UUCY Community and Family Gardens
Belief into Action

Family Garden Program

This gives members of the local community the opportunity to grow their own food, taking control of what they eat and where it comes from.  People sign up for the season, so that they can grow their own food.

Experience is not required!  Inexperienced gardeners are paired with a mentor to give advice and share their knowledge.

The cost is kept low, and gardeners are expected to do all planting, watering, weeding and harvesting. In return gardeners keep everything they grow.

The Family Garden Plots are a companion program to the Community Garden, which is a single large plot also on UUCY grounds.

The Family Garden is located at the northeast corner of the property, where the alley forming the north edge of the property meets Duke Street.  It's a three block walk down Duke Street from Jackson Elementary.
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How does it work?

There are a number of plots available on a first-commit-first-serve basis.  We add more plots as time and money allow.

The plots are located just a few blocks from Jackson Elementary.  There is a water tank for the use of the gardeners. 

Gardeners sign up for one season, and can renew each year. We make the plots available and you garden.
How do I get a plot?

For new gardeners it works like this:

1. Contact the coordinator (see the "Here Are More Details" part below for contact information), tell him you want a plot.
2. Sometimes there’s a waiting list, when there are more gardeners than plots.
3. When a plot is available he contacts the next person on the waiting list (you, right?).
4. You then get a plot by doing three things:
  • You and the coordinator go through the new gardener orientation, in person, at the garden plots.
  • You sign the liability waiver.
  • You pay $10 for the year.
5. Once that is done, the coordinator assigns you a plot and it’s all yours.

For returning gardeners it works like this:
Returning gardeners must renew each year for a plot (its not automatic)  but will be given first preference and permitted to keep the same plot if they wish. Plots are held until January 31.
  • They review any changes with the coordinator, make the $10 commitment and that's it.

Gardening Tips

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This website provides gardening information and websites about gardening.
Upgrades to the Family Garden Program for 2016

Work Day Tool Availability. 
Saturday morning work days for the Community Gardens start in the spring, which means the garage will be open, and tools will be available.  The start time is usually 10:00, and varies a bit with the weather (earlier if a hot day, cancelled if stormy). If your schedule permits working on your plot Saturday mornings, this is an opportunity to use the various tools the church has, such as:
· Wheelbarrows
· Trowels
· Shovels
· Watering cans
The church now owns a tiller. If you want to get your plot tilled contact me to arrange it.

Canning/Preserving Potluck in Fall. 
Some of you told me that you were unprepared for the amount of food that you harvested in a short amount of time.  You are not alone! There’s even a cookbook for that exact situation, called “Too Many Tomatoes, What To Do When The Garden Explodes”.
  
Why am I tell you this in the spring?  So that you can plan, of course.  Like lots of tomato sauce in your cooking? Salsa?  Go ahead and plant all those tomatoes and peppers.

Here are more details.

Garden Rededication
photos courtesy of Alfredo Rivera 

Community Garden

The Community Garden provides fruits and veggies for those who don't have other access to fresh produce. 

It is a group effort, gardened by volunteers from UUCY and St. Paul Lutheran , and the food from that plot is donated to the St. Paul's Food Pantry.

Over 15,000 pounds of fresh produce have been donated thus far.

If you've ever wanted to make a difference in your life, this is certainly it.  A few hours a week can make a huge difference to  members of the York community. 
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How you can help
  • Plant in the spring
  • Water during the season
  • Weed during the season
  • Harvest over the summer and fall (Monday evenings).
  • Prep the garden in the fall for the next season.
Don't wait, start now.  Contact UUCY at office@uucy.org for more information or see the link below to sign up directly.



Community Garden Program Upgrades for the 2016 Season
 
The program is being improved on to make it easier to help grow food for the hungry.
  1. We’ll be adding regular Saturday morning work days for those that can’t make it to the Monday 4:00 pm session.
  2. You can now sign up directly to help.  The link below will take to a site that breaks down the tasks and dates, so you can commit to the part you want, for the times you want, and work on your own schedule.
    1. URL link:   https://ttsu.me/xtc
    2. Sign up for the tasks and dates you feel you can commit to.
  3. The planting plan for 2016 is shown below.  The top of the map is west, closest to George Street. The bottom is East, closest to the main building.
History of our Gardens
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