A pillar of the community gardening scene in Philadelphia, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, is plowing ahead one way or another, despite the coronavirus. PHS has had to cancel a slate of in-person workshops and delay the first distribution of seedlings to community gardens around the city that participate in the City Harvest program, but vows to find ways to maintain a connection.
According to a statement released in March, “All PHS public gatherings, workshops, and field trips have been halted through May 8. We are working to provide new ways of sharing some of these great gardening programs to as many of you as possible in the weeks ahead, using a combination of webinars, Facebook and Instagram Live and via blogs.”
City Harvest, a PHS program that helps community gardens around the city grow produce for local food banks, will be more vital than ever amid an unprecedented crescendo of job losses. PHS and is determined to continue to support participating gardens despite the obstacles. To minimize risks of transmitting the virus, PHS staff are delivering seedlings directly to gardens rather than making them available for pickup at community gathering spots, and the program’s staff is asking gardeners to strictly adhere to social-distancing guidelines.
The seedlings were dropped at Garden R.U.N., my community garden in Roxborough, last week and had been planted by our diligent City Harvest team within days (see photo above). This seedling drop-off, the first of three planned deliveries from now through midsummer, included collards, kales, cabbages, scallions, and a selection of lettuces, which will be ready for harvest and delivery in a couple of months.
We’re trying hard to assure that gardeners steer clear of each other and follow other protocols as laid out in guidelines issued by PHS. We’ve also got a renewed sense of purpose. A word of encouragement from PHS to community gardeners around the city captures it: “The COVID-19 virus has exposed us to the fragility of our food system and the vulnerability of so many people, so let’s use the social ties we nurture while tending our gardens, to help connect neighbors with resources to grab-and-go food, support small businesses, navigate questions about utilities, health and more.”