A Tale of Two Gardens

It wasn't delivered by borough council as an ultimatum exactly, but the intent of its resolution was clear: of the community garden or face missing out on yet another growing season.

For more than a year the Red Bank Community Garden Committee has been petitioning borough council for the right to plant a garden along the Navesink River at 94 W. Front Street and for more than a year the answer from council has . The council wants to protect its financial interest in one of its few remaining parcels of waterfront property, and has nearly said as much, though that explanation doesn't sit well with the gardeners who have identified the location as the best option for the garden.

So, like it did this past summer, well past the start of that year's growing season, Red Bank passed a resolution in support of a community garden, just somewhere else. And again, earlier this month, council passed a second resolution in support of a community garden, again, somewhere else. Should the gardeners fail to compromise on the location the likelihood of Red Bank seeing a community garden effort any time soon is greatly diminished.

In Shrewsbury it's .

When gardeners just one town over discussed bringing a community garden to Shrewsbury, borough council gave immediate support, essentially approving the development of a garden on borough land pending the results of a soil test and formal plan. The effort to bring a garden to Shrewsbury is just a few months in the making but it looks like it will happen, and before Red Bank, too.

Though the goal is the same for each garden group: to establish a garden in their respective towns, the path taken has been completely different.

When Shrewsbury Environmental Commission member and gardener Tim Thomas appeared before to pitch the garden plan, he was asked which of the proposed sites he would most prefer. His answer was simple, "whichever one you prefer." In the interest of establishing a garden as quickly as possible, Thomas deferred the decision to council effectively eliminating any chance for official site opposition.

In Red Bank it's been about one site and one site only.

Red Bank's community gardeners have done their due diligence, visiting dozens of potential sites from one side of the town to the other. But, despite all of the council's refusals they continue to come back to the Front Street property. The same reason the borough is unwilling to give it up is the same reason why gardeners want it: location. From the outset, the Red Bank Garden Committee has had designs of something greater than just a simple community garden. The gardeners want the waterfront spot because of its visibility. Unlike Shrewsbury, where individual plots will be leased to a core group of gardeners, Red Bank gardeners want their garden to serve as a beacon.

At various council meetings, members of the Red Bank Garden Committee have made public comments about the need to showcase the garden in order to make it a success. They've also said it can and will be used by various organizations and groups throughout town and could even serve as a learning center for Red Bank school children. Locating the garden away from the downtown in a neighborhood just won't work, they say.

The ultimate fate of both gardens remains to be seen. While it seems like a sure thing in Shrewsbury, planting a garden on borough land next to the municipal complex is dependent on adequate soil tests.

In Red Bank, things aren't so clear. If the garden committee wants to plant it will have to compromise on location. If it doesn't, it can expect to lose another year.