East Windsor Could Be Home to Community Garden

A community garden could be coming to East Windsor this fall, which will allow residents to grow their own produce, as well as provide food for local needy families.

The garden will be located in the area adjacent to the Disbrow Hill Fields across from Etra Lake Park. The project is estimated to cost $17,100, and will be funded by a grant from Sustainable Jersey, a certification program which provides tools and financial incentives to municipalities pursuing sustainability. 

Residents will be able to farm their own plot of land within the garden, and the East Windsor Green Team and other local volunteer groups will maintain a philanthropic garden. Produce from the garden will be distributed to area food banks and local families in need.

The garden will also engage area schools so students can learn to grow their own produce and foster healthier eating habits. Community gardeners and their children eat healthier diets than do non-gardening families, according to the grant application, and green spaces in the community have proven to reduce stress and improve citizens’ overall well-being.

“A community garden is a fun and worthwhile means to enable residents of the community to plant and oversee their own little plot of our earth to grow vegetables and fruits,” said Mayor Janice Mironov. “We are enthusiastic about making this an educational opportunity for students and the community at large. We in East Windsor Township love our farms and this program is an exciting vehicle to underscore that message.”

East Windsor Township has already achieved bronze-level certification from Sustainable Jersey for their recycling initiatives, energy efficiency actions, community forestry plans, clean communities programs, and open space preservation. The community garden project is anticipated to help East Windsor achieve silver-level certification, according to Mayor Mironov.