The City of Statesboro will host a ribbon cutting for its newly-established community garden on Saturday, June 18 at 10:00 a.m. The event will feature remarks from municipal officials and local clergy. Members of the public are invited to attend. The garden is located at 130 Parker Street in Statesboro, Georgia.
Statesboro’s City Council voted in March of 2022 to designate approximately two acres of the city’s existing Renaissance Park for a community garden with plots available to rent by citizens. The purpose of the garden is to provide a community setting for Statesboro residents to experience, learn, and participate in gardening while increasing access to fresh foods, promoting healthy living, and building bonds with neighbors.
“Successful communities work together toward common goals while still embracing their diversity and differences,” says Paulette Chavers, Statesboro City Councilmember. Chavers has been a strong advocate of the garden, which is located within the city council district she represents. “This garden is an opportunity for our citizens to embrace the true meaning of ‘community’ and work together as neighbors with a shared interest.”
The city’s Parks Division and Keep Statesboro-Bulloch Beautiful (KSBB) will maintain the garden which is set to be in operation 12 months of the year from sunrise to sunset.
Citizens interested in renting a garden plot can contact KSBB through:
- email at ksbb@statesboroga.gov or
- by phone at 912-531-4546
The annual registration fee is $25 for a 4 ft x 12 ft raised bed and $50 for a 15 ft x 30 ft ground plot. Payments and registration for plots will be processed at City Hall by the City Clerk’s office starting on Wednesday, June 15. Reservation of plots will be handled on a first-come, first-served basis. Registrants will need to provide proof of a Statesboro residence to rent a plot. Registered gardeners can start planting in their plots as soon as the ribbon is cut on Saturday.
The garden will have a volunteer master gardener on-site four to five hours per week to offer guidance to gardeners, inspect the garden, and manage tool checkouts. A tool shed will be located on-site with tools available for checkout including garden trowels, hoes, rakes, shovels, and more when the master gardener is on the premises. The master gardener’s monthly hours will be posted on KSBB’s website and on the message board located at the garden.
The City of Statesboro encourages any of its citizens who are interested in participating in the garden to learn more here. (The complete policies and procedures for the garden can also be found there)
