Community garden blooms at Callanan Park

The City of Shelton, Hands on Personal Empowerment (HOPE) Garden and the Mason Conservation District celebrated Earth Day on Friday by officially opening its new community garden at Callanan Park in Shelton.

Twenty raised garden beds are available to low-income families who want to grow their own fruits and vegetables. The garden beds are available first-come, first-served. Application forms are at [email protected] or masoncd.org/callanan-community-garden.

Four or five of them are raised for easier access for gardeners in wheelchairs, or who cannot stoop low. Two or three of the beds will be devoted to growing food for the clients of The Saints' Pantry Food Bank in downtown Shelton.

The Shelton City Council in October agreed to allow HOPE Garden and the Mason Conservation District to establish the community garden of about 10,000 square feet in the park's southeast corner at the junction of West E Street and Van Buren Street, across the street from Shelton Memorial Park.

The city assisted with site preparation and extended utilities to the garden. HOPE constructed the garden beds and support infrastructure.

The city writes the spot would also be used as a "teaching garden for workshops offered to veterans, students and the public at large." Native edible plants along the fence at the garden "offer more opportunities for education, food security and cultural relevance."

The city provides water and power to the garden, and HOPE maintains and manages it.

HOPE Garden hosts gardens at four other sites: Evergreen Elementary School, Bordeaux Elementary School, CHOICE High School and across the street from Mason General Hospital.