NORTH CANAAN — It was a conversation many people were having over the winter, for many reasons. For some, it was news reports of soaring food prices. For others it was concerns about non-organic produce. And then of course there were those who simply wanted a chance for exercise and fresh air.
Whatever the reason, many residents of Station Place in North Canaan are among those who will be “growing their own� this summer.
The Gardeners at Station Place is a project that was born out of a chat between Art Cross and Dennis Swett, next-door neighbors in the 37-unit apartment complex in the center of town.
They couldn’t use the courtyard lawn; that’s where the kids play ball. But there was the old railroad bed on the property’s southern edge. The east/west rail line has long been abandoned, even by the old cabooses that used to be stored there.
“We knew it wasn’t going to be easy. The tracks were still there and the soil was full of coal residue from the trains,� said Cross, a retired soil scientist.
But with seven families signed on as gardeners and a promise from LeRoy Riva of C.A. Lindell, which owns the property, that they could use the land, they forged ahead.
It turned out that Riva’s offer came bundled with plenty of help. That set the tone for what has become a real community effort.
“It was incredible how everyone pitched in and donated labor and materials,� Swett said. “We barely had to ask.�
Leading the way was George Reinholt, who works for Lindell Fuels.
“Not only did Lindell’s send him over during the day, he came after work and on weekends until the job was done,� Swett said.
Reinholt used heavy equipment from Lindell’s to rip out the tracks. Soil was donated by Lindell’s, O’Connor Bros. Inc. and M.F. Mulville and Sons Inc. Dennis Jasmine, a Falls Village farmer, took time out of his busy spring schedule to deliver a donation of a load of manure. Laurelbrook Farm donated a load of composted manure.
Mark Burdick, a Falls Village farmer who teaches in the agriculture education department at Housatonic Valley Regional High School, came out with a crew of students and a tractor to till the new soil, remove railroad ties and build a wide set of steps up to the garden.
The town of North Canaan brought in a load of wood chips and the Station Place gardeners happily spread them on pathways between the plots.
It will be a well-drained, sunny site, perfect for the wide variety of vegetables planned by families who will reside over 12-by-25-foot plots. And if Mother Nature cooperates, they’ll be eating well in the neighborhood.
