Sept/Oct 2013 - Inside Chappaqua

Inch By Inch, Row By Row
How A Garden is Helping the Community Grow, One Plant at a Time
It's a warm summer day, and
you're strolling through town.
You pass Starbucks, popping in
for a quick Frappuccino to keep
the heat away. You continue
on your walk, crossing the
street, passing Susan Lawrence,
and sipping your drink. It is
a gorgeous and lazy day–you
have nowhere to be, so you are
letting your feet lead the way.
Across the street you see the
Chappaqua Volunteer Ambulance
Corps, and then something
else catches your eye–
right next to the Ambulance
Corps (on its land, in fact) is
a fenced-in area buzzing with
busy men, women, and children. Curiosity
gets the better of you, and you
cross the road–beautiful flowers, rich
green lettuce, and lovely little herbs fill
your vision; the smells of fresh water,
dirt, and plants fill your nose. Plant
beds made of wood or surrounded
by stones are lined up throughout
the space, each with small paths cut
through for walking, kneeling and
growing; nets are hung up for cultivating
beans, and there are signs staked in
to give the plots a "homey" feel.
Photos by Alina Wang
Dr. Susan Rubin
Everyone
is busy.
Some are
bringing
piles of plant
matter over
to compost
bins, some
are digging
out the pathways,
some
are weeding,
and
everyone
is helping in
some way. You are at the Chappaqua
Community (emphasis on "community")
Garden on one of their work days–
when everyone who has a plot stops by
to help out with general garden maintenance
for an hour or two. Started by
Suzi Novak and InterGenerate in the
Spring of 2011 when she noticed that
some Ambulance Corps workers were
growing tomatoes in the space, this
garden has been a wonderful addition
to the Chappaqua community.
32 Inside Chappaqua September/October 2013
By Julia Desmarais
Volunteers hard at work in the Chappaqua Community Garden
Now in its third year, the garden is
home to 22 beds, all of which are filled
with various plants. There are relatively
few rules that govern each plot, as
everyone builds theirs differently and
grows different things. There is one
very important rule: everything must
be organic. In addition to these beds,
there are four special beds known as
the "Giving Garden." Everyone who
has a plot in the Community Garden
volunteers time here, and the food gets
donated to people in need.
While organically grown vegetables
are good for everyone, they are especially
important for growing kids.
If you want your kids to eat healthfully,
get them out to the garden. It's
organic, it's fresh and delicious, and
it's something that they'll want to eat.
As Dr. Susan Rubin, co-chair of the
Chappaqua Community Garden, health
professional, food and garden educator,
environmental activist and local
mother said, "When kids grow food,
they eat food." The great thing about
this garden is they can grow the food.
There are gardeners here of every skill
level, and others who are always willing
and ready to help.
The community feeling at the garden
is a special one and is truthfully the
real draw for gardening experts and
novices alike; advice sharing, potluck
dinners, and seed swaps at Local are
only some of the many activities to
participate in. Cameron Kelly, a longtime
gardener, gardens at home but
also has a plot at the Chappaqua
Community Garden.
She loves the opportunity
the town garden gives her to
meet neighbors, learn from
them, and be a part of the
community that has been
created there. "The most
important message," she
shared, "is that everyone can
do this." Yes, gardening is a
skill, but it is a skill that anyone
can learn, green thumb
or not. Susan's advice coincides
with this–start small,
she suggests, and grow
herbs. They are very easy to
grow, and great to have!
The Ambulance Corps and Chappaqua
Paint and Hardware understand
the value of the Chappaqua Community
Garden, and both have been very
generous with their help. The Ambulance
Corps has given land and a water
supply, while Chappaqua Paint and
Hardware has supplied hoses and put
in a shed to hold the gardening tools.
It has really become a huge, welcoming
community affair in which the whole
town is involved.
Rubin is very happy with how far the
garden has come, and she hopes that
in the future it will expand as more
residents discover the benefits and excitement
of the garden. Her dream is to
move it onto the Chappaqua Crossing
property someday, where it can be bigger
and better. With enough support,
there is no doubt that this would be a
successful endeavor and an extraordinary
benefit to the Chappaqua community,
as seen in what the garden has
achieved already.
If you would like to get involved with
this amazing venture, you can contact
Susan Rubin through her website,
www.drsusanrubin.com, or Suzi Novak
through her email,
suzin@jsgnovak.com.
Julia Desmarais is a
senior at Horace Greeley
High School. Growing up,
she loved the Junie B.
Jones books.