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Wayne Community Garden Project
Victor Alfieri, Project Founder
editor, woodlotfarms.com
 wcgp@woodlotfarms.com
 Revised 4/2013

Project Mission Statement
Our mission is to promote sustainability and environmental awareness through the rewards of organic gardening in a community setting. A membership organization made up of Wayne NJ professionals, volunteers and supporters of community.

Wayne Community Garden Project recognizes that community gardening improves people’s quality of life by providing a catalyst for neighborhood and community development, stimulating social interaction, encouraging self-reliance, beautifying neighborhoods, producing nutritious food, reducing family food budgets, conserving resources and creating opportunities for recreation, exercise, therapy and education.
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Wayne goes ‘greener’ as community garden blooms
"It’s about health and sustainability,” said Victor Alfieri, a member of the Green Team who has lobbied the township officials to adopt more sustainable policies. “It’s about helping people get quality food on their tables.”

Sustainable Wayne NEEDS YOUR HELP!
Wayne Community Garden Project is a green project and counts towards our local efforts to get Wayne NJ certified points for "Sustainable Jersey" and will enable our town to apply for state grants that will further our local health and sustainable efforts.

If you, your school, or organization would be interested
in donating time or money to support this project
please contact: Project founder, Victor Alfieri
E-mail @ editor@woodlotfarms.com
or call 201-220-4862






WCGP
Study Finds Greening Vacant Lots Reduces Overall Crime
Wayne NJ - Community Garden Plan of Action Taking Shape
Wayne Community Garden Project Looking for Interested Residents
Wayne goes ‘greener’ as community garden blooms

Community Gardens have the power to bring people together. Gardening is a pastime that anyone with a little time and patience can participate in, no matter your age, income or health. The average age of farmers in this country is 55 years old, gardening has skipped a generation and we are starting to pay the price.

A community garden is a single piece of land gardened collectively by a group of people.

Community gardens vary widely throughout the world. In North America, community gardens range from familiar "victory garden" areas where people grow small plots of vegetables, to large "greening" projects to preserve natural areas, to tiny street beautification planters on urban street corners. There are even non-profits in many major cities that offer assistance to low-income families, children groups, and community organizations by helping them develop and grow their own gardens.

Everyone has their own approach to gardening, and most people are very happy to share their ideas and experience. Even though you can learn gardening from a book, or a website like this one, nothing replaces talking to someone who has been there, done that.

Nothing the supermarket offers can even compare with the freshness of your own neighborhood or backyard crop. While you can pick your produce moments before you eat it, the crop you find in the supermarket has traveled hundreds, even thousands of miles.

The travel time means that fruits and veggies are harvested before they are ripe and do not each maturity. Fact is, just eight days after fruits and vegetables are harvested they loose over 50% of nutrients. Growing your own food gives you the power to decide exactly how it grows, with no harsh chemical fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides.

For great taste and nutrition, eat fresh!

Gardening helps support health by
providing you with great exercise,
fresh air, and the satisfaction of
eating the season's first tomato.

Garden tasks, like hoeing, digging,
and even harvesting, can provide
you with as much exercise as a
workout at the gym.

Community gardens provide great opportunities to stage social events.
Everyone loves being outside on a nice warm summer day, and gardens provide a great excuse for that. From a play to a concert to just a little picnic, a garden can be a great place to spend time with friends, family, and neighbors.

Gardening allows local residents to experience botanical diversity. Because supermarkets deal with large volumes of produce, they sell only limited varieties that they know people will buy.

Community gardens have ecological benefits in cities by creating a green oasis in areas where you can usually just find asphalt and concrete. Green spaces provide habitat for birds, animals, and insects, reduce runoff by allowing rainwater to soak into the soil, absorb smog and other pollutants, and help create life-supporting oxygen.

Gardening is a great way to make your mark on your neighborhood. If you look around your neighborhood, it will probably be easy to find areas where a garden could add interest or beauty. Community gardeners all over the country have taken over vacant lots, rooftops, schoolyards, and even street medians to make room for gardens.

Because there are so many plants to choose from, gardening is a great way to explore your creativity and play with color, texture, and style. When you start thinking about adding walkways, water features, or seating areas, the possibilities really are endless.

Space Needed
A piece of open land with access to parking, sun, and water source. This community garden will be maintained by the membership members only. There is no need for town services/DPW in any way, shape, or form. WCGP community gardens will be completely self-sufficient.

Sure, you can buy vegetables at the supermarket - but what's the fun in that?
People all over the world have been gardening for centuries, and for many gardening
is more than just a hobby, it's an attitude, a way of life.

Gardening is about learning, family community, health, ecology, and beautification.





Wayne Community Garden Project Location
Van Riper-Hopper Historic House Museum 

Built in 1786 by Uriah Van Riper for his
bride Maria (Polly) Berdan, this New
Jersey Dutch colonial house offers
a rare walk back in time.  The
farmstead includes an historical herb
garden, Archeology Laboratory, and
Albert Payson Terhune Collection.

Five lower rooms contain furniture
representing different periods.

