Oneonta Community Garden is in bloom

Aug. 26—Oneonta's Community Garden is "having their best season ever," according to Mayor Mark Drnek. With the help of the local community, the garden is in full bloom.

Located on River Street near Riverside Elementary School, the Oneonta Community Garden offers a variety of produce and plants tended by local gardeners and neighbors.

The garden is run by a committee but contributors to the garden include Celia Reed, Jane Henry and Ed Spencer. The garden also receives support from Jonathan Williams from the Department of Public Works, a contributor who is appreciated by the community of gardeners, according to Drnek.

"Suffice to say, this is the kind of collaboration of city government, neighborhood, community and local business that I hope to see replicated throughout the city. It's a model of how people working together can positively impact our quality of life," he said.

"People can plant and grow whatever they want," Henry said.

"I planted a variety of produce including peas, green beans, onions, tomatoes, kale, leeks and Brussels sprouts," she said.

The garden also provides gardeners with water stations and a shed for tools, said Celia Reed, another contributor to the garden.

"The sunlight is also a major selling point for the garden and for living in the city. A lot of houses in town are shaded or are unable to establish fencing, so the garden offers gardeners are place with good sunlight and protection from wildlife," Reed said.

In 2022, the infrastructure was improved with added space, more garden beds and additional fences to ward off animals, Henry said.

Gardeners can also choose from a selection of garden beds and boxes for their space. Currently, the garden has 10' x 20' garden beds, 4' x 10' boxes and taller boxes available for people with disabilities, Henry said.

"Boxes start at around $15 for a 3 x 10 and bigger gardens can be rented for $25 a year," Reed said.

Anyone in the community is free to rent out boxes and spaces annually and whatever they grow in their box is their responsibility.

"It really is a community effort and people always help each other out," Reed said. "We have gardeners asking each other questions on how to ward off specific pests or the best way to grow certain crops. Every garden is different and full of their own spice, but we help each other out."

Local businesses and organizations are also free to rent space, Henry said. "We have one space dedicated to The Lord's Table and another space for the Oneonta Boys and Girls Club who have been with us for their third year now," she said.

The garden gives priority to city residents and all plots are claimed this year. However, if businesses want to assist in gardening they can reach out and apply, she said.

Due to the popularity of the community garden, Henry said the committee in charge of the garden is looking into expansion in the future for more spaces.

"It's a very popular thing in the community, and community gardens in general are very popular in the area. We hope that we can expand and add a few more garden plots. One of the good things about the garden is that returners can also improve their soil and guarantee they have good soil for the next season," Henry said.

Over the winter, most gardeners leave in root vegetables and the garden is mostly dormant. The space is cleaned before the cold weather and mulched, Reed said.

"The city provides compost, which is really nice, and the Parks and Recreation Department as well as the Department of Public Works help fund the garden," she said.

Applications for space in the community garden opens on the first Friday of April and returning gardeners are able to register early. "The community garden has been in use for many years, and it's a great way for people to come and garden with available resources and accessibility," Reed said.

Alexis Ochi, staff writer, can be reached at aochi@thedailystar.com or 607-441-7213.