Community Garden Readies for Expansion

The group that has put together the Chatham Community Garden is readying for the garden's expansion, which will involve placing more plots on PSE&G land north of Main Street.

As of now, there are 40 plots in the garden that each measure 10 feet x 10 feet on power company land just south of Main Street, alongside Division Street. But community garden plots are typically 10 x 20, and garden officials want to incorporate those larger plots into the PSE&G area across the street so the garden can expand.

It will be in the area right next to where the Chatham Jaycees sell their Christmas trees.

"Many people in the garden right now want more space," garden coordinator Marcy Wecker said at a Borough Council meeting Monday.

The garden group certainly has the money to spend on the space. It had originally budgeted $15,000 for the original plots that are now open, but only used $5,000 of that money because so much labor and so many materials were donated.

Now, it has the extra $10,000 to spend on the expansion. And it is planning to receive more donations—Green Path Organic Landcare, which donated labor and helped set up the garden's fencing, has signed on for phase two, as has Coviello Brothers, which donated labor and worked compost into the ground.

Home Depot will also make some donations, and there will be a fundraising committee tasked with coming up with money for the project.

Wecker said efforts surrounding the garden, which opened May 1, have been going well.

"It brings a lot of joy to a lot of people," she said.

Council members lauded garden organizers for their frugal spending.

"That's the model that we need to use going forward in the borough, Morris County and the state," Councilman and Shared Services Committee member John Holman said.

Garden organizers are planning to participate in the Fourth of July parade in Chatham and will be giving out samples at two borough farmer's markets.