Several artifacts make it easy to imagine succeeding generations living in the house until it was acquired by Wayne Township. Located on its original site, the museum represents the agricultural society that dominated Wayne for over 200 years. This historic house is on the state and national register.

 The Van Riper-Hopper house is showing it's age and with lack of resources the museum has become visibility run down. This town museum is in dire need of some local attention.

After speaking with museum volunteers the problem became very clear. Not enough visitors, not enough local Interest in the museum, not enough dedicated volunteers, no support from local town, therefore not enough money.

Click To See Recent Pictures Of The Museum

For every problem there is a solution. The WCGP will bring life back into this historic site and start creating local interest in what the museum has to offer to the local community. Museum projects will feed off of community garden resident traffic and increase local interest and support. 

Community gardens are a special type of park. They are open to all who apply, but they are self-maintained and self-policed by the membership. Unlike most parks, community gardens occupy three categories of land: private land with short-term leases, public land with short-term leases, and garden-owned land.

West Side A will be the garden location.



Museum is located on Berdan Avenue about 50 yards north of the reservoir with ampel parking for over 20 cars. Each gardening location measures about 110' x 60'. Water source will be provided by museum or pumped up from the reservoir.

Gardens will be open from dawn to dusk. The gardens will not need lighting, after dark the gardens are closed. With a common area for teaching and gathering. Each community garden location will become a local learning center for all sorts of things sustainable. 

Garden rules will be established by a garden committee and inforced. Members will be responsible for the space in and around their gardens. Which will include spring and fall clean-ups. All garden repairs will be done by member volunteers picked by the garden committee.

Each Member will pay a fee of $60.00 for the right to grow fresh healthy organic fruits, herbs, and vegetables in a specific plot for that entire calender year. As long as you pay the membership fee and abide by the garden rules that specific garden is yours for as long as you want it.

The new community garden with have room for 50 plots. Physically challenged and handicap plots will be available. Garden plot owners can grow over 100 different types of vegetables, fruits, and herbs, but must agree to never use harsh chemicals in their gardens. A list will be provided.

Example Design


The Gardens
Each garden will be built using the "Square Foot Gardening" method invented in 1976
by NJ resident & engineer Mel Bartholomew. After 35 years this method of gardening has now emerged as the most practical, efficient, cost
effective, highest yielding form of backyard gardening
on the planet. Square Foot Gardening is now being
implemented and used all over the world.

Square Foot Gardening is the practice of planning
small but intensively planted gardens. The practice combines concepts from other organic gardening methods,
including a strong focus on compost, closely planted raised
beds and bio intensive attention to a small, clearly defined area.

Proponents claim that the method is particularly well-suited
for areas with poor soil, beginning gardeners or as adaptive
recreation for those with disabilities.


 


Garden Size and Specs
Each SFGarden will be 42" wide by 10' long totaling 35 square feet of horizontal garden soil space. Being only 42" in width each person big or small will have ability to reach all parts of the garden without ever walking on the soil for planting, watering, weeding, and harvesting. Loose and oxygenated soil is a key factor in the success in square foot gardening.

This building method enables the gardener to use vertical gardening in the same garden space and more than double the gardening square footage. Each garden will have a 5' by 8' high side located on the west side of the garden for vertical gardening space adding 40 more square foot. Each garden will have the potential to reach 66 square feet of gardening space.

Cost: $60.00 Per Plot
To sign up visit Wayne Municipal Building 475Valley Road, Wayne NJ 973-694-1800
Go to Planning and Zoning Mr. Zsabo's Office.

Expected Yields
Harvest yield will depend on the gardeners experience. When growing herbs, fruits, and vegetables everything plays a part. The weather, soil, what is growing, and most of all the gardeners commitment.

Example: Yearly Fresh Produce Harvest
26 sqft. SFGarden + 40 sqft. Vertical = 66 sqft. Total
1.0 lbs per sqft. = 50 to 100 lbs. Beginners
1.5 lbs per sqft. = 100 to 150 lbs. 2+ Years Experience
2.5 lbs per sqft. = 150 to 250 lbs 5+ Years Experience
3.5 lbs per sqft. = 250 to 350 lbs. Garden Expert





Residential Sustainability
Setting a good example. SUSTAINABLE JERSEY is a certification program for municipalities in New Jersey that want to go green, save money, and take steps to sustain their quality of life over the long term.

Encompassing the 3 equal, interrelated components of sustainability:
Prosperity-support your local economy and use community resources
Planet-practice responsible environmental management and conservation
People-embrace social equity and fairness

Thank you for your support.
Victor Alfieri, editor woodlotfarms.com

Please contact me if you would like to help or have something to add.
Contact Info: editor@woodlotfarms.com or call: Victor 201-220-4862

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WCGP
Join The Party!
Get Involved
Send To A Friend
(Open To Wayne NJ Residents Only)
Ways You Can Help
Volunteer Your Time
Pledge, Reserve A Plot
Project Development
Join Committee
Help Promote
Donate Funds

Victor Alfieri
editor@woodlotfarms.com

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City:
Phone:
Email:
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Kind people learning and growing together.

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victor@woodlotfarms.com
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