Farm plots available by lottery

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. >> Gardeners interested in a plot at the new Pitney Meadows Community Gardens will be selected by lottery on Wednesday, June 7.

Anyone interested should apply by Tuesday, June 6. Winners will be informed shortly thereafter.

A public meeting about plans for community gardens at the Pitney Farm, on West Avenue, is scheduled for 7 p.m. this Wednesday at Saratoga Springs Public Library’s H. Dutcher Community Room. “The community gardens will be a place where young and old, gardening novices and master gardeners, can all come together and enjoy growing healthy food,” garden Director Natalie Walsh said.

There is so much public interest in obtaining plots at the gardens that farm officials decided a lottery system was the fairest way to allocate them.

Walsh will distribute applications at this Wednesday’s meeting. Applications also may be accessed on the Pitney Meadows web site at pitneymeadowscommunityfarm.org. The Saratoga Springs Planning Board last week granted the farm approval to build up to 200 raised beds in its new community gardens. In Pitney Meadows’ first year, the plan is to install 35 raised 4-foot by 8-foot beds, 10 beds that are 24-inches tall for those with limited mobility, and 10 8-foot by 12foot in-ground plots. “Our gardeners will be able to attend lectures, workshops, and social events,” said Walsh. “We’ll also have a pergola with tables and chairs where gardeners can exchange advice and share garden stories. For children, we’ll offer series of events around a sunflower theme, and play areas and a fairy garden that local Girl Scouts are creating.”

Fees will be set on a sliding scale, ranging from $35 for a 4-by-8 raised bed to $300 for an 8-by-12 plot.

Any amount over $50 is taxdeductible and will contribute toward the expansion of the garden,” said Walsh. “The more funding we have, the faster we can build more beds. We hope that some of our supporters who don’t plan to garden themselves will underwrite a plot for those who otherwise could not afford it.”