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Community Garden Will Return For A Second Year

February 7th, 2023

Thanks to support by the Potter County Commissioners and a financial grant from UPMC, residents will be able to enjoy a vibrant community garden for another growing season. Potter County Community Garden located at 7 Water Street in Coudersport will open its gates again this spring for individuals and groups to adopt a free garden plot. Some 29 raised garden beds are available to the public, along with a pollinator garden, a storage shed with tools, and a handicapped-accessible planting station.

Mission of the Potter County Community Garden is to 1) to empower the community to plant, grow and harvest their own produce; 2) provide education on the value of gardening; 3) promote community interaction and unity; and 4) offer solutions to food insecurity.

Highlights of the 2022 garden include:

  • Individual gardeners with limited room to grow vegetables at their homes used 17 plots. Community groups used another six boxes as teaching space, an MH/MR program activity, a disability plot, and to grow fresh herbs for a local restaurant.
  • Two boxes were filled with flowers to draw in beneficial bees and butterflies to cross-pollinate plants.
  • A total of 39 pounds of vegetables and herbs were produced in 23 garden boxes equaling 897 pounds of edible food. Of that total, 20 percent, or 179 pounds, was donated to the market shed where local citizens were invited to enjoy free vegetables and improve eating habits.

HOW TO APPLY FOR A 2023 GARDEN BED: Individual and group applications for the garden are now available at local businesses, Coudersport Public Library, Gunzburger Building and the Penn State Extension office on Water Street. Interested parties can also contact Commissioner Barry Hayman at 814-274-8290 ext. or email pccg2022@googlegroups.com to request an application. Garden updates will be passed on the Potter County Community Garden page on Facebook.

Coudersport High School FFA chapter will donate 160 starter plants to gardeners and the CHS Industrial Technology class has agreed to construct a bulletin board. In addition, Penn State Extension Master Gardeners and Potter County Conservation District will offer several free workshops. These begin in March with a Seed Starting & Garden Design event on Thursday, March 30, at 6 pm in the conference room at Penn State Extension with demonstrations in the Community Garden to follow. Please call 814-274-8540, ext. 100 or email srg22@psu.edu to register.

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