Community Farm
The Crafton Community Farm is not your ordinary community garden! Established in 2015, the garden is planted, mulched, watered, weeded and harvested by volunteers–who then donate most of the produce! It began as an idea from Crafton resident Andrea Marquis, who brought the idea to Crafton Borough in 2014. With a generous support grant from The Allegheny Grows branch of Grow Pittsburgh, as well as ongoing cooperation with the Crafton Borough, the garden is now thriving, and its produce is regularly donated to the Crafton Ingram Community Food Pantry and others. The amount of produce harvested has ranged from 1100-1400 pounds each growing season.
In 2022 we added more container plantings, and started a dedicated Childrens’ Garden, where young folks can plant whatever they want and come back when they visit Crafton Park to see it grow. We also put in some raised beds for people who have trouble getting down to ground level, and we got a grant for some cute crop identification signage. We usually have free plants to give away in June, and we have plenty of seeds and gardening ideas to share with anyone in the community.
All produce is organic, grown from non-GMO seeds. The crops grown include cucumbers, beets, peas, tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, ground cherries, strawberries, kale, beans, nasturtium and other edible flowers, lettuce, carrots, brussel sprouts, swiss chard, eggplant, okra, asparagus, squash, garlic, onions, pumpkins, and a variety of herbs. In the last couple years, we have gotten fruit from several varieties of berry bushes and our small fruit tree orchard, and we have started some interesting perennial crops such as sea kale, American Groundnut, horseradish, and rhubarb. Volunteers learn from each other and from professionals about the best way to grow, harvest–and even cook!–the produce.
Would you like to get involved? Anyone is welcome to join in harvesting and other garden activities and we can accommodate groups. We have adult and child-sized tools and gloves to share. If you or a family member needs service hours for any reason, we have plenty of fun projects that could use your help. Hours at the garden are by appointment, but if you see a volunteer in the garden, don’t hesitate to come on in and see what is going on, and get a free taste of the freshest food in Crafton! Don’t have a green thumb? No problem! We also need help with things like outreach and social media, manual labor, building, writing, and photography.
We welcome compost! Neighbors and visitors to the park are welcome to dump fruit and vegetable scraps, shredded brown cardboard, coffee grounds, eggshells, and leaves that have not been exposed to chemicals right in any of our compost piles, next to the garden, near our shed. Please do not put meat or fats in the compost, rather dispose of that in the appropriate garbage containers.
Please always respect the food and the work of the volunteers by staying positive and helpful when you visit the garden. The garden is not locked, but we do like the gate to stay closed so the deer and other critters don’t eat all of the food!
More information about the garden can be found on its Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/craftoncommunityfarm, or by contacting CraftonCommunityFarm@gmail.com.
Have you seen any untended fruit trees growing around your neighborhood? The Crafton Ingram Food Pantry would love your apples, berries, pears, or other fruit. If you have a fruiting tree, or know someone who does, please contact us at CraftonCommunityFarm@gmail.com so we can rally our volunteers to harvest the fruit when it is ripe. If the tree is not on your property, please remember to get the owner’s permission before you pick. Likewise, if you are enjoying a surplus of any type of veggies in your home garden, they would be most welcome at the Food Pantry. Email us at the above address to schedule a pickup!