Get Healthy DeSoto embraces the concept of community gardening and has established an herb and vegetable garden. We believe this benefits individuals, local restaurant establishments, and the community.
We enthusiastically invite you to take part!
The Vineland Herb Garden is located on Vineland School Rd., next to the Superintendent’s Office. There are several volunteers who oversee the garden, and the 25 beds, student garden, and other features are a sight to behold! In fact, Get Healthy DeSoto has always done a poor job of highlighting the work and harvest of the space. There’s a great student garden that is utilized by a few of the elementary teachers for education and vegetable production. The herbs are used by local restaurants and individuals, free of charge too! We’ve had classes about herbs and herb cultivation offered, and those are always wonderfully successful. Maintenance and upkeep does require more than volunteer hours and sweat though. That’s kind of the nature of a garden though…plant, tend, and harvest in a continual cycle.
Lavender Cookies!
Simple Recipe for Chamomile Tea!
Anyone is welcome to work in the beds whenever they have the time and interest. Volunteers usually gather during the growing season on Thursday mornings, with the time being adjusted to avoid the heat later in the mornings as summer comes into season. Also, people in the community can share in the harvest. Anyone in the community may stop by for herbs whenever they are in season, including local restaurants who would like to use the fresh herbs in their culinary pursuits.
This year we have twenty-five raised beds in the herb garden. The volunteers have done a superb job with the gardens. The herbs and other plants we are growing include garlic, chives, mint, epazote, oregano, parsley, echinacea, sage, strawberries, chamomile, dill, lavender, rosemary, and thyme. There are also three fruit trees in the garden, including two apple and one peach.
Please stop by and collect some herbs when they are in season, or take some time to work in the soil. It can be very enjoyable and therapeutic. Vineland Community Herb Garden is meant for the community to use, share, and enjoy.
Community gardens also combat two forms of alienation that plague modern life. They bring gardeners closer in touch with the source of their food, and they break down isolation by creating a social community. Be part of our tribe!
Support the Garden
There are multiple ways to support the garden, and we hope you’ll consider them all! You can financially support the garden by making a tax-deductible donation using the button below or…
Send your best recipes and photos for any of the herbs you gather! We’ll share them in the newsletter when we find really stellar ones. You might even win a prize!
Consider volunteering at the market. You can volunteer to help out at the garden on any Thursday morning during the growing season. When the weather is hot, volunteers tend to gather between 7 and 9 AM! If you’re uncertain about being the newbie, please contact Melissa. She’ll get you acclimated to the tribe.