The Oxford Community Garden is seen Tuesday. DM Photo | Kayla Beatty
The Oxford Community Garden Association’s annual members’ meeting was held Monday at the Stone Center. President Jason Hoeksema discussed the garden association’s calendar of events for 2015 and plans to make the garden a better-known and more integral part of the Oxford community.
The plans for conversion of the nearby former National Guard Armory into a pavilion space creates potential exposure for the garden by proximity.
“What it means for us is one step closer to keeping that space green,” garden manager Tiffany Bensen said. “If the community starts to really appreciate that space as a gathering space, we might become more permanent there.”
The garden began operation in 2010 with a roughly 1,000 square-foot plot and a $5,000 donation from the Oxford Park Commission. The garden’s harvest last year ranged from tomatoes and cabbage to luffa and ghost chili peppers.
The garden consists of roughly 60 plots that vary in size and range in cost from $20 to $35 annually. Last year, the garden association included approximately 120 members and nearly 100 plot holders.
Members receive updates on garden events and activities and support the operations via $10 donations. Plot holders grow crops of their choosing in their designated space and participate in periodic work sessions to help maintain the garden.
Senior linguistics and Arabic major Robyn Sharrar attended the meeting as a new member.
“I’m really excited that I’m going to be able to plant and grow some of my own food this semester,” Sharrar said.”When I leave after the semester is over, I can donate what I didn’t use to the food pantry and other community garden members.”
The garden has designated plots for a volunteer fresh vegetable donation program. The proceeds of the Community Harvest program go to the Oxford Food Pantry and local families in need. Last year, the program donated approximately 143 pounds of food to the Oxford Food Pantry.
Kathy Wachter, former treasurer and co-manager of the Community Harvest plots, recently decided to change her focus to marketing and education in hopes to garner more awareness of the garden and its mission.
“It’s just a little passion of mine,” Wachter said. “I hope to be able to get more information out to the public in terms of what’s going on and organizing events.”
Upcoming garden events include an orientation for plot holders in March and a seed swap in April. The Oxford Community Garden Association accepts applications for members and plot holders all year.
