Staff Writer

 If all goes according to plan, Old Orchard Beach residents will soon have a new place to grow food for their families.

The Old Orchard Beach Town Council last week approved a one-year community garden pilot program that will not require any financial support from taxpayers. The community garden will be located on town-owned property near the Ballpark.

Andrea Berlin, one of three people leading the effort, said she first became involved with community gardening 15 years ago in Saco. Berlin said she saw the need for more space as she looked around the high-density neighborhoods in Old Orchard Beach.

“People don’t have a lot of land to grow vegetables,” she said. “There are a lot of people who live in retirement communities around the Ballpark who aren’t allowed to grow vegetables. There’s a need for us to let people use the land.”

With approval from town councilors, the project just needs money to become a reality, Berlin said. She said organizers need to raise at least $1,000 to cover start-up costs, including installation of a water line and fencing.

“We do need community donations to make this happen,” Berlin said.

Berlin said the garden will have 10-foot by 10-foot plots separated by 4-foot pathways. Each plot will be rented for $25, though financial assistance will be available to families that cannot afford the fee. She said a resident has offered to pay for 12 plots for residents who need financial assistance.

Berlin said the number of plots rented will determine the garden’s size. The garden cannot be bigger than 100 feet by 300 feet. Soil at the site has been tested by the University of Maine and will be fine for gardening, she said.

“We have the possibility of having 100 garden plots. That’s huge,” Berlin said.

A five-member committee will oversee the garden.

A community garden is not only a place to grow plants, but also a place to foster relationships, Berlin said. “A community garden fosters relationships between people,” she said. “People unite around that.”

Jackie Tselikis, the school health coordinator who is helping with garden plans, said she is excited the town can offer a place for people of all ages to work side by side.

“It will be wonderful because this is such a small area. People just don’t have the land to grow food,” she said. “It will be a good spot right in the middle of town.”

Tselikis said a garden at Loranger Middle School tended by students has been “quite successful” as a learning opportunity. She thinks enthusiasm for gardening will spill over into the community with the creation of new plots.

“People who have never gardened at all will be able to try it,” she said. “I think it’s forward-thinking to be doing something like this.”

Berlin said residents interested in donating or renting a garden plot should contact the town clerk’s office. For more information, call 934-4042.

Staff Writer Gillian Graham can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 213.