Gold Hill’s Journey to an Excellent Community Garden

 

I recently stopped in Gold Hill to see the progress that’s been made in the past 18 months in creating a community garden. Tammy Wilkinson of eXp Realty, and Joel with Gold Hill CanDo have been working with Jackson County, community volunteers and the City of Gold Hill to produce a total of 18 raised garden beds with wide tops to sit upon. They have 4 smaller pollinator metal beds as well as 2 pallet garden beds for kids with plantings around the fruit trees. “WOW!” is all I can say. Here is a brief timeline of what they did to make this garden a reality in 18 months.

Joel and CanDo coordinated with the City of Gold Hill to receive donated land free of charge. The parcel was completely covered in blackberries, along a multiple use pathway not far from the sports field and next to the Gold Hill Water Treatment facility. This property can be expanded as the gardens grow. A fire break was also created by removing the blackberries and brush by the water treatment plant.

The City of Gold Hill allowed the Water Treatment Facility to provide free piped-in water to the garden area. CanDo provided the donated funds for the piping and the community gardeners trenched and installed the lines, with permission from the City.

Joel and Tammy wrote grants for the garden. CanDo volunteers raised funds through donations. Jaxon Company (a hemp flower producer) contributed funds and their employees and families helped build the garden as a community project.  A Xerces Society grant provided plants for the pollinator garden project. In lieu of funds, other organizations provided knowledge, referrals, volunteers, communication to a broader audience and other in-kind resources. Last year, gardeners who had more produce than they could use donated it to their local food bank, Independent Order of Odd Fellows and people walking by the gardens.

Future plans are to continue the growth and integration of the Community Garden by providing a great place for people to grow their food, receive information, acquire gardening knowledge, inspire an appreciation of gardening and share surplus produce, seeds and plants with everyone.

Making a successful Community Garden is all about people coming together to create something for the common good. Collaboration is key. Gold Hills’ experience can be a model for others who plan to start their own successful Community Garden. If you are interested in creating a Community Garden, you can attend the Jackson County Community Gardens Network Meeting that meets quarterly in Talent. More info is available at the JCMGA website.

Photos of Gold Hill Community Gardens