The Journal News.com - Westchester,NY,USA : Horsefarm CommunityGarden

**A*@aol.com**

Friends,

This sound ideals, a community garden  on a  horse farm?

Regards,
Adam Honigman
Hell's Kitchen,
NYC

Gardening plots available for lease in Southeast
By MARCELA ROJAS
THE  JOURNAL NEWS
(Original Publication: April 15,  2006)

To learn more

For more information on Tilly Foster's community  gardening program, call
Deputy Parks Commissioner Chris Ruthven at  845-225-3650.

Applications can be picked up at the park office,  Putnam County Veterans
Memorial Park, 201 Gipsy Trail Road in  Kent.

SOUTHEAST b  Carmel resident Clare Ryan is excited at the prospect of
growing
her own  tomatoes, string beans and zucchini this summer at a garden close to
home.
Ryan was one of the first to apply for a new Putnam County program that will
allow residents to lease community garden plots at Tilly Foster Farm, a
bucolic  setting on Route 312 in Southeast better known for its horse-boarding
operation.
Ryan said she and her daughter, Marcie, who uses a wheelchair, would work on
the garden together, providing not only fresh vegetables for the table but
also  a nice way to bond.
"It's easy to go the farmstand, but it will be fun to watch things grow,"
said Ryan, 56. "We are looking forward to it."
The county endeavor has been in the works for at least two years and is meant
 to provide more public access to the farm, said Deputy Parks Commissioner
Chris  Ruthven.
Residents can lease a 20- by 20-foot plot, or 400 square feet, for $30, and
pay $25 for additional ones. Families can lease as many as three plots.
Ruthven said the roughly 1.5-acre parcel at Prospect Hill Road and Route 312
could accommodate 125 plots. Water will be made available at various
locations,  and the perimeter will be enclosed with deer fencing.
Gardeners can plant any kind of flowers and vegetables, but the plants must
be organic. No pesticides, herbicides or fertilizers are allowed. The garden
was  tilled with horse manure, Ruthven said.
The Community Garden Field will officially open May 12. Participants will
have access to the garden from 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, Ruthven said.
"We want to open up the farm to the public," he said. "Give more
opportunities for the public to utilize the farm."
Currently, fishing, cross-country skiing and hiking are offered at the
199-acre farm, though some people have complained about a lack of recreational
activities there. The county bought the property in 2002, using $3.9 million
in
New York City watershed protection money. The purchase has proven costly.
Putnam officials are now looking to lease the money-losing horse barn to a
private operator that would incorporate riding lessons, trail rides and horse
breeding programs for the public. The county's budget projects an $89,000 loss
 for Tilly Foster this year.
Greg Wunner, a Tilly Foster advisory board member, spent the morning
yesterday putting up six Eastern bluebird boxes around the garden and a wood
duck
nesting box in a nearby pond. Wunner worked on the project with his  children
and other members of Hilltop Sport and Conservation, a local  organization
that
has two preserves along Joe's Hill Road. They plan to install  six more
birdhouses in the coming week.
Wunner said he would lease a garden plot to grow Indian corn, and give the
ears away in the fall to nursing homes and other community groups.
"Things are starting to shape up over there," he said, referring to Tilly
Foster. "The more people you bring there to discover it, the more it's going
to
get used. It's not just horses

______________________________________________________
The American Community Gardening Association listserve is only one of ACGA's services to community gardeners. To learn more about the ACGA and to find out how to join, please go to http://www.communitygarden.org

To post an e-mail to the list:  community_garden@mallorn.com

To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your subscription:  https://secure.mallorn.com/mailman/listinfo/community_garden