JP SOUTH—The St. Rose Street Garden is oriented so strongly toward its neighborhoods, it is a rarity even in the community garden haven that is Jamaica Plain. Located at a bend in the road on St. Rose, it now boasts community concerts, potlucks, gardening workshops—and loads of produce and other plants.
“We’re actually a real community garden,” one of the garden’s two organizers, Jeremy Ogusky, told the Gazette last week. “It’s worked and harvested together, as a community.”
Owned by the nonprofit Boston Natural Areas Network, the garden is run by local volunteers.
Most of the vegetables produced by the garden’s 30 members are donated to food banks, Ogusky said. The community also built the garden’s tiny amphitheater seating last fall and tiny library out front.
“It’s just grown and gotten better over the years,” Ogusky said. “St. Rose is a unique, small little street and the garden is right at the bend in the road. It’s a nice little space.”
Once a month, the garden has a community work day, Ogusky said. Watering is done in turns—one member will come in for the hour-plus and water the whole garden, instead of everyone taking half an hour to do their own plots.
And lately, the garden has started to host events like community potlucks, mushroom-growing and fermentation workshops, and even community concerts.
“We’re trying to make it a sanctuary for people,” Ogusky said.
Events at the St. Rose Street garden are open to all. More events are planned for the summer. The garden’s website is bit.ly/StRoseGarden.
The St. Rose Street Garden last week. (Gazette Photo by Rebeca Oliveira)