Sullivan Square Community Garden

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There’s something inspiring about a blade of grass or a dandelion forcing its way through bricks on a sidewalk. Greenery against hard asphalt heartens the spirit.

Multiply that by 63 (the number of plots) or by 15,830 (the number of square feet) in the Sullivan Square Community Garden, which sits at Bunker Hill and Main -- and that gives a picture of the spark supplied by this most beautiful green space.

In operation since 1978, when a dozen teens from the Kennedy Center first "hefted railroad ties and topsoil onto the vacant lot site at the corner of Main and Bunker Hill streets,"  the community garden continues to nourish and flourish. From a few dedicated gardeners of that first summer, the group has swelled in numbers, enthusiasm and beauty. The garden is managed by the organization Gardens for Charlestown (GFC).

For its first 17 years, GFC leased the one-acre space from the Boston Redevelopment Authority. During that time a 30-day notice to vacate hung over the gardeners‘ heads. On March 24, 1980 Gardens for Charlestown was incorporated as a charitable non-profit, with the purpose to promote community and home vegetable gardening in Charlestown and to encourage beautification. In 1995, in recognition of the group’s commitment to urban gardening, the BRA deeded the land to Gardens for Charlestown.  

Roberta MacCarthy, GFC’s current president has been involved with the garden for about 12 years. Gardening has always been her hobby.

We spoke by telephone and then met at the gardens for more talk and photos. The roses are right now in full bloom and are being infused by the sun.

Q. What makes Gardens for Charlestown so special?
A.  I want to emphasize how important community gardens are, to bring people together. I believe in green space.

Q. How did you get involved in gardening?
A. Gardening has been my hobby and while I was working it was a great outlet.  I got involved in GFC several years ago.

Q. How does GFC function?
A.  There is a board of eight members. GFC is a major volunteer effort. We always need a large base of volunteers.

Q. There are 63 plots but currently no vacancies. How can a person get involved in the garden?
A. There is a waiting list of about 12 people. But there are common areas for planting and the many activities we have every year can always use more help.

Q. What kinds of activities doe GFC sponsor?
A. This weekend is our biennial Pocket Garden Tour, a self-guided tour celebrating Charlestown residents who have turned abandoned lots and dark alleyways into spaces of color and light, with the scent of flowers. We also have a pumpkin celebration in the fall, a lobster dinner and a flea market.

MacCarthy explained that GFC is part of Boston Natural Areas Network, the umbrella organization for over 200 community and school gardens throughout the city. She also noted there are two other gardens in Charlestown: the Sprouts Garden on Terminal Street and the Circle Garden, at 13th Street in the Navy Yard.

MacCarthy said "we are accountable to the community," which is one of the reasons the gardens are so accessible. Anyone is welcome to walk in. She said people who work across the street at Schraffts often bring their lunch and sit in the garden’s patio area. Neighbors also walk across the pathway with their children on their way to Main Street.

"I want to emphasize how important community gardens are to a neighborhood," MacCarthy said. "They bring people together, to learn who their neighbors are."

 The Gardens for Charlestown, she said, are "one of the best kept secrets" in Charlestown.

Information for this article was compiled with information from various web-sites, including the GfC web-site http://www.gardensforcharlestown.com, http://www.bostonnatural.org/cgFind.htm and interview.