Artists team up to rebuild Eastside garden
“The Senior Craftsmen are a group of men who like to work with their hands. They volunteer to do projects for the older members of the church and have done work at the Media Food Bank.”
— Landscape contractor and Chester Eastside, Inc. (CEI) volunteer Doug Crosby
CHESTER » The expertise of Media Presbyterian Church’s Senior Craftsmen in evident in many congregant’s homes.
The latest project has provided a larger canvas.
Following the design created by landscape contractor and Chester Eastside, Inc. (CEI) volunteer Doug Crosby, the artisans recently reconfigured the Chester EastsideSt. Paul’s Community Garden. CEI is housed in a portion of the church and the work was completed in time for the preEaster planting session.
“The Senior Craftsmen are a group of men who like to work with their hands,” said Crosby. “They volunteer to do projects for the older members of the church and have done work at the Media Food Bank.”
Named for their mastery and their maturity, the 15-member crew typically completes minor repairs, such as building ramps or installing grab bars. The opportunity to spend time outside after a year of COVID-19 restrictions was welcome, a sentiment shared by the children in CEI’s Out of School Time (OST) garden club and the volunteers who assist with the program.
The new design converted the layout from an east-west to a north-south configuration, taking advantage of the wire fencing around the perimeter to serve as a trellis for climbing veggies. The box gardens were also constructed with uniform 10-inch wood, anchoring them more securely in the ground. The final component will be a picnic table under the shade tree, where families can gather to celebrate the harvest and share food.
Keeping social distancing in mind, the beds are longer with improved spacing, allowing the kids and adults to work together while apart. During warm and eventually hot weather, such as OST Summer Camp, green thumbs will be tending to the crops on a daily basis.
“There can be seventy-nine kids, plus parents and volunteers, here at the same time,” said Crosby. “The beds are now three feet apart and the overall design has a better flow.”
The improvements this spring also included installing a new gate, compost bin and shed to house garden equipment. Crosby, volunteer Bob Redfern and Rev. Peter Friedrichs, pastor of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Delaware County, added the finishing touches as the children planted kale, cabbage and collards.
Joe Hare, who with his fellow craftsmen hauled, measured and installed the wood for the raised beds, enjoyed the chance to be back at work. Coronavirus may have limited their ability to help others, but not their volunteer spirit.
“We haven’t been doing many projects in the last year, because it has been too risky to go into people’s homes,” he said. “It is great to be outdoors, donating our time and labor to help others.”
With the new garden design comes a new planting design, the purview of volunteer garden coordinator Barbara Nagel. Vertical plants such as peas, beans and tomatoes will occupy the border beds, while root (carrots, onions and potatoes) and short (lettuce, spinach and herbs) vegetables will inhabit in the interior areas.
“We also plan to plant flowers near the Eighth Street side where people walk,” she said. “We want to make the garden beautiful for the neighborhood.”
In the garden’s true community spirit, several beds will be tended by local families. The garden clubbers will also divide a portion of the harvest to take home, with the remainder given to Chester Eastside’s food pantry, which offered 100,000 meals last year through family assistance and emergency food.
The community garden is designed to fill the children’s minds as well as their stomachs. The literacy component involves keeping journals and reading and writing about the life cycle of plants and butterflies, good and bad bugs and germination. Growing their own food also makes them more invested in the crop and more likely to try fresh fruits and vegetables.
“Touching the soil is a wonderful way for the children to learn where their food comes from,” said Nagel. “It benefits them and their families.”
For more information about Chester Eastside, Inc., visit https://chestereastside. org/.