The Reporter Summerset, New Jersey, USA www.nj.com/news/reporter/index.ssf?/base/news-2/1169075121297330.xml&coll=13
Thursday, January 18, 2007 Farm could offer garden plots By AMY S. BOBROWSKI Staff Writer WARREN -- By the spring, the Wagner Farm Arboretum hopes to offer plots to the public in its community garden. The 10-feet by 20-feet plots will allow those in the community to reserve their own gardening space in the midst of a growing horticulture center. The Wagner Farm Arboretum Foundation took its inspiration from The Frelinghuysen Arboretum in Morristown and the Sharing Garden at the Watchung Reservation. The Foundation will reserve a portion of the plots for special projects, such as a pumpkin patch. Local residents are already looking forward to tending to their own little piece of land. "There are 14 people on the list," said Suzanne Smith, president of the foundation. She noted there will be at least 60 plots and that the fee will be in the neighborhood of $60 per season. Simultaneously, the foundation will create a harvest garden, where volunteer organizations or individuals will plant and maintain garden sections. The goods harvested from those plots will be donated to local food banks The foundation is also actively working on the other phases of its arboretum concept plan. Construction of a children's garden with a butterfly garden, maze and outdoor classroom could start by the spring of 2008 at the latest. An alphabet garden, where wood-painted letters will be matched up with plants that start with the same letter, will help children identify botanical material. The children's garden will also feature several large cow sculptures to remind visitors of the history of the rural landscape. The area will be suitable for pre-school through elementary school-aged children, Smith said. "If we got the funding, we'd start this year, but if not, the next year," Smith said. The township purchased the 92-acre property, situated on Mountain Avenue, in 2001 to preserve it as open space. The land operated as the former Wagner Dairy Farm from 1917 until about 1987. The farm was home to a heard of Holsteins that grazed on the land and were milked in the milking parlor. In a creamery adjacent to the barn, milk was pasteurized and bottled before being delivered to local homes. The main entrance of the arboretum, which will be constructed adjacent to the cow barn, is expected to include a formal garden with memorial benches and a 35-foot diameter pavilion made of personalized bricks. The bricks could be purchased and customized for a fee. Small outdoor wedding ceremonies and photo opportunities could occur at the pavilion. Subsequent phases will include the installation of raised handicap-accessible planting beds, picnic grounds and a meditation garden. "It (the meditation garden) will be a quiet place to sit and relax," Smith said. "If you work nearby you could bring your lunch on your lunch hour on a nice day." A large greenhouse, where native plants will be grown, will provide room for plant propagation, plant sales and space for classes and meetings. Foundation members look forward to offering educational classes once this area is constructed. The foundation recently received a grant to install deer fencing around the garden areas. The annual plant sale fundraiser is scheduled for May 18-20. The organization is always in need of funds and volunteers to participate on various committees. The time commitment is up to the prospective volunteer. For more information, visit www.wfafnj.org. Donations may be made out to the Wagner Farm Arboretum Foundation, Inc. and should be sent to 197 Mountain Ave., Warren, NJ, 07059
