When a new garden opened at the Palmyra Cove Nature Center in 2021, Mayor Gina Ragomo Tait said it would become a “true community space.”
“Not only will we be growing fresh good foods, but also stronger community ties,” she said at the time.
The Palmyra Cove Community Garden was the result of a partnership between the Bridge Commission and the borough to create a sustainable garden free to the public to work and benefit from.
“We are 100% organic and do not use chemical pesticides of any kind,” states the description of the garden on its social media page. “We strive for the garden to be a space for growing food, sense of community, and education on gardening and the environment.”
Unlike many community gardens that rent or designate specific plots to individuals or families to grow their own plants and foods, the Palmyra Cove site is completely free and open to all residents of the borough. The volunteer-run garden is next to the Cove’s environmental center building and visitors center.
Now, four years later, the borough is planning to build upon the success of that site and open another garden with eight new beds behind borough hall. It will do so with a 2023 grant to Palmyra from the U.S. Department of Agriculture in the amount of $14,383, according to Tait.
“I am trying to get the school district involved to all the student to garden and know where some of their food is coming from,” she noted.
The second garden is expected to be completed by the beginning of September and have the same mission as the first.
