Residents are invited to tour the Garden@GCLS in Mullica Hill through September
Freeholder Lyman Barnes, liaison to the Gloucester County Library System invited residents to tour the Garden@GCLS in Mullica Hill, a 600-square foot plot of land that was converted from an unproductive stretch of lawn to a luscious garden teeming with pollinators. The area consists of five 4-foot by 8-foot raised beds.
“Earlier this year, children planted bean seeds that were later transplanted into the garden. Now, they are having fun watching them grow,” Barnes said. “Some of the vegetables and herbs from the garden are used in library programs like ‘Build a Better Salad.’ Some of the vegetables are donated. Last year, the Garden@GCLS was able to donate more than 65 pounds of fresh vegetables to a local food bank.”
Four beds are for produce used in the classes and for donations, and the fifth is a pollinator bed. In the middle of the beds is a bean teepee constructed out of bamboo and supports pole beans that climb to the top of the teepee. The bean teepee has a hole in the front and is just large enough for a child to stand inside. The Garden@GCLS also has a number of potted plants for herbs and other pollinator plants.
The Garden@GCLS was founded by the Gloucester County Library System, in cooperation with a number of community partners. The Gloucester County Certified Gardeners have been involved from the beginning of the project with helping to plan the garden, maintenance of the space and teach classes. They also provided many of the plants that are grown.
Barnes said that GCLS received a 2017 Achievement Award from the National Association of Counties in recognition of the innovative garden programming.
Every other Saturday during June through September the Gloucester County Library gives a guided tour of the Garden@GCLS. The next tour is Aug. 27 at 10 a.m.
“These tours serve as a great introduction to the space, their class offerings, as well as recruitment for future volunteers,” Barnes said.
For more information on the guided tours, please call the reference desk at the Gloucester County Library at (856) 223–6050.
