his residence. He freezes and cans some and gives out the rest.

Following the advice of an “old timer” when he first started at the community garden, Kinder also plants enough for the bears and raccoons that will inevitably take a share. He knows a bear has visited when a bunch of stalks at the center have been flattened where the animal has settled in to feast.

Kinder said several plots are tended by retirees from various municipalities who view community gardening as a way to keep busy, get fresh air and exercise, socialize with others and yield the tangible reward of produce.

“It gets them out of the house and gives them something to do,” he said.

He hopes the concept continues to grow throughout the region.

“There are so many empty lots in towns that could be turned into community gardens — lots that are too small to build on,” he said.

Elizabeth Hughes, Earth Conservancy’s communications director, said the nonprofit has been offering free growing space for 24 years. Participation sometimes exceeds 25, and this year there are 19 gardeners, she said.

The garden is on property the nonprofit leases to a local farmer. Each year along the edge of the cornfield, the farmer reserves and tills a half-acre for the community. Water spigots also were added through funding from the PA Department of Agriculture and Price Chopper’s Golub Foundation.

Hughes appreciates the excitement expressed by participants and said the program grew out of the nonprofit’s mission to improve the wellbeing of residents and make environmentally-friendly use of former coal mine holdings.

Registration for Earth Conservancy’s plots are accepted at the start of each year, with information posted at earthconservancy.org .

Planned growth

In Pittston, Lombardo said he’d eventually like to add community gardens in several strategic locations throughout the city.

“This is a good pilot test of how this works” the mayor said. “In other communities, community gardens are hugely successful, so we needed to get in on it.”

The first garden is a joint effort for the city, its housing authority and Northeast Pennsylvania’s Garden Goombas (Dr. Frank Colella and Joe “Cuzzie” Stuppino), with funding support from an American Water Charitable Foundation 2024 Water and Environment Grant.

Other citizens and entities, including the Pittston Area School District, have provided support, Lombardo said.

Baskets of picked vegetables will be placed out for residents to take, he said. He envisions a time when downtown city restaurants will be including dishes or herbs from the community garden in their dishes.

Eventually he’d like to add a community flower garden.

And, naturally, tomatoes will be among the staples in these plans, Lombardo said.

“We have to constantly prove we are the tomato capital of the world.”