LEWISBURG – The birds are chirping, the snow has melted and spring is in full swing as May approaches. So the time is ripe to start your home garden, and start it strongly. The annual spring plant sale will be going on Saturday May 6, from 9am – 2pm at the Lewisburg Community Garden.
This year, the LCG is offering a wide variety of seedlings, including an increased number of types of tomatoes, peppers, and flowering plants than in years prior. Almost all of the seedlings come from an organic seed stock, and were cultivated using organic practices. A link to the complete list of what’s available can be found online at WKOK.com. (lewisburgcommunitygarden.blogs.bucknell.edu/plant-sale/)
Along with the gratification of buying beautiful flowers and sustainable veggies and herbs to plant in your home garden from the LCG, by doing so at the annual sale, you’re supporting a great community cause; access to healthy produce for the community.
The annual Spring Plant Sale is the most important fundraiser the LCG has, as the proceeds go to fund many of the season expenses. The Lewisburg Community Garden was founded in 2012 as a joint venture between Bucknell University and the Borough of Lewisburg, and has steadily grown over the past 6 years.
The LCG is half an acre of land that has been divided into plots that can be rented by members of the community. Half of all the food produced on the LCG is for donation purposes. The Borough provides the land free of charge and even helps with some maintenance issues such as tree pruning.
The main purpose of the LCG is to address food insecurity issues facing many people in the Lewisburg area by providing a free space for members of the community to grow sustainable produce. The LCG is also used to cultivate organic produce for donation to local hot meal and food access programs.
In the 2016 season, the LCG harvested 3,688 pounds of organic produce which was donated to 11 food access programs. This number is up 1,200 pounds from 2015.
Along with the obvious benefits of such a garden, there is also an education component as well. Since the garden’s beginnings, the LCG has been promoting environmental stewardship, sustainability, healthy diets and much more. Outside of the annual Spring Sale, the LCG hosts an annual series of community enrichment sessions, and summer camps for youth, K-12 for local affordable housing complexes. The garden is also frequently used as a project site for local high school seniors, Bucknell students and faculty, and community organizations like the Boy Scouts of America.
Any questions or comments about the Spring Plant Sale, or any other programs at the Lewisburg Community Garden, there are links and numbers to call on our site, WKOK.com. (Kyle Bray, 570-577-3928, kwb004@bucknell.edu OR Scarlett Littman at spl011@bucknell.edu). (Christopher Elio)