Vandergrift community garden expands, adds ‘sensory garden’
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A community garden in Vandergrift is expanding.
It’s the third season for the public garden in Franklin Park along Franklin Avenue.
Sponsored by the Vandergrift Parent Project, about five adult volunteers and numerous children from the community help with prepping, planting, weeding, watering and harvesting the bounty.
“It was created as a community outreach,” said Chloe Kruse, outdoor educator, volunteer and co-founder of the Vandergrift Parent Project. “We’re expanding this year and have received permission from council to expand planting in the park.”
Volunteers worked on planting in the garden last week.
New this year is a sensory garden, located in the back side of the park. Sensory gardens are especially appealing to young children. They include plants designed to stimulate all five senses.
Kruse said the sensory element will encourage herbs, flowers and plants that will “get the senses going.”
“One of our volunteers is an aromatherapist, and this will be really cool getting kids in touch with nature,” Kruse said.
Plants should be nontoxic, nonallergenic and contain no pesticides.
Kruse is hopeful this summer’s growing season will be easier than last year’s, when covid-induced garden complications ensued.
“Last year, we struggled with the garden because the borough closed the parks,” Kruse said.
Andrea Woodhall of Oklahoma Borough is an Armstrong County Penn State master gardener. She volunteers her green thumb knowledge in all aspects of the garden.
Woodhall said there is value in children getting their hands dirty in the garden.
“Gardening in general teaches children to care for something and to appreciate where their food comes from,” she said.
Vegetables that have or will be planted include green beans, tomatoes, corn, cucumbers, squash, zucchini and sweet peas.
Herbs and flowers slated for planting are thyme, sage, rosemary, borage, pineapple sage, nasturtium, zinnias — even cotton.
Several rain barrels in the garden collect water, and a spigot was added in the park last summer.
Kruse said visitors are encouraged to pitch in with watering duties while visiting the park.
“The majority of the garden is funded by the parents because we want to see things for our own kids,” Kruse said.
A berry patch also is in the works, with plans to grow raspberries and blueberries.
Kruse said the kids love the cherry tomatoes, snap peas and cucumbers.
“We mainly like to grow what the kids are interested in,” Kruse said. “I’m an outdoor educator, so I bring my students here.”
Kruse teaches a homeschool co-op class weekly at The Center on Franklin Avenue, right beside the park.
The Vandergrift Project is a community organization of parents and concerned citizens interested in improving Vandergrift’s green spaces and parks.
Other community gardens in the Alle-Kiski Valley are in Tarentum and New Kensington.