Nahant looks to expand community garden

NAHANT – As winter snow flies, some town officials and avid gardeners have set their sights on the spring Town Meeting and seed money for the community garden.The groundbreaking on the community garden was last spring and it was a collaborative effort between numerous groups in town, including the Open Space Committee, Johnson Elementary School and Garden Club.Nahant Town Administrator Mark Cullinan said the community garden’s first year was “successful beyond my imagination.”?We just wanted to get it up and running, but a lot of people stepped up to help out. A lot of produce came out of the garden last year,” he said.Community Garden Committee member Emily Potts said she was pleased with the garden.?I think it was a beautiful garden,” Potts said. “I think expanding it is a wonderful thing. People really enjoyed the time they spent there and a lot of people showed up for the Saturday morning distributions.M.L. Kort, who is also a member of the Community Garden Committee, said she was thrilled with the garden.?It was absolutely stunning,” Kort said. “It was a wonderful, exciting garden and there was such a feeling of euphoria on Saturday mornings when people came down to get produce.”Cullinan is requesting $10,000 in Community Preservation Funds for the community garden in order to expand the garden and tree nursery.?We’re going to be starting most of the produce from seeds this year,” he said. “We’ll set up some tables and lights on the lower level of Town Hall. It doesn’t take much to start seedlings.”Cullinan is working with the Nahant Garden Club, which has expressed an interest in growing cut flowers.?People can come to the garden and get their produce,” Cullinan said. “They could also get a nice cut flower bouquet for their table at the same time.”Cullinan said last year residents were asked to make a donation when they went to the garden to get produce and he expects that practice to continue.Paul Caira, who unofficially coordinated the planting last summer, said the garden generated more interest than expected in its first year and he expects it to at least double in size this spring to at least 20 beds and 150 containers.