By Laura Roch

The City of Dover has envisioned a community garden since 2003 with the purchase of a three acre plot from the Cassily family, but it was not until Eric Kelsey, a PhD student at UNH, came along that the idea grew into something more. Two years ago at a meeting of the Dover Open Lands Committee, the need for agriculture in the city was voiced and Kelsey took the challenge and the opportunity to create a garden that reflects the ideals of a strong community.

The primary goal of this project is to bring the people of Dover together in a creative way. Anyone is free to go to the garden and learn how to grow their own food or to share their own knowledge of farming. All harvests are stored in a shed and distributed among the stewards of the garden. A percentage of all harvests are also given to the Dover food pantry. This year 50 pounds of fresh produce were grown for the pantry.

The garden is two years old and has been increasingly productive so far. This was the first year the garden was planted from seeds (last year members were unable to start planting during the spring and tended to donated seedlings instead). The harvest far exceeded anyone’s expectations after the constant rain of the growing season but the garden yielded an array of crops: garlic, tomatoes, potatoes, herbs, beans, peppers, jalapeños, 100 lbs of apples (from trees previously on the property), lemon cucumbers and many more. Stewards of the garden were even able to sell some produce at this year’s Apple Harvest.

The Dover Community Garden is a recognized non-profit with Eric Kelsey as its modest president. Selling produce allows the garden to purchase some necessities but most funding come from the generous donations of businesses and from grants. The land itself is state funded conservation land designated by the Land and Community Heritage Investment Program (LCHIP) and City owned. Since the donation of the land, seedlings have been donated from Back River and Nelson Farms and Central Paint has donated….paint. The Garden has also received a $1,000 grant from New England Grassroots Environment Fund (NEGEF) and Timberland contributed to the project through a community service program. The company volunteers built a shed and did some planting. Another way of funding the garden is through a suggested membership fee. Kelsey and the other stewards do not want to inhibit people from joining the gardening activities so no fee is required.

Donations of time and expertise have also helped the Garden immensely. Garen Heller, an experienced farmer from Back River Farm has been a constant guide throughout the project. Most organizers of the garden do not have background in agriculture or gardening but are dedicated to educating themselves and others. Workshops are held by farmers and gardeners on topics such as basic gardening skills, growing garlic and sheet mulching. This summer a children’s program was initiated during which children were able to experiment with planting in their own garden every other Saturday.

Permaculture and design have become prominent features of the Garden. Permaculture focuses on imitating the relationships of plants in the natural environment. Exploiting the natural symbiotic relationships of flora can result in larger harvests and more nutritious food. The Garden also derives design from the idea of a community; no separate plots exist to be rented to individuals. The whole garden circulates a meeting circle with a five-foot pea teepee. This seems to represent the continuity of community and relationships.

Currently the Community Garden has about 10 to 12 consistent stewards which is an increase from last year when there were only six extremely dedicated stewards. The gardeners were able to cultivate a fifth of an acre with the resources they had this year. Kelsey expects the garden to continue to improve in the years to come. “Like anything good in the world the community garden will grow slowly….”

If you’re interested in joining the Dover Community Garden you can email an inquiry to doverccgarden@yahoo.com call Eric Kelsey at (603) 438 4992.