Health & Fitness
Maplewood-Richmond Heights Community Garden
Three years ago the Parks and Recreation Departments of these two cities decided to collaborate on a community garden: here is the update!
The Parks and Recreation Departments of Maplewood and Richmond Heights have collaborated on several joint projects. Three years ago, as part of their growing "green initiatives", they decided to start a community garden. Raised beds (4' x 10') were built and fenced in at .
That first year, watering and weeding were the biggest issues---Johnson grass, a pernicious barnyard weed, invaded the plots.
This year, twenty individuals and families have plots. About 1/2 of the plots have been planted with Spring vegetables and a few hardy souls have even planted their tomatoes already! The most common plantings are "Mixed Spring Greens" (lettuces and arugula), "Blooms-dale, Long Standing" spinach, strawberries, broccoli, red cabbage, beets, and Sugar Snap peas.
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Other seeds which have been planted and yet to sprout include bush beans and carrots. Spanish Yellow Onions are in several of the plots: these "giants" take 120 days to mature and allegedly repel flea beetles while growing.
The herb bed in the middle of the garden has already yielded harvests of Spearmint (great for Mint Juleps on Kentucky Derby weekend), oregano, sage, and chives (great on scrambled eggs or in omelets). French tarragon is just sprouting; rosemary and borage have been added to the bed.
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On a personal note, this writer planted a few pansies and flowering alyssum in his plot. He also planted old fashioned "Four o' Clocks" as these bloom late in the afternoon and add a heady fragrance to the garden at night. He has harvested lettuces twice by thinning the plantings.
At an initial outlay of $20.00 to rent the plot and $10.00 for seeds, he is well on his way to re-couping his investment.
It is not too late to start a vegetable garden with cool weather crops! Some things like lettuces and radishes and early variety broccoli will mature in 30-45 days (before our St Louis summers become stifling!).
If you are interested in being on the waiting list for a plot, contact Mary Binns, 314-655-3662, mbinns@richmondheights.org at . She will contact you back on or after May 15 if a plot becomes available---just in time to plant your summer garden of warm weather crops!