In the garden of life, some projects spring to life while others need to be cultivated. No one said the Plant-A-Row garden at the McCord Stickney Park was going to simply sprout on its own. However, no one expected a yield of only 1,000 pounds either.
In comparison to the community service garden, which operated at the McCord-Stickney property two years ago and raised 12,000 pounds of food for the Oakland County Food Bank, the Plant-A-Row garden was a failure. The former garden was ousted by resident complaints.
Coming into the growing season, Master Gardener Elizabeth Egan, who is in charge of the Plant-A-Row, felt the garden had the potential to produce 12,000-20,000 pounds of food. Two months into the season she worried about crops rotting as volunteers were few and far between.
The biggest problem was the glaring lack of support from the community, especially early on. Three or four volunteers were enough to get seeds into the ground, but not having enough hands to weed and harvest cost the garden. Food which could have fed the hungry county wide via the OCFB, rotted or was eaten by animals.
The Plant-A-Row also suffered from a lack of visibility. Despite articles in The Clarkston News, the garden was never easy to find. A lack of proper signs only compounded the garden’s ‘mysterious? location.
But some people eventually did come, enough to prevent a total loss. Many people, The Clarkston News? editorial staff included, made trips to the garden on Wednesday or Saturday mornings to lend a hand. The garden’s loyal core of volunteers helped Egan fix problems and build for the future.
Joy Kunkler-Morrison dedicated a portion of her website, www.joy-therealestatelady.com, to the garden. New signs denoting the garden’s entrance helped pick up participation and donations in late June. The Clarkston Farm and Garden Club donated a space to Egan; the money raised should be enough to purchase a deer fence for next year.
Slowly but surely, more and more people volunteered and that may have saved the garden in the long run ? but the project is still far from reaching its potential.
Next year, Clarkston area residents have a chance to roll up their sleeves and work side by side to ensure others do not go hungry. If the garden is successful, it could be another jewel of the community; like the Clarkston SCAMP program, Lighthouse of Clarkston or the community service garden in Springfield Township.
The Plant-A-Row garden operates on Wednesdays and Saturdays from approximately 9 a.m.-noon; however, other times can be arranged. People interested in volunteering should call Elizabeth Egan at 248-620-4621. Egan feels the garden could produce until the end of the month.
To get to McCord Stickney Park, take Sashabaw Road north, approximately two miles past I-75, take a right onto Stickney Road, follow that to Pine Knob Road and turn left, the garden is the first drive on the right.