By Julia Boyle
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE
Gardening is serious business at Seabrook in Tinton Falls, N.J.
Each spring, more than 100 people get their hands dirty seeding, weeding, and pruning. The result—summer bounty. Juicy, red New Jersey tomatoes now weigh down the vines and colorful geraniums, roses, and lilies perfume the air.
A place called home
According to W.C. Sullivan and F.E Kuo’s article, “Do Trees Strengthen Urban Communities, Reduce Domestic Violence?” published in Arborist News, “Gardening is a universal language that brings the community together. Gardening conversations and activities bring neighbors together, melting differences and uniting neighborhoods.”
At Seabrook, even those who don’t spend time in the gardens taste the fruits (and vegetables) of their neighbors’ labors. “Some people, like Mike Blyskal, give away their excess vegetables or flowers to others in the community,” says Jim Luce, co-leader of the garden committee.
By offering garden beds— 80, to be exact—Seabrook ensures that when making the move from their houses, people can continue to enjoy beautiful gardens and tables full of fresh fruit, vegetables, and flowers.
“It makes for a much better community, particularly because it’s good to know your fellow gardeners. You share plants and information and really get to know people,” Luce says.
Community resources
At Seabrook, the grounds department provides the resources needed for gardeners like Luce. “We provide tools, topsoil, mulch, water, and one free tilling per year,” says Mike Amalfa, grounds supervisor.
The ten-foot by ten-foot gardens open in April and close near Thanksgiving, providing ample time to grow cool-weather plants in early spring and late fall.
The garden committee, co-founded by Luce and Master Gardener Bea Gardella last year, helps Amalfa and his crew by monitoring the beds and keeping track of who continues to garden each season.