Scout garden offers produce to low-income residents

Tucked away in the far right corner of the Lakeview Library’s rear parking lot, a garden of eating grows for area residents who want fresh produce but are unable to easily afford it.

The garden, a brainchild of West Hempstead resident and Girl Scout Janine Baron, and Malverne resident and Boy Scout William Buckridge, is a joint effort by the two teens to provide area low-income residents with fresh veggies while the teens work towards earning their Gold Award and Eagle Scout status respectively.

“We have tomatoes, swiss chard, eggplant, string beans, bush beans, and more growing in our garden now,” said Baron, 16, and a student at Holy Trinity High School in Hicksville. Baron said she is at the garden every Wednesday from 2 – 3 p.m. giving out fresh produce to those requesting it.

The two teens were interested in doing a large project together, and Buckridge wanted to focus on something food-related for the community. And then Baron had an idea, “I noticed that the food pantry at Our Lady of Lourdes only offered things like rice, beans, mash potatoes — mostly carbohydrates,” she said. “We thought it would be a great idea to offer fresh produce.”

Baron said her idea was inspired by her dad, who recently changed his diet to incorporate a more healthy eating program. Once the teens decided on a garden, they went to work.

Buckridge, a Valley Stream North graduate who will be attending St. John’s University in September, designed and created three large planters in the garden, which are currently home to several huge eggplant and tomato plants. With the help of nearly 10 fellow Boy Scouts, Buckridge was able to create the solid wood planters, which measure 4 x 4 feet and 3 x 6 feet.

After creating the planters, outside help began pouring in. Crossroads Farm donated soil and compost for the garden, and the farm’s education director, Lenore Russell, taught Baron how to plant, cultivate and harvest. “We started planting in the garden on Mother’s Day weekend and were able to harvest string beans just several weeks after,” said Baron. The garden’s harvest is also supplemented regularly by Baron’s scout leader’s father, who has a farm in Goshen.