Community Garden Becomes a Reality

Before moving to Dunedin, Gayle Turke’s daughter Olivia, now 6, woke up one morning with an idea.

Turke said that young Olivia wished for a piece of land where everybody could grow fruits and vegetables and where they could stop on their way to work and pick their lunch.

When Turke and her family moved to Dunedin last summer, they did not know that Dunedin Community Garden Association was in the beginning stages of planning for just such an organic garden at .

The Dunedin Community Garden Association completed Phase I of the project at its first workday Feb. 26.

Parks and Recreation Director Vince Gizzi said about 30 volunteers turned out to construct containers, install PCV pipe irrigation and spread soil and mulch.

“It was a really rewarding feeling after a little over a year of planning,” Gizzi said. He added that the city absorbed the cost of the PCV pipe and installation, which he estimated to be only a couple hundred dollars.

Six 4-by-8-foot raised cedar beds were installed and filled with a soil and compost mix, then covered with mulch. The beds are 10 inches deep to prevent ground contamination.

The finished beds were then raffled to members of the public who paid $25 for a membership to the Dunedin Community Garden Association. Seven gardeners are now on the waiting list, including Gayle Turke. Olivia, a San Jose Elementary student, drew the names at random.

Gayl Scruton, fundraising chair for the Dunedin Community Garden Association, said the group intends to construct 12 4-by-4-foot and 30 additional 4-by-8-foot plots. It must raise about $10,000 to complete the project. Each plot, she estimates at $250. Then, there’s still the issue of obtaining proper federal non-profit status so that donors can write off larger donations for tax purposes. A 501(c)(3) status could cost as much as $775.

The group has already received contributions of both effort and money, including that of Dunedin High School senior and his group of volunteers, who built a storage shed on the property. The shed, Scruton said, was a $3,000 donation.

Turke showed up at the workday with her daughter to lend a hand even though she'd only learned of the Dunedin Community Garden the day before. "We made a lot of new friends," Turke said, explaining the garden she once had and shared with neighbors at her home in New Hampshire.

“Our intention is to use our plot for my daughter’s Girl Scout Daisy group,” Turke said. She added that the girls could grow flowers and vegetables to be donated to food kitchens or other places in need. Turke hopes that if they get a plot to use in this way the girls would first, learn to garden, but most importantly, truly enliven the spirit of her young daughter’s vision of a "town garden."

A community yard sale is being held March 11 and 12 to help the Dunedin Community Garden Association reach its $10,000 goal. The group is accepting donated items that it can sell until March 6. The yard sale is at 612 Wilkie Street, starting at 8 a.m. To help with the Community Garden yard sale or make a donation, contact Gayl Scruton at g.scrutoninteriors@gmail.com.