City Engineer Beth Fox and City Clerk Andrea Kerr got out of the office Wednesday, working alongside of Bridgeport Public Works crew on a project that will benefit various members of the community.

 

With a little experience – and hundreds of zucchinis, squash and tomatoes – behind them, organizers and active growers of Bridgeport’s community garden are geared up for round two.

 

Again this year, space in front of the public works garage and just below City Hall is being utilized to plant, nurture and harvest crops which will be distributed to those in need through Shepherd’s Corner.

 

“I dropped off baskets full every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday last year and they said they ran out every single day,” said Kerr, who came up with the community garden idea last year. “Some people don’t ever have fresh vegetables, so (Shepherd’s Corner) thought it was really important to give them away to people and they were thankful for the service provided.”

 

When she called organizers of Shepherd’s Corner earlier this spring to ask if they wanted to be part of the community effort again this year, they didn’t hesitate, Kerr said.

 

Hopefully, by next weekend, seeds will be in the ground, but before that happens, there are some matters to take care of.  Kerr is looking for families, clubs or groups which would like to “adopt” a portion of the garden to sow and grow vegetables of their choice. Last year, the GFWC Woman’s Club of Bridgeport tended a garden, as did seven local families, including Kerr, her husband Chris and their daughters Katelyn and Audrey.

 

“It was a really great activity to do together. We all learned a lot and the girls absolutely loved it,” Kerr said. “We planted everything from seeds so watching those seeds grow into actual vegetables was really cool.”

 

The Kerrs grew tomatoes, wax peppers, zucchini, squash, cucumbers and lettuce.

“The zucchini and squash took off like wildfire, but some things didn’t grow as well,” Kerr said.

 

One mistake she thinks her family and some others made was planting too many items in too small of a space. The garden is divided into 12 eight-by-four feet block gardens. The first year was kind of a learning curve with regard to how much to plant. To offer expert advice on that and other gardening questions, Kerr has brought Master Gardener Kirk Curry on board this year.

 

“He’ll be able to give us pointers and fill us in on best practices and things we can do to better help our garden grow,” Kerr said.

Another new addition to the program this year is enclosing the block gardens to protect them from hungry four-legged locals.

 

“Last year we put netting over the top of the garden and it really didn’t work out so well,” Kerr said. “So we came up with a different solution this year.”

 

Work started Wednesday on setting the wood frame, over which chicken wire will be attached. It will likely be done by Thursday.

 

Also in on the building action Wednesday was Tyler McHenry, a permanent part-time city employee. The daughter of local farmers and growers, she was very interested in the project and the entire community garden concept.

 

Those who would like to work a portion of this year’s community garden can contact Kerr at 304-842-8233 or akerr@bridgeportwv.com.

All participants need to provide are time and labor.

 

“We provide the seeds, watering cans and hoses,” Kerr said. “After you harvest your vegetables, leave them in the basket provided and I’ll come back and pick them up and deliver them to Shepherd’s Corner.”

Hopefully, the community garden project will continue to grow in the years ahead.

 

“There are a couple of other pieces of land throughout the city which are owned by the city so we’d love to expand,” Kerr said.

 

Editor's Note: Top photos feature the work being done Wednesday to enclose the community garden. Bottom photos show community members planting last year's garden and the garden at harvest.