Plymouth Healing Communities has cultivated a Community Garden Program at House of Healing and Eng House for several years. This year, we are excited to expand the program to include the Argonaut Apartments

Once again, we are getting a healthy start to this growing season with the expert support of our valued partner, the Garden Hotline at Tilth Alliance. Last month, the Tilth's Rosemarie, the Natural Yard Care Educator, held a workshop at Argonaut, where she distributed seeds for the residents to grow indoors and educated residents on the importance of soil health and garden preparation.

Following the workshop, residents, with the help of volunteers, amended the soil. Now it was time to plant!

Tuesday, the Garden Hotline returned to help us transplant a variety of vegetables, including tomatoes, corn, zucchini, and basil. Interested residents were also given gardening kits, and in the coming weeks, the residents will transplant their seedlings of beets and collard greens that they started growing last month. Although the plants will be tiny, we know they will take over the whole plot in a few months, and we are hoping that the same garden luck we had with the Eng House garden, which was very fruitful last year, transfers to the beds at Argonaut.

By the end of the day, the residents and volunteers found their time of community, companionship, and gardening so gratifying that there was even talk about adding another garden this fall!

If you are interested in our Community Garden Program and would like to volunteer, click here.

Did You Know This Fun Fact?

Gardening has a huge range of mental health benefits, from reducing stress and depression to boosting your immune system. According to a recent survey, 8o percent of British people believe gardening had a positive impact on their mental health and that the benefits were even better than hitting the gym.

Dee Marques. “The Seven Mental Health Benefits of Gardening.” Happiness.com