Hello!
We've been meeting so many wonderful people interested in our community garden, so we wanted to take a minute to provide some more information about who we are and what we are hoping to do. (You can also access this FAQ any time by clicking on the
"About Us" tab at the top of the blog).
Our Children’s Rainbow Garden
A community garden project for children and adults
Dauphin County Parks and Recreation Community Garden
Elmerton Ave and State Farm Road, Harrisburg, PA.
Q) Who are the people that planned this project?
A) We are your neighbors, members of the Central PA community, and people just like you that have an interest in helping children develop healthy, sustainable and conscious lifestyles. We are not an established non-profit or religious organization; however, we offer the public the opportunity to participate in the garden project and to attend garden events and classes free of charge. We do gratefully accept any donations offered to us. In fact, all of the supplies for the garden have been donated including seeds, plants, compost, mulch, and tools. Girl Scout Troops #991 & #1001 from the Girls Scouts in the Heart of PA Council donated hand crafted stepping stones for each garden, Hershey Nursery donated 50 bags of cocoa mulch and Dig My Earth donated many truckloads of nutrient-rich compost.
In addition, Dauphin county Parks and Recreation has for many years provided the Community Garden space along Elmerton Avenue in Harrisburg for public use. We rented four plots, each 50x50 sq. ft. and received a great selection of seeds with the rental for only $10 per plot for the entire season!
Q) How did you come up with the idea for the garden project and when did you start?
A) During the snowy winter of 2009 a group of friends began talking about our growing concern with the quality and cost of food available to the average family especially with the current state of the economy. We eventually started talking about the emerging trend of growing our own food because it’s local, sustainable, fresh, and by comparison is inexpensive to produce. As the discussion progressed, we created the vision of a local community garden focused on cultivating the potential of children by inspiring them to play and work in and eat from the garden. Since most children lose interest if you tell them about vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients (most adults too!) we decided we should simply teach them the “new” healthy food groups and encourage them to eat a rainbow of color everyday for good health. It was then that we realized the Children’s Rainbow Garden was born. We soon discovered that the garden project had the potential to build community, educate children, support families, and could also support local non-profits in their mission to help underserved individuals and families gain access to affordable, quality food.
The point of no return was when one member of our group said “So, is it time for us to actually do this or are we just going to continue to talk about it? Should we be the change we want to see in the world?” We all said, “YES, now how do we do this?” and by spring we had the garden plan laid out, seeds sprouting in our windows and all had agreed we would enjoy this adventure for at least the summer of 2010.
Q) I’m interested in what you are doing, but I have no gardening experience and limited time. Is there any way I can get involved?
A) This garden is perfect for you! Most community gardens segment their gardening space into plots that are rented to individuals to garden on their own which requires gardening knowledge, tools, and lots of time.
The Children’s Rainbow Garden is segmented into three uniquely patterned spaces, each with their own theme and purpose. The entire garden is cultivated and cared for by all members of the garden project including volunteers and all produce is shared. With this approach, it does not require a significant amount of time, expertise, or effort from any one individual, although it does require a small and consistent commitment of time from all of us. Our most experienced gardeners lay out the gardening tasks for each week to keep us on track.
The garden is open for community gardening on Wednesdays from 6pm to dusk and Saturdays form 8am to 11am. Participating members are not required to attend every time and are only asked to contribute a few consistent hours each week to the garden’s care. In addition, individual members volunteer to drop in to the garden on a specific day of the week to water, harvest, or do whatever tasks are needed. Some of us have lots of gardening expertise and some have none, but we teach each other and all are learning from the experience. We share the produce grown and we have a commitment to donate a portion of our produce to local non-profit organizations or generally to people in need of access to fresh food and a healthy lifestyle.
Q) Where do you donate your produce?
A) This summer, we will donate on a weekly basis to Channels Food Rescue a local non-profit organization serving the Harrisburg area. They have a social mission to alleviate the problem of hunger through a three-program approach of food delivery to specific organizations and families in need, a job skills program through their culinary school and catering services, and their kids café that provides meals and nutrition education to after school and summer school programs.
We will also donate fresh produce to the Harrisburg YWCA Women’s shelters because we have learned that although these women receive many services, they are required to provide their own food.
When we think about donating to help others, we typically think that money is the best or only option. It’s clear to us that although money is very helpful to many organizations, we don’t have to have much to make a difference in the lives of others. The produce we are donating ranges from $.69 to $3.99 per lb. at the grocery store. As the garden ramps up into August and September, we expect to be donating between 20-40 lbs of produce each week so that’ a nice weekly contribution. Over the course of the summer and fall it also becomes a nice cost savings for the organizations and individuals supported.
Q) How can I join the garden project and does it cost anything?
A) Anyone can join the project at any time this season and at no cost; however, we do ask for a small commitment of a few hours on average each week (with flexibility for individual schedules, vacations, etc.) We will be gardening into late October.
Q) I recently learned that you had a Fairy Festival for children in the garden. How can I find out about your scheduled events and classes?
A) Just subscribe to our blog (see link on right sidebar) or become a friend or fan of Our Children’s Rainbow Garden on Facebook to keep up with our events and our progress. You can also bookmark the site (add it to favorites) and stop back from time to time to check out the "Events" tab at the top of the blog or click here to go there directly.
It’s important to note that our weekly community gardening times are our most featured event. We encourage children and their families to join us during these times to explore our unique garden setting and to participate as we laugh, learn, and enjoy garden “tastings” on a regular basis.
The garden is beautiful, the view of the surrounding area is breath taking, and the sunsets in the garden should not be missed.
Please feel free to join us or contact us by email phone or snail mail. We'd love to hear from you!
~Marykaye
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