Gardening at West Point on the Eno
Did you know there is a garden at West Point on the Eno? And, with the help of volunteers, we donate 100% of our harvest to local food pantry? Well, we do! It is located behind the McCown-Mangum House.In 2018 we harvested over 300 pounds of fresh produce in the West Point Garden. This is remarkable given we only have 620 square feet of raised beds. While 300 pounds of produce may not sound like too much, consider the pictures on the right.
The top picture is 12 pounds of okra, tomatoes (beef steak and roma), eggplant and bush beans harvested on August 8, 2018. The bottom picture is 17 pounds of spinach, turnip and beet greens, green onions, lettuce mix, kale, and radishes harvested on May 10, 2018. This is twenty fiv 1.5 bags of produce. As you can see, 17 pounds of leafy greens and 12 pounds of other veggies is a lot!
Staff coordinates these food donations through the Durham Farm and Food Network’s Plant-A-Row program. This program connects gardeners—backyard and community—with food pantries who can and want to distribute your extra produce to those in need.
Nearly all of the produce harvested at the West Point Garden is donated to Hannah’s Kitchen Food Pantry, at the Greater Orange Grove Baptist Church, north of West Point on the Eno Park. This food pantry primarily serves elderly shut-ins and church members. The pantry manager, Teresa McGee, has told me that every time she distributes our produce, it is the most sought after and first donations to go.
In 2018, we did not plant a late winter (January and February) or early spring (March and April) garden, so our first harvest was in May. But, we harvested all the way up to December 28th! Check out what we grew on the chart.
While these harvest totals are exciting, they do not fully represent the breadth of the garden’s value. Every volunteer workday, camp field trip, and program hosted in the West Point Garden represents an opportunity for community building, socialization, lifelong learning, exercise, and time spent in the outdoors. We have become friends, introduce children to the wonder of growing food, and learned a lot.
Over the course of the year, we have hosted one-time and weekly volunteer workdays for community members and DPR staff. In addition, we hosted a DPR summer camp in the garden. The campers helped us harvest, weed, and plant, and then took home a potted seed to grow on their own. Finally, staff led our first of many formal garden programs in September. This program was on growing, harvesting, and preserving herbs. It was wildly successful.
In 2019, our goal is to harvest all 12 months of the year (January and February are in the books!), increase our production by 100 pounds, and increase the amount of herbs and spices we are able to donate. While the herbs and spices won’t necessarily contribute to sustenance, they have important nutrition value and make fresh vegetables taste even better. Finally, we hope to dramatically increase the number of formal programs we host in 2019. As of right now, we have three planned and in the works.
So how can you help? Two ways!
Staff coordinates these food donations through the Durham Farm and Food Network’s Plant-A-Row program. This program connects gardeners—backyard and community—with food pantries who can and want to distribute your extra produce to those in need.
Nearly all of the produce harvested at the West Point Garden is donated to Hannah’s Kitchen Food Pantry, at the Greater Orange Grove Baptist Church, north of West Point on the Eno Park. This food pantry primarily serves elderly shut-ins and church members. The pantry manager, Teresa McGee, has told me that every time she distributes our produce, it is the most sought after and first donations to go.
In 2018, we did not plant a late winter (January and February) or early spring (March and April) garden, so our first harvest was in May. But, we harvested all the way up to December 28th! Check out what we grew on the chart.
Over the course of the year, we have hosted one-time and weekly volunteer workdays for community members and DPR staff. In addition, we hosted a DPR summer camp in the garden. The campers helped us harvest, weed, and plant, and then took home a potted seed to grow on their own. Finally, staff led our first of many formal garden programs in September. This program was on growing, harvesting, and preserving herbs. It was wildly successful.
In 2019, our goal is to harvest all 12 months of the year (January and February are in the books!), increase our production by 100 pounds, and increase the amount of herbs and spices we are able to donate. While the herbs and spices won’t necessarily contribute to sustenance, they have important nutrition value and make fresh vegetables taste even better. Finally, we hope to dramatically increase the number of formal programs we host in 2019. As of right now, we have three planned and in the works.
So how can you help? Two ways!
- Come help out in the garden! No experience necessary. We are happy to put you to work and show you the ropes. We meet every Wednesday between 10 and noon (RSVP here) and have a big project focused workday coming up on March 9 (RSVP here). Starting on April 6th, we’ll be meeting every Saturday between 10 and noon (RSVP here). Come just once, once a month, or every week.
- If your home garden is producing more than you’ll ever eat, consider donating it to a food pantry. Reach out and I’ll be happy to help put you in touch with the right folks! My email is Cassandra.Bennett@durhamnc.gov.
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