CAST Community Garden

We are pleased to announce that this spring Yard Crop will be building raised cedar beds for a community garden at the new CAST campus!  The Susan and Robert Sommerville Community Garden will allow for CAST clients, volunteers, local gardeners and community partners to work together to help fight food insecurity in our neighborhoods. Through the CAST community garden, neighbors will work together to learn about growing nutritious food, the importance of a healthy lifestyle and gain support to make positive lifestyle changes.

 

The community garden will be located at the CAST campus off of the brick patio and existing fencing along Mechanic Street. The first phase will consist of one 4’ x 16’ x 2’ raised cedar garden bed along the south side of the brick patio, two 4’ x 4’ x 1’ raised cedar beds with an arbor for vertical growing and one 4’ x 8’ x 2’ raised cedar garden bed along the existing fence. Additional 4’ x 8’ x 2’ raised cedar garden beds will be built by Yard Crop during the second phase once fundraising goals are met.

 

COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES IN THE SUSAN AND ROBERT SOMMERVILLE COMMUNITY GARDEN:  

 

CAST COMMUNITY GARDEN GROWERS CLUB

The CAST community garden will provide an excellent opportunity for CAST clients and community members 50 years and over to participate in gardening for sustenance and mental health. With the support of local health practitioners and master gardeners, the CAST Community Garden Growers Club will provide an opportunity for elders to experience healthy aerobic activity, receive exposure to Vitamin D, enjoy the mood boosting benefits of gardening and find togetherness in their community. The majority of the CAST community garden raised beds will be 2 feet high which allows for ease of maintenance and decreased likelihood of physical injury.

SUMMER ART SERIES
CAST and Yard Crop will be hosting a summer art series of events in the CAST Community Garden showcasing local artists, hosting art workshops and providing an outdoor retreat for CAST clients to be inspired. CAST and Yard Crop are seeking artists to participate in showcasing their work and leading art workshops in the garden. To become involved in the art series, please contact [email redacted] 

LITTLE SPROUTS PROGRAM

In collaboration with local early childhood teachers and gardeners, Yard Crop will host garden workshops for caretakers and their children. Connecting local mothers’ groups with CAST’s Grupo de Madre will allow for community members and CAST clients to learn and share together. This will be an excellent opportunity to build upon existing CAST educational programs and introduce new community members to this important mission.

 

GARDEN TO TABLE / NORTH FORK CULINARY PROGRAM

In collaboration with CAST’s current North Fork Culinary Program, the CAST community garden will provide for a unique learning opportunity for CAST clients to learn about growing food for better nutrition and cooking with freshly harvested crops. The garden will provide a true "garden to kitchen" learning opportunity.

 

A MINDFULNESS GARDEN

With the support of local fitness studios and health providers, the CAST community garden will provide a physical space for outdoor wellness opportunities for CAST clients and community members. Local aromatherapists and herbalists will utilize the CAST community garden as an apothecary to teach CAST clients about the benefits of holistic health and practicing mindfulness as a method for wellness.

 

 

For more information about Community Action Southold Town: To promote self-sufficiency and provide a safety net for Southold Town NY residents in need. www.castnorthfork.org

For more information about Yard Crop: We design, build, plant and maintain custom home vegetable gardens on the North Fork of Long Island. www.yardcropnofo.com