MARTINSBURG, W.Va. – The Garden of Promise is a community garden started by the Burke Street Promise Neighborhood Initiative where residents of Martinsburg can grow vegetables, flowers, and friendships.
An opening day celebration for the Garden of Promise is scheduled for 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. on April 13. The goal of the opening day celebration is to recruit gardeners who would like to grow in the Garden of Promise and to educate the public on the benefits of growing their own produce. This event is free and open to all interested in learning more about gardening.
The garden is a partnership with Habitat for Humanity, Burke Street Elementary School, and the United Way. Last year, the collaborative grew to include Main Street Martinsburg, Healthy Berkeley, WVU Extension Master Gardeners, WVU Medicine, and the WVU Medicine Center for Diabetes and Metabolic Health.
The purpose of the garden is to offer space for neighborhood residents to grow their own fruit and vegetables. The spaces are also open to others outside the neighborhood if available. Main Street Martinsburg and Healthy Berkeley were able to secure funding for a high tunnel garden to lengthen the growing season. By adding the high tunnel garden, the growing season can be extended and open up new opportunities.
The garden plans to partner with Burke Street Elementary School to allow the students to learn about gardening and grow produce that can be served in the cafeteria. Other possibilities include growing produce that can be sold at the Martinsburg Farmers Market in order to sustain the garden and offer more options at the market.
Throughout growing season, the Garden of Promise and WVU Extension Master Gardeners will offer a series of workshops that are free and open to the public. No pre-registration is required. All workshops will be held at 10 a.m. in the Garden of Promise:
- May 11 – Composting
- June 15 – Taking care of your garden
- July 13 – Now that you’ve got it, what to do with it
To learn more about the garden, contact Nathan Fiore at 304-596-6323 or nathan.fiore@wvumedicine.org; Dana DeJarnett at 304-264-1287, ext. 31814, or dana.dejarnett@wvumedicine.org; or go to the Garden of Promise Facebook page, MTBpromisegarden.