The Radford Community Garden started in 2010 in the area where a baseball field now exists near the boat launch along the trail by the New River and is in it’s eleventh year this upcoming growing season.
The Radford Community Garden will be enjoying it’s eleventh year this upcoming growing season.
The garden started in 2010 in the area where a baseball field now exists near the boat launch along the trail by the New River. The original garden consisted of 10 20 x 20 foot plots and was quickly filled by Radford Citizens. Unfortunately, that site did not have a fence so competition with wild animals made it difficult to harvest all the vegetables.
In 2012 the City of Radford and the Pepper Ferry Regional Waste Water Authority signed a Memorandum of Understanding allowing the City to utilize a plot of land near the Radford Pump Station on Pulaski Street for the purposes of a Community Garden. The site has a 6 foot fence enclosing it, has a gate that is locked at all times, and sufficient space for more plots than in the original location. The number of plots has grown over the past seven years to it’s current size of 42 plots.
Gardeners who sign for a plot are given a Rules and Regulations document which defines their responsibilities in great detail as is necessary in such an undertaking. The plots cost $20 for the 20 x 20 foot size and $10 for the 20 x 10 foot size with the income providing for plowing in the fall, tilling just before the planting season, and any necessary clean up after the growing season.
Many of the same gardeners have been in the Community Garden for years and a comraderie exists as they all have a common interest. A variety of vegetables is grown each year with tomatoes, green beans, and various greens being the most popular. Sign up for the 2020 gardening season will begin on Mar. 16, 2020 in the Radford Administration Office . Plots are assigned in the order of sign up with priority given to those who previously had a plot.
– James Graham
