by Tim Troglen
Reporter
Maple Heights -- Folks who like the smell of newly turned soil and the taste of sun-warmed seasonal vegetables need not pack up and head out of town for that country goodness.
Soon residents will be able to plant, toil over and harvest their own patch of freshness at little or no cost.
Thanks to the work of Council President Jackie Albers and resident Dennis McIntyre, a 150-foot by 250-foot piece of land at Stafford Park will be doled out into individual patches so residents can take part in the Maple Heights Community Garden Project.
Albers and McIntyre are presently taking sign-ups for parcels.
Albers said she was approached by McIntyre in January with the idea.
"We have about 20 parcels," Albers said of the land which is behind the service garage, near the pool. "The city agreed to dig it up for us and has been very cooperative."
The ground is expected to be tilled later this month, in time for planting season, Albers said.
And she said while the program is in its beginning stages, the group hopes to receive donations from area businesses of seeds, plants, tools and other materials needed for the planting, maintaining and protection of the community garden.
Albers said the group of nine members who have signed up so far, have been assisted by the Ohio State Extension, which is part of The Ohio State University.
Marie Barni, director of The Ohio State University Extension, Cuyahoga County, said the program will be free and open to all residents.
She said the OSU extension wants to educate residents on the benefits of gardening and will soon schedule workshops, which will be free and open to the public, on basic gardening.
Barni said the mission of the program is "to provide resources to help people grow food to eat, develop skills to live by, and build stronger communities and healthier environments."
And when the crops are collected, the urban farmers can choose to keep or share their bounty, Albers said.
McIntyre, who has maintained a garden at his home for more that 17 years, said he wants to share his love of gardening with his fellow residents.
"It would be nice to show the people that planting a garden is not just something for old people with nothing better to do," McIntyre said.
"And I'm going to go up to the schools and see what we can do to get some youth programs [regarding gardening] going."
McIntyre said he believes the project could even help foster "a renewed feeling of community."
"Maybe some might want to do it in their own backyard," he said. "And we can show them what they need to do."
Albers said most of the initial group have experience with a personal home garden. "They also wanted to take part in a community garden," she added.
The project was originally going to be at a plot of land on Bennoff Avenue.
But McIntyre said the road was in need of repairs and Stafford Park is not as isolated.
McIntyre said he and Albers are trying to get fencing donated for the gardens.
"We really need to have it fenced in," he said, "to keep out the deer and volunteer pickers."
The group has been meeting at the Maple Heights Branch of the Cuyahoga County Library.
"These gardens are very inter-generational," Barni said.
"There are kids, siblings, parents and grandparents who work them," Barni said. "It definitely brings the community together."
For more information or for future meeting times, call Albers at 216-465-4711.