ORANGE — Employees of the Wheeler Memorial Library are confident they grow some of the “smartest” crops in town.
The library’s children section is partially underground, requiring two dehumidifiers to keep the books in good condition. The accumulated water — the result of moisture being removed from the air — is then used to nourish a garden in the library’s backyard. In playful theory, says Children’s Librarian Jason Sullivan-Flynn, the wisdom and information drawn from the books helps the garden’s vegetables thrive.
“It’s definitely a fun idea,” he says.
The garden started years ago under Children’s Librarian Candy Cross and the agricultural tradition continues under Sullivan-Flynn, who took the job about five months ago. Both say the garden grows produce that helps combat food insecurity in the area.
“It’s always been a collaborative effort between library staff and volunteers to get the garden planted,” Sullivan-Flynn says. “Every year, there has been a crop that we can distribute to people in the community. People can come in and make use of the garden” at 49 East Main St.
Cross says the garden was first planted the night library staff members were awaiting results of a successful override vote that ensured the building would remain in operation.
“I had been wanting to do a library garden for many years and, I don’t why, I just felt we needed to do something hopeful, even if we didn’t know if the library was going to be open,” she said.
This year, the garden is growing vegetables like kale, lettuce, radishes and broccoli, as well as herbs like parsley and basil, and one cantaloupe. Sullivan-Flynn said people are welcome to help tend the garden and take produce once it is ready to be harvested.
The garden was aided this year by a $150 Greenfield Garden Club grant Sullivan-Flynn used to purchase a wheelbarrow and tools. The children’s librarian also said he got seeds, seedlings and helpful advice from Seeds of Solidarity. Deborah L. Habib, Seeds of Solidarity’s executive director, says one of the organization’s youth leaders initiated the garden by sharing her skills with Cross. Seeds of Solidarity has continued to offer support ever since.
The garden sits peacefully in a back corner of the library’s property, always in the sun. Dozens of burlap sacks, donated by the Dean’s Beans coffee company, line its perimeter to prevent grass and weeds from encroaching into the garden and to give the groundskeeper an idea of where to safely mow.
“It does require a little TLC from what I can see, but, if properly tended to, then I think it will produce pretty abundantly. That’s my hope,” Sullivan-Flynn said.
Celia Hastings, the secretary of the Friends of Orange Public Libraries, said the garden gets children outside in an educational way.
“It’s definitely something you can learn here and go home and replicate,” she says. “People think, ‘Just throw some seeds in the ground.’ But there’s more to it than that.”
Hastings says she and her children typically harvest cherry tomatoes, kale and snap peas from the garden.
Cross says she used to incorporate it into Rise and Romp Storytime, assisting the youngsters in watering and weeding. She mentioned she knew a family that had a weekly pizza night on Thursdays and always stopped by the garden to pick some toppings.
“I’m just so happy that Jason’s continuing it and loves it as much as I do,” she says. “It’s very, very gratifying. It’s wonderful.”
It was the 2- to 5-year-olds of the Rise and Romp Storytime that got many of the seedlings started in the winter or early spring.
Sullivan-Flynn says the library’s summer reading program, scheduled for June 20 to Aug. 11, will also incorporate the garden. This year’s theme is “On Your Mark, Get Set … Read,” which pertains to wellness and fitness. He said wellness and fitness concern staying active as well as eating well, which the garden promotes.
You can reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com
or 413-772-0261, ext. 258.
On Twitter: @DomenicPoli