Evolution of the Community Garden at South Branch Preserve

Along with our restoration work at South Branch Preserve, The Land Conservancy of New Jersey has constructed a community garden North Section of the Preserve located along Wolfe Road near Route 46 East.  The garden is laid out in a grid with wood chip paths separating the garden plots.  Gardeners have purchased plots and planting crops of their choice.  The Land Conservancy has been working hard for several months to have the garden up and running in time for the spring growing season.  Of the 140 plots, 78 have been purchased and cultivated, and 62 are still available for purchase.  Here is a behind the scenes look at each phase of the garden construction until its current appearance.

The first step in the process was to obtain approval from the Mt. Olive Township Planning Board.  This involved creating a detailed site plan showing the location of the parking lot, garden, and well.  In order to keep the disturbance of the area to a minimum, the parking lot was constructed on the former site of the farmhouse and barn previously located on the property.  The parking area was covered with gravel and lined with logs rather than being paved to provide a more permeable surface. 

The garden’s location was determined by the power lines that run across the property.  Originally the garden was planned to be adjacent to the parking lot but was moved further away, to avoid disturbance to the power lines. 

Once the location of the garden was laid out, a shed was purchased to store the tools for the gardeners and The Land Conservancy staff. 

Once the shed was placed on the site, the soil was tilled and plowed to prepare the plots for planting.

After the soil was tilled a metal fence was erected around the perimeter of the garden, with rabbit fencing placed on the lower parts of the fence.  The rabbit fencing has a tighter weave than the metal fence in order to keep small rodents from making their way into the garden. 

While work was being done on the inside of the fence, a 422 foot well was dug outside the fence that pumps 25 gallons of water per minute.  Once the well was dug, electrical lines were installed to provide power to the pump. Water was now onsite for the gardeners!

Ten foot square plots were measured and laid out in the garden, the paths vary from 2 to 3 feet between the garden plots.  With the plots measured and laid out, irrigation ditches were dug to install pipes and spigots throughout the garden. 

The paths and the area around the shed were mulched and a 325 foot walking path connecting the parking lot to the garden was laid out and covered with wood chips.

All of this work was completed by May 25  for the opening of the garden.  Work on the garden continues throughout the growing season to ensure the pathways and garden plots remain free of weeds for gardeners and visitors.    

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Aerial Photographs: Credited to the Musconetcong Watershed Association