Man aims to propagate community garden

By JULIA HAYS Courier-Post

When David Zuzga moved from Philadelphia to Collingswood with his wife and children, he wanted to bring his love for community gardening with him.

Organizer David Zuzga says a site on Washington Avenue is being considered for the community garden. (Photo provided)

And now with the help of the cooperative extension at Rutgers University and the support of the town, Zuzga is gearing up for the first meeting of the Collingswood Community Garden on July 14.

"With the organization, there will be two fronts. One is the development of the physical garden and the other will act as a horticultural society with speakers and a place to exchange ideas, extra plants and seedlings," said Zuzga. "At the first meeting, we will have master gardener John Wiberg coming to talk about vegetable gardening."

Though plans are still being finalized and the first meeting will offer an outlet for discussion, Zuzga said a site on Washington Avenue is being considered where plots could be divided among those interested in participating in the community garden.

Participants would choose what they would like to plant in their space, be it flowers, herbs, fruits or vegetables, so long as it is a non-invasive species, said Zuzga.

"There's a lot of enthusiasm and maybe there's some individuals that don't have the opportunity (to garden) and we can serve them," said Zuzga. "I think people are interested in the idea of gardening, not in isolation, but in a community setting with their neighbors."

Though a suburban setting has more space available at residences to garden and landscape, Zuzga said there are some residents with limited space available who may benefit from participating in the garden.

"For those folks who don't have quite enough room to get their hands dirty, this could be a great outlet for folks to grow their own vegetables and fruits and meet their neighbors to do something great for the town," said borough spokeswoman Cass Duffey.

Zuzga hopes interested residents will attend the meeting to make suggestions for the garden.

"It certainly brought neighbors together in Philadelphia because we were involved in the same activity with the same goal and project that really formalized a relationship among community members," said Zuzga. "I think that can work in any setting. It's nice for community members to roll up their sleeves together and work on a project."

Reach Julia Hays at (856) 486-2479 or jhays@gannett.com.

IF YOU GO

Those interested in being involved with the Collingswood Community Garden may attend the group's first meeting at 6:30 p.m. July 14 in the community room in the Collingswood Public Library on Haddon Avenue. For more information, e-mail David Zuzga at davidzuzga@gmail.com.