Inch by Inch, Row by Row, We’re Going to Make this Garden Grow
Doylestown Friends Meeting First Day School Garden Committee
The First Day School Garden at Doylestown Friends Meeting began with seeds of hope before we even turned the first spade of earth. In the fall of 2014, a few Friends began to discuss the idea of starting an organic vegetable garden that could be a living example of our commitment to the Testimonies of Stewardship and Community. After some initial meetings, Judy Thode, Jody Howe, and Bill Thode took the lead in getting the garden started. By January of 2015, we had formed an ad hoc committee to lay the groundwork for the garden.
From the beginning we decided that the children of the Meeting would be involved whenever possible in planting, watering, and harvesting the produce. We also determined that our harvests would be donated to the BCHG Doylestown Food Pantry. With a lot of input from supporters of the garden, we planted our first crop in March of 2015.
Over the years, many Friends helped out with the garden in different ways. They built raised beds, donated tools and other garden supplies, purchased seeds and organic soil, and set up trellises for climbing plants. Others tended to the compost pile and collected shredded leaves to enrich our garden soil. Soon after starting the garden, we created a sign-up system so Friends could volunteer to water, harvest, and deliver food to the pantry throughout the growing season. We also scheduled a spring and a fall work day so that both children and adults could prepare the garden soil for planting and clean up the garden for winter.
In the spring, many of our FDS lessons revolve around the miracle of growth. We bring the children outside to dig for worms, rake the soil, plant seeds, and water. As the weeks progress, they are able to experience the joy of picking everything from peas in early spring to tomatoes in late summer. Sometimes we put out a blanket or set up a table or tent so that we can do a garden related craft or have a story about caring for the environment. Over the years the children have made pinwheels, painted stones, and created peace flags to decorate the garden and spread messages of hope and caring.
2020 has been a very different year for our FDS Garden. Since the Meeting has been closed since early March due to the pandemic only the three of us on the committee have been going to the meetinghouse to work in the garden and take the harvest to the Doylestown Food Pantry. Although we are only making one delivery a week now, we have been able to provide salad greens, sugar snap peas, green beans, garlic, green beans, cherry tomatoes, and hot peppers for those in need. We look forward to the day that our Meeting will be open again and that the children and the rest of the Meeting community will be able to experience the peace and joy of working in the FDS Garden.