Ice cream, a guided hike and more at Lakewood's communal garden reopening

Juan Carlos Castillo, Asbury Park Press
·2 min read

LAKEWOOD – The Common Grounds Community Garden is ready to celebrate its third annual opening and the warm weather planting season.

On Sunday, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., the garden, located at the John Patrick Sports Complex, is jumpstarting the season with a garden tour, crafts and a special guided hike, said founder Tova Herskovitz.

"Every year the garden gets better and better as the perennial plants grow and mature. So we are very excited to see how the garden will be this year," Herskovitz said.

Ocean County Chief Park Naturalist Christopher Claus will lead the hike through the woods adjacent to the garden to explore both the flora and fauna that can be found there.

“Even in Lakewood, which is heavily developed, there’s pockets of natural area that are beautiful and diverse. Definitely worth going out to take a look at what’s in your own backyard,” Claus said.

During the summer and beginning of fall, the garden will host gardening and harvesting workshops for anyone interested in learning or participating in the garden.

This year, the garden will also include a new picturesque planting bed dedicated to painter Vincent van Gogh, which will grow poppies, irises and sunflowers. Another planting bed will grow plants from the fairytale Jack and the Beanstalk.

Like last year, the garden will have a pollinator section to provide nectar and pollen for bees, butterflies and other pollinators to spread out. The garden will also grow fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, eggplants, zucchinis and strawberries, as well as herbs such as oregano, thyme, mint and peppermint.

After harvesting, the crops are placed in a basket at the entrance of the garden for anybody to stop by and take home.

Throughout the summer and beginning of fall, the garden hosts events for people of all ages.
Throughout the summer and beginning of fall, the garden hosts events for people of all ages.

This communal garden, where everyone is welcome to plant and harvest any day before dusk, opened in 2021 as an initiative of One Ocean County, a nonprofit that seeks opportunities for individuals of different backgrounds to come together.

Herkovitz wants to increase the number of people who take part in the project, hoping to include more residents from Lakewood as well as surrounding towns.

So far, a Girl Scout troop from Jackson and members of the Lakewood Police Department are expected to take part this season. Interested groups can complete this participation form or email info@oneoceancounty.com.

The event on Sunday will include refreshments and gardening and harvesting tools will be provided.

For more information on the workshop schedule, visit the garden webpage.

Juan Carlos Castillo is a reporter covering everything Lakewood. He delves into politics, social issues and human-interest stories. Reach out to him at JcCastillo@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Lakewood NJ community garden launches 2023 planting season