Thanks to planning by the Potter County Commissioners and a financial grant from UPMC, residents will be able to enjoy a vibrant community garden for another growing season. The Potter County Community Garden, located at 7 Water Street in Coudersport, will open its gates again this spring for individuals and groups to adopt a free garden plot. A total of 29 raised garden beds are available to the public, along with a pollinator garden, a storage shed with tools, and a handicap accessible planting station.

The mission of the Potter County Community Garden is 1) to empower the community to plant, grow and harvest their own produce, 2) to provide education on the value of gardening, 3) to promote community interaction & unity, and 4) to offer solutions to food insecurity. Highlights of the 2022 garden include:

• Individual gardeners with limited room to grow vegetables at their homes used 17 of the 25 plots. Community groups utilized another 6 boxes as teaching space, an MHMR program activity, a disability plot, and to grow fresh herbs for a local restaurant.
• Two boxes were filled with flowers to draw in beneficial bees and butterflies to cross-pollinate plants.
• A total of 39 pounds of vegetables and herbs were produced in 23 garden boxes equaling 897 pounds of edible food. Of that total, 20% or 179 pounds, was donated to the market shed where local citizens were invited to enjoy free vegetables and improve healthy eating habits.

HOW TO APPLY FOR A 2023 GARDEN BED:  Individual and group applications for the garden are now available at local businesses, the Coudersport Library, the Gunzburger Building and the Penn State Extension office. Interested parties can also contact Commissioner Barry Hayman at 814-274-8290 x 201 or email pccg2022@googlegroups.com to request an application. Be sure to check out the garden Facebook page, Potter County Community Garden, for garden updates.

As part of a cooperative effort, the Coudersport High School FFA chapter will donate 160 starter plants to gardeners and the CHS Industrial Technology class has agreed to construct a free-standing garden bulletin board. In addition, Penn State Extension Master Gardeners and Potter County Conservation will offer several free workshops beginning in March with a “Seed Starting & Garden Design” event on Thursday, March 30^th at 6 pm. This training will take place in the conference room at Penn State Extension with demonstrations in the Community Garden afterward. Please call 814-274-8540 x100 or email srg22@psu.edu to register.