Saturday, August 13, 2016

Local Saturday - A Courthouse Community Garden

On a patio near the Broome County Courthouse in Binghamton, New York, a community garden has sprouted.  It's part of a program called Plant it Forward.
In what were trash receptacles, now grow parsley.

Cherry tomatoes thrive in planters where day lilies grew last year.

Here's a closeup of the tomatoes.

Nearby, peppers grow.

When I first blogged about this small community garden in May, I was concerned about theft or vandalism.  Perhaps because this is a guarded area (being next the the courthouse), the vandals have left it alone.

I'm not sure this can properly be called a "community garden" as it seems the boxes are being tended by employees of various law offices and other corporations, but it is a hopeful sign of what can be accomplished in Binghamton.

I know it hasn't been easy for those dedicated volunteers. We are in the midst of a drought.  At first, people were tending these boxes carrying water from who knows where.  Later, a grounds person looped a garden hose so people could fill their watering cans.  Still, a lot of effort has gone into growing this small garden.
But what about the flowers that were in these boxes last year?  Well, I do miss them, but Nature has provided one last surprise.  On the edge of the courthouse lawn, near a magnolia tree, sits this volunteer petunia.

Is there a downtown community garden where you live?

10 comments:

  1. No. Nothing like this. But I wish there were... this sounds like a beautiful idea. We need to find and encourage more such initiatives.

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  2. A small kitchen garden sounds like a great idea. Lovely post. :)

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  3. I just have a small garden on my balcony:.) loved to read about this initiative though:-)

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  4. This seems like a idea that could spread,which we hope it does...

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  5. No community garden where I leave, but my condo does have one-- no flowers tho-- only ornamental plants.

    Damyanti

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  6. I wish there was a community garden around. It's just a good thing. Love your stories, Alana.

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  7. Always encouraging to see this kind of effort.

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  8. What a great idea! I haven't seen anything like this around here, but I have seen similar garbage cans - in fact, my hubby (career metal fabricator/welder) has made many of the metal garbage cans and benches around town!

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  9. I do wonder about the trash can. I hope there's a real trash can nearby...

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  10. This sounds like a really cute idea, Alana. Sorry that I haven't commented on your blog for a while, it will be good to have a nosy through!

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