• Who is the APPLE Corps? The APPLE Corps is a small citizens group organized at a January, 2009 Transition Town Montpelier meeting. The APPLE Corps has been meeting weekly since February, 2009, laying the groundwork for the Vermont State House Food Garden project, and has worked especially closely with State House Curator David Schutz. Our garden plan was approved by the State House Capitol Complex Commission on April 20, 2009. The APPLE Corps is short for the Association for the Planting of Public edible Landscapes for Everyone. It’s a mouthful, we know, but it reflects our belief that the presence of vegetables, herbs, and fruit and nut trees in public spaces can help educate people about local food, while enhancing our food security. You can reach the APPLE Corps at info@statehousegarden.org.
• Why a State House Food Garden? The primary purpose for the State House Food Garden project is to make Vermonters more deeply aware of the local food movement, and to educate and inspire them to plant their own food gardens at home. The garden is also an example of a new gardening model, in which portions of public spaces are cultivated by citizen volunteers to provide food for those who need it.
• Where will the State House Food Garden be located? It will consist of two 70-foot-long, 2-foot-wide, crescent-shaped beds (approximately totaling 250 sq. ft.) lining the curved walkway in front of the Capitol Building. Our intention is to create a garden there that is not only edible and educational, but that fits in with the beauty, aesthetics, balance and symmetry already found on the State House lawn.
• What will be grown there? There will be three plantings in 2009:
- May planting: chives, parsley, red cabbage, bush peas (early), lettuce, carrots (early), scallions, Swiss chard (colored), beets, mustard greens (red)
- Mid-June planting: Swiss chard, bush beans (several varieties), peppers (several varieties), chives, parsley, sage, bronze fennel, cilantro, basil, chamomile, miniature marigolds, sweet alyssum
- Mid-August planting: broccoli, kale, collards, spinach, carrots, beets, and lettuce
• Who will maintain and harvest the State House Food Garden? The garden will be managed by two volunteer gardeners in 2009. The lead gardener (Joann Darling) is an experienced professional gardener who owns Gardens of Seven Gables in Barre, and who will oversee the planning, plantings, overall maintenance, and harvest. The assistant gardener (Zachary Brock of Montpelier) will be a less-experienced gardener who will visit the State House daily to perform routine maintenance, such as pruning and weeding, and who follows the direction of the lead gardener. These two gardeners will have back-up from other APPLE Corps members. Additionally, we’ll recruit volunteers from nonprofits, school groups, etc. to work in the garden as the growing season progresses.
• What is this costing Vermont taxpayers? In a word, virtually nothing. The national economic recession forced the State of Vermont to make deep budget cuts for 2009, including cuts to the State House lawn landscaping budget. As a result, there was no funding available to plant flowers in the two 70-foot crescent gardens at the State House. These two vacant beds provide an ideal opportunity for Vermont’s first-ever State House vegetable garden. The State has graciously donated needed compost for the project. State House groundskeeper Ira Moser will be kept appraised of APPLE Corps activities, but will not need to devote his, or his crew’s, time or energy to the vegetable garden.
• Who supports the State House Food Garden project? The garden was approved unanimously for a one year trial by the State House Capitol Complex Commission on 4/20/09. A letter of support for the State House Food Garden project was received from the complete Washington County state senators and Montpelier state representatives delegation. Another letter of support came from Vermont’s Center for an Agricultural Economy. The APPLE Corps’ organizational sponsor is Food Works of Montpelier, a 501(c)3 non profit. We will be receiving donations of all of our seeds from High Mowing Organic Seeds in Hardwick, Vermont (the only vegetable seed company in the state). Nearly 150 lettuce starts are being nurtured by students at Montpelier High School. Guys Farm and Yard, in Montpelier has also offered donations in materials as called for.
• Is this really the first State House food garden in the U.S.? Yes. Michelle Obama planted a garden on the White House lawn in March, 2009 (the first major garden there since Eleanor Roosevelt’s Victory Garden in World War II). There are also several gardens now at governor’s mansions around the country, including Maine. But Vermont will be the first State House in the nation to plant a vegetable garden on its lawn. The California State House will likely run a very close second, where the State’s First Lady, Maria Shriver plans to plant an 800 square-foot demonstration garden this May.
Will there be any events at the garden throughout the summer? Yes. The APPLE Corps is in the process of creating a web site which will inform the public of spring, early summer, and late summer planting dates. We will also be organizing several gardening workshops at the State House Food Garden to offer education on various local food issues and basic vegetable gardening skills. In September, we hope to host a harvest event on the State House lawn. We expect our web site to go live by early June. The public is invited to all of our events, since the State House lawn is not only “Vermonters’ lawn” it is now about to become “Vermonters’ Garden.”
I am going to include this garden in a garden column that I write for the Addison Independent, which will be featured next Thursday, July 8, 2010. Who might I contact for more information?
Thanks! and BRAVO to all of you for this beautiful project.
Kate
Hi Kate,
Thanks for your interest! Someone from APPLE Corps is going to contact you shortly. For future reference you can contact info@statehousegarden.org.
Scott.