Gardening Opportunities in Cortland County

Community Gardens available to residents of Cortland County:

• Beaudry Park, Scammell St., Cortland
• Methodist Church, Rt. 222, Cortland

Why Are Community Gardens So Important?

By growing your own fruits and vegetables, you are providing your family with fresh, healthy choices of food and you know that the items you grow are completely safe, with no pesticides or other chemicals. You can easily lower the cost of your grocery bill and you will be eating food you grew yourself, instead of paying someone else for your fruits and vegetables.

A community garden also helps to connect generations; for example, a 10 year old can bring his or her grandparent and work in the garden together. This shows unity within the community. And "local" means not being too far from the garden, which will be helpful to people who do not have easy access to a vehicle.

Those who choose to make good use of the community garden will feel involved from the start, so they can see the progress and feel like a contributing part of their community. This demonstrates self satisfaction by knowing the garden is from their own sweat and hard work.

Another part to feeling like a contributing part of their community is to share their fruits and vegetables with others, or just help your fellow community member if you feel you have more knowledge of gardening than your neighbor.

Rules of a Community Garden

Everyone must be respectful of each other’s plot and everyone must know the rules as to what to bring and what portion of the land to use and clearly have it marked. When you first start out, you will know who the land owner or community agency is that will be in charge, so you have the rules upon arriving. Make sure if you, as a garden participant, bring a guest/guests that they are all respectful of the property and of others' plots.

PRESERVING AND STORING YOUR GARDEN FOOD

Canning, freezing and other preserving ideas are a great way to make your home-grown foods last through the year. Most of the fruits and vegetables will stay safe for 8-12 months.

If freezing, you should do it immediately upon picking. Wash everything thoroughly and make sure you do not soak any of the food. You should “blanch” the vegetables and cover the fruits in ascorbic acid (lemon juice is not recommended but can still work) before storing any of your food.

Ensure quality by labeling every container with the date, so you can keep track of when you need to use the foods. When you are ready to eat what you have stored, make sure that the fruit is not fully defrosted and you do not thaw the vegetables at all - cook them while still frozen.

If you choose to can your vegetables, you must use a pressure canner at 240 degrees. This is essential to avoid the toxins that cause botulism. You may use a standard canning jar, as they are safe and are heat-tempered, so they will not break during heat changes.