Free community garden set to bloom in Aspinwall

A new free community garden is coming to Aspinwall.

A vacant lot located at 215 Delafield Road, across from UPMC St. Margaret Hospital, is slated to become the Aspinwall Community Garden.

Project organizer and Aspinwall resident Amy Lima said use of the lot has been donated by owner Marshall Barbour, who also owns a small apartment building at the address

About seven volunteers have met several times this year at garden planning meetings held at Aspinwall Presbyterian Church. The group hopes to complete planting by the end of May.

Volunteer and avid gardener Taku Ohkawa, 40, of Point Breeze is offering his green-thumb knowledge for the project.

“The plan is to plant annuals and have composting too,” Ohkawa said.

The lot will offer 3,000 square feet of gardening space. “This spot is very sunny and has a lot of potential,” Lima said, noting that Aspinwall Council doesn’t need to approve the garden because it’s on private property.

Ohkawa, who maintains a large garden at his residence, said he will follow master gardener Charles Dowding’s no-dig gardening methods. “He’s like the Godfather of no-dig gardening,” Ohkawa said.

No-dig gardening is a system where gardeners don’t aerate the soil with implements, but rather apply compost on the soil surface at regular intervals, allowing soil-dwelling organisms such as fungi and bacteria to do the work.

Aspinwall previously had a community garden from 2013 to 2017, located on a private lot on Fifth Street.

Volunteer Suzanna Thomas of Aspinwall has been a master gardener since 2004.

“I thought the garden was a good idea because we have such small yards in Aspinwall. Houses are close and this lot has full sun and it will be a place for the community to get together and garden,” Thomas said.

Lima said a gardening project has been a goal of hers since last year.

She approached six property owners, seeking permission to create a public garden, and Barbour was happy to offer up his lot for cultivation.

“It will be an asset to the community in an area where there’s not available spots for gardening, bringing people together who love to garden,” Barbour said.

Ohkawa said several existing tree stumps may be removed from the lot and perennial weeds such as ivy will be removed.

“We can make the lot have a purpose. It will look prettier and the garden will be inviting. The neighbors I talked to are excited,” Lima said.

Volunteers said the garden will not use chemicals or fertilizers.

Ohkawa estimates there’s room for about 10-30 separate garden plots. Annual vegetables such as eggplant, peppers, tomatoes and herbs are what he recommends for planting. At his residence, he’s growing hundreds of seedlings for participating gardeners.

Large water barrels will collect rainwater for irrigation. To keep hungry animals at bay, temporary chicken wire or deer netting will be installed around the garden plants, Ohkawa said.

Lima said the only snag so far has been questions from Delafield residents concerning parking.

“We’re requesting that gardeners and volunteers park on other roads besides Delafield when visiting the garden,” Lima said.

Aspinwall business owner Jessica Rehling Vukmir welcomed the news of the community garden.

“It’s fantastic. I can’t wait to see how this project will further enhance the beauty of Aspinwall and encourage more community development,” said Vukmir, who owns the gift shop Dovecote and Nouveau PGH, a consignment clothing store, on Brilliant Avenue.

Individuals wishing to volunteer or request a garden plot are asked to email aspinwall.garden@gmail.com.