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OSSINING, N.Y. Sister Bette Ann Jaster wants all of Ossining to know the joy of a community garden.
To that end, Jaster and The Dominican Sisters with the Green Community Garden of Hope are set to give away free organic and heirloom seeds from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Mariandale Retreat Center. Residents looking to add some pep to their gardens are invited to receive free garlic, onion, shallot and other organic and heirloom seeds. But Jaster said she hopes residents will leave with the message of gardening for the common good.
We are inviting attendees to imagine a garden from the ground up, where everyone helps with the garden preparation, development, harvest, sharing the produce and donating some of the produce to the food pantry, Jaster said. A by-product of gardening for the common good is to help people get to know their neighbors across lines of age, culture, backgrounds and experiences.
Jaster said the garden faced several weather issues last year from too much rain followed by a period of too much sun and hard-to-acquire water. To help restore the garden, the Dominican Sisters are planting only green leafy lettuce and herbs.
Rather than offering individual plots, we decided to have folks take these organic vegetable seeds and plant in their yards, while also being exposed to that idea of gardening for the common good, Jaster said.
The Green Community Garden of Hope was established to provide relief to those who are socially and economically disadvantaged and to anyone who yearns for a connection with the Earth, according to the groups website. The GCGH also partners with the Dominican Sisters of Hope and Justice Committee as well as Transition Ossining.
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