Rotary Community Garden of Coral Springs Celebrates 13th Anniversary

by Guest Contributor October 5, 2021

by Guest Contributor October 5, 2021 20 views

Rotary Community Garden of Coral Springs Celebrates 13th Anniversary

From left to right: Judith Gulko, Susan Liberatore, Debbie Wenger, Anne Ramsay and Satya Rudin [photo by Coral Springs Community Garden Facebook group]

By: Jen Russon

Since its first growing season in 2009, a community garden on the west side of town has steadily grown into something its members can be proud of.

Located on Sportsplex Drive near Dr. Paul’s Dog Park, they now have 54 overflowing garden beds and a food forest full of tropical fruits. Judith Gulko, co-founder and co-organizer, and fellow dues-paying members have continued developing the area, made even lusher with recent additions.

The first workday of their planting season began on October 2 and just happened to coincide with the garden’s 13th anniversary.

A pathway in The Rotary Community Garden and Food Forest of Coral Springs, 2575 Sportsplex Drive, Coral Springs, Florida [Facebook]

“Gardeners old and new gathered, started working on their plots and cleaning up the food forest, and the Helena Ramsay memorial,” said Gulko, referring to the labyrinth built by volunteers in the food forest.

Gulko said the new developments are a textured reflexology type path and a memorial grove, made possible by a generous grant from the Pollinator Project.

She added they’ve all worked hard to maintain a mandala circle filled with herbs and flowers, as well as row crops joining the landscape — the latter yielding perhaps literal tons, donated to local food banks each year.

“We’ll also be starting a school garden with a homeschooled group of kids,” said Gulko.

A community garden club fee, open to residents of Coral Springs, Parkland, and surrounding areas, is $40 a year; however, no plots are available right now.

“People can check back with us in January because sometimes plots become available by mid-year,” said Gulko.

In a video narrated by Jackie Ida, also a co-founder and co-organizer, some of the ground rules were laid out by junior-aged members, making it clear that the garden will continue to do what it does best: keep on growing.

Send Your News to Coral Springs #1 Award-Winning News Site Here.