Hooray Appleton Field! We met our 5-year goals!

Imagine an experienced, non-profit planning consultant had prepared a five-year plan for Appleton Field. It would have included a mission statement, an organizational structure, specific details about the crops we would grow, and written down the programs we hoped to produce. Plus, there would be projected visitor numbers and their demographics, as well as a capital improvement campaign. A plan is one way to ensure the organization’s longevity and increase the chances of winning substantial grant awards.

However, are you kidding? This group of volunteers did not need a plan to get started. Since beginning to clear the field six years ago, our informal group of dedicated volunteers, including two experienced horticultural educators, has met the five-year milestones that any written plan could have predicted. Today, we boast of 13 plots being cultivated, an education program that includes groups such as the Hingham Junior Garden Club and South Shore Digital Wellness, and donations last year to the Scituate Food Pantry totaling 200lb of produce. As for capital improvements, last year we inaugurated the water catchment system installed by Troop 7 of Scituate. This year, we are working on obtaining a 12 x 20 storage shed.

This shows that dedication and skill can get a community garden started, but what will sustain it? More dedicated volunteers, and most importantly, a formal structure that ensures changes in leadership and the eventual creation of a paid staff person to manage the garden. Keep posted for the next five years!

We are on an upswing, and thanks again to the Harbor Methodist Church, Appleton Field will be featured as the first monthly Fish Fry on June 5.