A friendly competition at Citizens has led to a summer of fresh vegetables, herbs, and time outdoors.
This spring, Deanna Allen, Director of Residential Services, invited residential teams to take part in a garden competition. Houses across the agency got to work planting gardens that gave housemates and staff more to enjoy outdoors and fresh produce to use in meals.
“The homes did an amazing job creating and maintaining their gardens,” Deanna said. “The project not only brought out everyone’s love of gardening but gave our homes fresh veggies for everyone to enjoy. I am very proud of all who took part.”
Among the competitors, two gardens stood out: Lake Grove and Greenlawn.
From Garden to Table at Lake Grove
At Lake Grove, the results can be seen and tasted.
One summer evening, housemates and staff harvested freshly grown eggplant. Outside, there were also eggplants, tomatoes, peppers, basil, and mint ready to pick.
Anthony Carbone enjoys helping care for the garden and eating what it grows.
“Yeah, I love the garden,” Anthony said. “I use the hose to water.”
Alister Guillaume, Manager, and Blake Buglino, Assistant House Manager, decided to start a garden for the first time after Deanna’s announcement.
“The housemates can come out and trim when it’s growing. They can pick and bring it inside, and we can use it in cooking,” Blake said.
The Lake Grove team has grown so many vegetables and herbs that there are more than enough to go around. Recently, peppers and tomatoes have been great in salads, and fresh mint water has become a favorite drink.
“It helps out here and with their cooking goals too,” Blake said.
The Lake Grove team is already looking forward to growing their garden again next year. Along the way, they learned some helpful tips this year, like giving plants more space and making sure the tomato plants are stronger.
A Thriving Garden at Greenlawn
At Greenlawn, Jaxon Placide, Direct Support Professional (DSP), proudly showed off the garden. The corn was tall, black beans were plentiful, and tomato plants stood out among the lush greenery.
“I like to see the housemates participating,” Jaxon said.
Throughout the summer, many housemates have joined Jaxon and other staff to help with watering, trimming, and picking in the garden. They also enjoy eating what they grow, with tomatoes and peppers among the favorites.
For Jaxon, the Greenlawn garden is a great way to use his gardening skills. He also enjoys gardening at home and remembers harvesting rice, corn, black beans, peppers, and other fruits and vegetables in Haiti.
“It’s a good idea,” Jaxon smiled.
Thank you to everyone who joined the Citizens Garden Contest! We look forward to seeing what your gardens produce for the rest of the season and what you will grow next year!