Posted by dreynold on February 25, 2009 | RSS Feed
Grazing Garden Now Complete
Coosa County has a new park, but this park is not like most others. This park is called a Grazing Garden. It is a small park where visitors are welcome to eat of each fruit available in the garden.
Last fall, the Coosa County Extension office wrote a grant to develop the Grazing Garden. The idea came one day to county Extension Coordinator Roger Vines while he was munching on an apple. The concept is simple. The garden is an orchard with a large variety of fruit trees and there is one main rule – all fruit must be eaten on site. Visitors are welcome to walk through and enjoy some fruit but not carry it out of the garden -- no bags, baskets or buckets. This way more people can enjoy the fruit and no one gets more than a fair share. Students and teachers at Central Elementary, Middle and High schools especially are encouraged to enjoy the project.
A great site for the garden was made available by the Coosa County School System. When the property for the new Coosa Central Elementary and Middle School was purchased, it included a small house and corner lot in front of the school. Contractors used the small house for their headquarters while the school was being built. Once completed the contractors moved out and the school began using the house to store textbooks. Through another cooperative agreement between the Coosa County School System and the Extension System, the house was turned into a 4-H Club House. The Grazing Garden has now been established on the corner lot, adjacent to the 4-H Club House, which will be a great site for enjoyment but also for educational programs.
The fruit trees and plants are all still young and will take a few years before everything comes into full production but it won’t be long before some “first fruits” are seen. A variety of fruit bearing plants are now in the ground, including peaches, plums, pears, apples, oriental persimmons, figs, muscadines, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries and kiwis. The small fruit plants, such as the blackberries, blueberries and strawberries, should begin bearing in the next year or two while the tree fruits will take a little longer. There is also a large pecan tree already bearing great pecans. Signs are posted along the wooden fence that describes the many health benefits of the different fruits. A small washing station is available to wash fruit before consumption.
The grazing garden was developed through a grant from the Coosa Valley RC&D Council. The project was implemented by a committee of Extension agents and others, including Roger Vines, Coosa County Extension coordinator; James Abrams, Abrams Lawn Service; Todd Wingard, former superintendent of education; Jason Powell, Petals From the Past Nursery; and regional Extension agents Shane Harris, Chip East, Sharon Haynes and Andy Baril.
Vines said he also appreciates the support of incoming Superintendent of Education Dennis Sanford, and the in-kind support of the Coosa County Board of Education, Central Alabama Electric Cooperative, Bowater Forestry and the Coosa County Commission.
Much of the installation was completed by Abrams Lawn Service.
“Our hope is that the Coosa County Grazing Garden will be an asset to the community and our county” Vines says. “We want the students to learn that fruit really does grow on trees and that fruit not only tastes great but also is an important part of a healthy diet. The site will also be used for educational programs with master gardeners and others who want to learn more about fruit culture.”
Source: Roger Vines, County Extension Coordinator, Coosa County, (256) 377-4713.