A community garden has been planted at the Rittall Farm on Route 27 in Boothbay. Last year, Holly Stover and Scott Rittall started planning the garden and, with encouragement from Boothbay Region Community Resources, the Boothbay Region Food Pantry applied for a garden grant.

A few weeks ago, when the grant did not materialize, Sarah Foulger and Fleet Davies called together a group of interested and knowledgeable area residents, including Bill Cullina and David Butterworth, and a few simple goals were set: to gather volunteers to plant, weed and harvest the garden; to purchase seed potatoes, onion sets, seeds and other vegetable plants; to plant a garden primarily with cold storage crops as soon as possible; to distribute harvested vegetables to the Food Pantry.

Following a quick call for volunteers, some scrambling to find enough seeds and plants this late in the season, and with a great deal of labor on the part of Scott Rittall, a garden was planted on Saturday, June 15.

Seeds and plants were paid for by the Congregational Church of Boothbay Harbor in the hope that donations will offset this initial expenditure. Plants were also generously donated by Steve Solario, owner of Conley’s Garden Center. Half of the harvest will be distributed on site to garden volunteers and half will be delivered to the food pantry.

Volunteers are needed all summer long to weed and tend the garden. Please contact Scott Rittall at 207-350-1059 for more information about volunteering.