A Day Of Service Benefits The Victory Garden

By Kendra Bobowick

Small drops swelled, then fell from irrigation lines running up and down the Victory Garden rows. Garden founder Harvey Pessin crouched beside The LaurelRock Company President Burt DeMarche of Newtown on April 20 to test the aboveground valves controlling water flow. LaurelRock installed the system.

With one twist of a bright red handle, water hissed through the pipes, building up pressure in the lines. Soon, drops fell to the ground, ready to slowly feed plants that Mr Pessin anticipates garden volunteers will soon have in the ground. Watching the water system at work, Mr Pessin said, “There is nothing more elegant or more sophisticated.”

Thanks to the combination of a community project and a grant, Mr Pessin was happy to close the garden for one day — Friday, April 20 — as the irrigation installation took place. LaurelRock members installed the drip irrigation as part of an annual community service day and incorporated drip irrigation hose and fittings Mr Pessin received from a grant through Johnny’s Selected Seed of Maine. LaurelRock also received a discount on materials they purchased through Central Irrigation Supply of Norwalk.

“Words fail me to express how happy I am to be the recipient of the generosity of these two companies. I’m happy to pass their generosity on to others,” Mr Pessin wrote in a recent e-mail. “I’ve never gotten so much positive feedback from the garden volunteers as I have from this irrigation project.”

The LaurelRock efforts that day also included a garden installation at Newtown Congregational Church. LaurelRock’s efforts are part of the PLANET National Day of Service. The Professional Landcare Network (PLANET) is an international association serving lawn care professionals, landscape management, design/build/installation professionals, irrigation & water management and interior plantscapers.

According to the PlanetDayOfService.org: “The day of service is an opportunity for professionals to unite to demonstrate environmental stewardship and humanitarianism by giving back to our communities.”

Through suggestions from his staff members, Mr DeMarche learned of the Victory Garden at Fairfield Hills, and his team chose to spend part of its community day of service there.

“I spoke with Harvey and learned that the watering was a challenge,” Mr DeMarche said. His team agreed on an irrigation installation. As per his company mission statement and in keeping with the PLANET service project, he said, “It makes a positive difference for a community cause.” The system his team installed is eco-friendly and runs on low pressure. The town water available on site is sufficient to feed all the lines in the garden, Mr DeMarche believes.

On the team that worked on the irrigation on April 20 were Operations Manager Don Dickson, Production Field Supervisor Rigo Galdamez, Office Administrator Terri Smith, and Designer/Project Manager Justin Quinn.

Watering The Garden

Mr Pessin that water accessibility “was our biggest challenge last year.” During the garden’s first season, gardeners had to bring their own lengths of hose and wait their turn to attach to one of three spigots available at the site near the old tennis courts at Fairfield Hills.

With irrigation now in place and plans ahead to automate the system, Mr Pessin is glad to overcome that hurdle. He said that unlike stepping outside at home to water the garden, people had to make time to visit the garden daily to keep their plants watered.

The new watering method offers other benefits.

“The advantage is that it’s only watering the roots, so no fungus, no mildew.” Since the water only goes to the root level, Mr Pessin said, “It’s the best way to water the garden.” While many gardeners will welcome the convenience of available, and possibly automated water, Mr Pessin said some people want to do things the old-fashioned way.

“For those that want the true sense of gardening and watering their row, they can still attach a hose to a spigot and water by hand,” he said.

The Victory Garden will take root this year where it sits off Wasserman Way on the Fairfield Hills campus across from Reed Intermediate School. The garden will be relocated in coming years as plans progress to build a new Newtown Ambulance Association garage on that location. Mr Pessin anticipates gardeners will begin tending their rows soon, although several volunteers have already begun work.

The Victory Garden is intended to provide produce to the town’s food pantries. Currently, all the rows are allocated. For more information, send an email to Harve9@yahoo.com with questions. Visit the garden website at FoodPantryGarden.org, or see garden information on Facebook under The Victory Garden Supporting Newtown’s Food Pantries.