County Readies New Community Gardens in South Whitehall

Crews are prepping the soil for the new, relocated in South Whitehall.

Once the soil is tilled, the plots will be marked and numbered.

"Then, after that, we can let the gardeners come in and do their thing," said Jeff Zehr, director of the Lehigh County Farmland Preservation Program.

 from Broadway and Parkway in South Whitehall to make way for a new building that will house the , the Lehigh County coroner's office and emergency services. 

The new 1.5-acre site runs along Cedar Creek. It is expected to have about 100 individual plots, a few more than the old site.

But, Zehr said, "This is going to be more compact here."

Plots will be smaller in size -- 20-by-30 instead of 20-by-40, Zehr said. However, gardeners now will have the benefit of a water system, a trough with a shut-off valve. Previously, water had to be brought to the site.

To access the new site, gardeners will enter from Dorney and Cedarbrook roads, travel beyond a county utility building and a tire pile, and around the back, where a gravel roadway leads to the plots.

Letters are expected to be mailed to gardeners by Monday, including information on the new plot numbers and the community garden rules. Zehr said gardeners will have some time to move their perennials from the old site to the new one, before ground-breaking occurs for the new public services building.

"There will be a period of transition," Zehr said.

Several gardeners, who are passionate about their crops, had been surprised, and upset, to learn last year about the move. Many had been gardening at the old site for years.

"It's always traumatic to be moved from one place to another," Zehr acknowledged.

Most of the new individual plots are spoken for, Zehr said. Eighteen people are on a waiting list.

Fencing also will be moved to the new site from the old one. According to the Lehigh County website, plots will be arranged in blocks of 10 to 12 plots with walkways between each block. There is a gravel driveway, with a turn-around. Bins also will be available for weed disposal and compost. 

This is the second year the Lehigh County Farmland Preservation Program will be overseeing .